Ranking it

Houston higher education centers make the grade on list of nation's Best Graduate Schools

The experts at U.S. News & World Report have published the 2013 Best Graduate Schools Ranking based on the program quality, admissions selectivity and more, and four Houston institutes of higher education make the cut.

Baylor College of Medicine tied for No. 24 on the Best Medical Schools for Primary Care along with Brown University (Alpert), Johns Hopkins University, Ohio State University and University of Pittsburgh — up from No. 49 in last year's ranking. BCM ranked No. 8 for a specialty in pediatrics.

BCM also improved on the list of Best Medical Schools for Research, rising from No. 31 to a tie for No. 18 alongside Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Northwestern University (Feinberg). The University of Texas Health Science Center-Houston ranked No. 55 in that category.

The diverse offerings of Rice University made high notes: Its Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business ranked No. 30 in the nation, with high marks for its part-time MBA program — No. 17 nationwide. Rice's George R. Brown School of Engineering took No. 32 on the list.

The University of Houston's Cullen College of Engineering ranked No. 76 on the list of Best Engineering Schools, and the C.T. Bauer College of Business ranked No. 96 among the Best Business Schools (its part-time MBA program took No. 73).

The Law Center at the University of Houston took No. 48 in the Top Law Schools category, with high rankings in healthcare law (No. 8), intellectual property law (No. 7) and part-time law (No. 16) specialties.

The Baylor College of Medicine rose in the rankings among Top Medical Schools for Primary Care and Top Medical Schools for Research.

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Trader Joe's sets Cypress opening date, confirms Bellaire plans

Photo courtesy of Towne Lake by Caldwell Communities Facebook page

Trader Joe's is expanding, and shoppers couldn't be happier.

Two new Houston-area communities announced that they would be opening Trader Joe's locations, bringing the total number of stores in the city to nine.

On Thursday, December 18, the Towne Lake by Caldwell Communities Facebook page posted that the new Trader Joe's at 9715 Towne Lake Parkway would open at 8 am on Friday, December 19. Unsold but still-good products left over at the ribbon cutting ceremony will be donated to local nonprofits.

"Not only does Trader Joe's have great prices on food, drinks, and treats, but as a hobby florist I always find the best selections for my floral arrangements," Copperfield resident Kelsey Zuchlewski tells CultureMap. "Now, with the convenience of having a location right here in our neighborhood, I'm in heaven."

Confirmation of the Cypress opening followed an announcement on the City of Bellaire's Facebook page that a Trader Joe's would take over the former Randall's at 5130 Bellaire Blvd. The post did not specify when construction will begin or when the location will open.

"This highly anticipated addition to our community will bring a unique grocery shopping experience and further enhance the vibrant retail landscape of Bellaire," the post said. "We look forward to welcoming Trader Joe’s and will share updates as the project progresses."

The California-based chain of stores entered Houston in 2012, first in the Woodlands and then, more famously, at the old Alabama Theater space on Shepherd, where it has become a beloved local institution. Since then, the chain has expanded throughout Houston, including a Kingwood location that opened earlier this month.

Over the year, Trader Joe's has built a loyal following that rivals even H-E-B. Staff at the stores (wearing Hawaiian shirts) are trained to be extremely friendly and helpful, as well as being encouraged to purchase ownership in the company. The selection is smaller and more curated than other larger grocery stores, leading to a boutique experience that many consider to be surprisingly affordable. At least one viral TikToker claims that Trader Joe's beats H-E-B's price, although the latter undoubtedly has a larger selection of goods.

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