“Eight of the Best” College Admissions Updates
I recently attended a valuable presentation hosted by eight small, liberal arts colleges from across the US. Here are some key highlights of just some of the important information provided.
I.D.E.A. Space: Colorado College’s InterDisciplinary Experimental Arts
- The Block Plan: 1 class at a time for 3.5 weeks, then 4 days off
- Never more than 25 students
- Focused immersion, research, independent time
- Immersive, engaged learning, all must attend and focus
- Hands on learning is key
- Film: entire block in Hollywood working with directors, writers, producers, actors
- Languages, Shakespeare, Dante, often taught abroad
- 300 days of sun, a very outdoorsy student body
- U.S. Olympic Training Center, 10 minutes from downtown and hiking
- Innovation Institute: Global and Social Innovation
- Division 1: Women’s soccer and Men’s ice hockey, remainder is Division III
- Food tops, grow their own, encourage eating there and talking to students
- Completely open curriculum with “structured freedom”
- Dance, theater, music taught with conservatory method
- Students interview faculty before selecting courses
- Thirty minutes by train to NYC
- New to NCAA Division III
- Seventy-five percent of graduates pursue graduate degrees
- SLC is need aware
- Priority is research, 5th largest endowment in the U.S with $2 billion
- Individual attention is paramount
- Individually Advised Curriculum: no defined curriculum
- Research-intensive institution: Grinnell was 7th in Nation for PhD
- Arts, pre-professional internships (college-sponsored) in summers
- Financial aid: 100% need-blind around world, meet 100% of need
- One third of students get merit aid (no need component) no separate application
- Beautiful part of country
- Leadership in the Liberal Arts
- Research, internships, community service are big
- Washington, DC and Silicon Valley semester programs
- Athenaeum: 4 nights/week speakers come to join students in discussion
- 5 liberal arts colleges on Claremont campus, with courses at all five
- Need blind for US students
- Over 2,000 students, larger than most
- Safe neighborhood setting near urban downtown
- Very global, 95 other countries, over 40% international or diverse nationally
- International before most colleges in the country
- Lots of majors, minors, community and global health new
- Capstone project for all, 60% study abroad
- Archaeology, anthropology, and classics
- Meet 100% need for international and undocumented students
- New athletic facility, new studio art and music facility
- Community service: urban access a big benefit also internships and Capitol nearby
- Culturally lively city, and major sports
- Hire great faculty because of urban center
- Not snobbish or elitist, collaborative
- Students are independent, opinionated, passionate, argue about ideas, fun and smart
- Near Columbus, Ohio on a beautiful campus
- First class faculty, live walking distance from campus
- Lots of interaction and engagement
- Open curriculum, interdisciplinary, many double or self-designed
- “The writers college”, known for writing, plus 12 languages
- Twenty percentage sciences, summer science scholar
- Community is huge: all students live on campus and eat together for 4 years
- Meets 100% of need and are need-aware, merit too
- Grow food and work their own farm
- Biking, hiking, kayaking nearby
- Liberal arts into action, putting students to test in the world
- Hands on career program: team of advisors
- Internship design for all
- College-funded after junior year, many international fellowships and research
- Honor Code, leadership training is important
- Work hard/play hard, supportive, collaborative
- Worldwide alumni network
- View of Long Island Sound
- One third are varsity athletes
- Strength in life sciences, new building
- Theater and writing musicology as well, studio arts center new
- 30 productions a year, full symphony
- One of the best athletic facility in nation
- Kenyon is financial aid need aware
- 1200 students
- Quaker strong sense of engagement, no hierarchy, consensus
- Arboretum, Philadelphia 8 miles away on train (internships, culture, city life)
- Integrity, directly involved in education, students are trusted
- Honor Code important and student run
- Research expected, all students senior thesis
- Observatory on campus
- Huge activity budget
- Centers on campus fund programs abroad, research, internships
- Consortium: Bryn Mayer, Swarthmore, Penn Wharton and engineering
