College of Wooster (Take 2)

The College of Wooster (visited 11/5/21) (click here for info from my first visit in 4/2012)

Fun fact: Only Wooster and Princeton have been ranked for both undergrad research AND capstone experiences. This is also one of the very few colleges I’ve been to that has brought up neurodiversity as part of their info session, recognizing it as a valid form of diversity they want on campus.

The “micropolitan” small city of Wooster (population of about 30,000 people) is cute, walkable (with good public transportation), and has lots to do: students talked about the great Farmers Market on Saturday, lots of thrift shops, good parks, and an arboretum. They also have plenty of internship opportunities ranging from Cleveland Clinic to Smuckers. Campus events on weekends (Greek events, food, movies, and more) keep students active on campus.

The college is 98% residential; students seem to have “Why rush off campus, walk farther to classes, and make my own food? I have to do that the rest of my life!” attitude. Wooster provides a variety of housing such as suites, doubles or triples in regular dorms, apartments, and townhomes (these are only available to seniors who apply for them). Some housing options have requirements like volunteering in the community or being a student leader of groups.

Students are “extraordinarily kind. I’ve been struck with the ways students are kind to each other. They intentionally look out for each other.” They know they’re all in it together and aren’t in competition for experiences. Opportunities exist for everyone who wants them – and an expectation that they all take advantage of it. Students are a bit in awe of each other because they see each other doing amazing things.”

They look for engaged, committed students to be part of their community. Wooster was founded by Scottish Presbyterians but operates more like Quakers. They have town hall meetings all the time. They may not agree, but students are expected to engage, listen, and discuss. They purposefully structure the academic day to enable them to participate once they’re there. Classes end by 4pm with very few offered in the evenings. “We don’t care what they do as long as they do something.” Performing arts are strong: About 1/3 of students are active in music and about ¼ in theater. They offer a variety of majors in these areas (interestingly, they offer a joint Theater and Dance degree), but many participate in the arts without majoring in them (and non-majors can earn scholarships as long as they maintain a connection to the department such as performing in an ensemble or working on the tech crew).

What differentials Wooster from most places is the expectation that all students complete a senior capstone/Independent Study which can take different forms depending on majors: A theater major can direct a play, English majors may write a novel, science majors may do original lab research, etc. Students complete a Junior Independent Study to prepare for their capstone; they’ll focus their topic, do preliminary work to make sure there’s enough to research, apply for grants, and more. It’s typical to get funding to travel; some students have gone to DC to work in the Archives, to London to see plays, and more. Students meet with advisors once a week until it’s turned in on IS Monday; they must also do a defense with another faculty who will evaluate the produce. Communication Sciences & Disorders and Music Therapy/Music Education – they do extended internship placements instead of IS. This gets turned in in Early March. IS Monday is a huge deal; they have celebrations afterwards.

One of their capstone programs is APEX (Advising, Planning, Experiential Learning), now in its 11^th year. They incorporate 7 offices of student support into one umbrella office so they can collaborate and share responsibility for helping students formulate personal and professional goals and then reach them over the 4 years. They expect students to start early and come in often; they also know that people’s interests at 18 are very different than at 22 so they utilize a developmental model. Some programs include:

• They’ll help students find internships, including mini-ones as long as they complete at least 40 hours. They can get grants for under-paid/non-paid internships.
• They offered a soft rollout of 8 Pathways in which students take 3 or 4 classes (and complete some experiential learning) from different disciplines that are thematically connected.
  • They encourage students to enroll in the 1^st or 2^nd year but not beyond that to give them time to complete and reflect.
  • There are 5 deliberate touch-points to reflect on how this relates to what they’re doing. They could be informational interviews with alumni to get info about careers, etc.
  • Topics include: Activism & Social Change, Environmental Communication & Action, Data Exploration & Communication, Global Impacts, Museum & Archival Studies, Digital & Visual Storytelling, Entrepreneurship, and Public Health.

As a school listed on the Colleges that Change Lives list, I always ask students, “How has this changed your life?”

• “Professors don’t call us out. They work through things with us and hep us find our voices.”
• “I’ve done all the research they offer. You can research across all department as you go up. I got to do work on the effects of climate change on trees in Alaska”
• “I have more confidence. I presented at a national conference with PhD students and I don’t even have my undergrad yet.”
• “I learned what real research is – and that I like it! I came here despite the research – maybe in spite of it.”
• “I went abroad with a professor and saw 18 plays in a month.”

The arch that gets filled with snow.

Some traditions the students like about Wooster include:

• In the first significant snowfall, they’ll fill the arch to the main building with snow. Our tour guide thinks it’s because it used to block the only entrances to the academic buildings.
• Move-in weekend. “There’s a great energy on campus, seeing friends after the summer. People help First Years move in, and local restaurants and stores have booths on campus.”
• International Education Week: “There’s lots of programing from students who want to showcase cultures like through food, film, culture, and fashion shows.”
• Tootsie Rolls get handed out when students turn in their IS. This tarted when registrar handed them out. The Parade held the day after these get turned in is also a big deal!
• Bagpipes play at the beginning of a lot of events. “They played at the pool at the beginning of a meet. BAD idea with the concrete and water. It was so loud.”

© 2021

Hiram College

Hiram College (visited 11/4/21)

“We’re a small campus and want students to be able to do everything they want to do. We foster the eclectic nature of students and try to break apart the idea that people have to be the same. All facets are valid. College is the time to explore and find your passion.”

This is one of those generally wonderful small liberal arts schools – but it’s located in a small town with a middle-of-nowhere feel, making it a harder sell for students coming from a distance.  However, it’s only about 35 miles from Cleveland, so it’s accessible. The kids there seem to love it; “you just need to know what you’re getting into. You need to know it’s small,” said the tour guide. “I’ve known a couple friends who transferred because they didn’t visit, although one just didn’t like walking up the hill from the dining hall.” To be fair, the hill wasn’t that big and only about a block long!

Hiram operates on a 12-3 semester structure: students take 3-4 classes in the first 12 weeks of the semester followed by one intensive class for 3 weeks. Our tour guide liked the 3-week terms because it gives students a way to dive into a class that they love – or quickly get through one they don’t. The rep we spoke to talked about additional flexibility for student to do internships or study abroad/away. Travel classes are popular during this term (they’ll meet on campus for 1-2 weeks and travel for the remainder of the time) – and by tacking on 3 weeks to both winter and summer breaks, students can start jobs or internships earlier and get a jump-start on opportunities.

The student-run garden outside the library

Hiram offers two free summer classes to all students, no questions asked. “Sometimes freshman want a reduced load their first semester or students are doing internships and need to travel. The summer class option can reduce the stress and still allow them to graduate on time.” This helps with study abroad, particularly for athletes who want to study abroad in their off season. “We charge minimal room and board for the summer, and students often also get paid summer internships. Some departments also pay for housing if students have a full-time internship.” Some classes are offered online so students can take them from home or during off-campus internships.

The new science building

The professor for the First Year Writing class acts as students’ first advisor on campus. First Year Comp 1 and 2 addresses timely issues: What’s urgent/what are we dealing with right now? They look at questions like, How is something true? and Who is a hero? “These are concepts that can get muddied by the way we communicate,” the rep said. They’re trying to make the Core meaningful and current. It also gives them a way to connect new students with faculty advisors in their majors as they start moving in that direction.

Overall, Dining Hall food is pretty good. The tour guide rated it as “a 6-8 if you’re a normal eater, but vegan and vegetarian options are not good because there’s not much variety.” The meal that students tend to rush to get is the Hiram Plate. “It has mashed potatoes, popcorn chicken, corn, cheese, and gravy. Comfort food in a bowl,” said the tour guide.

The Tree House – Environmental Studies

Campus is beautiful – lots of brick buildings and trees on what looks like a traditional campus – but they’ve also bought several houses along the edges of campus which are now often departmental offices, classrooms, and homes to several of the Institutes on campus. They’ve had a lot of upgrades to buildings recently. “The library is even cooler now,” and apparently the couches in the Performing Arts building are super comfy. There’s been an effort to upgrade dorms and other buildings. Dorms are coed and have AppleTV hookups. There’s gender neutral and honors housing. 

Some of the dorms

The school wants students to explore different academics, to look at things in an interdisciplinary way, and to try things. “We actually don’t let them declare a major right away. This is to help stave off that existential life crisis of changing or wondering if things are going to make them graduate late or getting them to a point where they can’t let go of something that isn’t working for them.”

• Nursing: Applicants need a B or better in Algebra 2, Bio, and Chem but don’t need to submit test scores. They are test-blind for admissions, but test scores can strengthen the nursing apps to get them into the direct nursing. Although this is technically Direct Entry, students don’t fully start the nursing program until sophomore year. They split up A&P and Bio 1; one of these has to be taken over the summer after freshman year (they can use one of their free classes). If they pass all, they enter the nursing program as sophomores. There are a lot of hospitals in the 3-Metro Area (Cleveland, Akron, Youngstown all within 45 minutes) for clinicals. (As a side note, several students come from California for the nursing program here).
• They own a local field station and another in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for wildlife rehab and EnviSci work. The Northwoods Field Station is rustic; students need to be prepared for that
• Honors program: This doesn’t require a separate app, but students need to indicate that they’re interested. They’ll talk to the Director instead of writing additional essays. There are certain honors-based programs that are funded such as DC and London trips for PoliSci.
• Students can take music lessons on campus for free.
• They’ve developed several Institutes which allow for interdisciplinary and/or intensive work in a variety of areas:
  • The Center for Literature, Medicine, and Biomedical Humanities – this allows for some crossover for students who are thinking about med school but don’t want a straight science major.
  • Center for Integrated Entrepreneurship
  • The Garfield Institute (he lived in the area) – students can focus on Public Leadership or The Study of the American Presidency.
  • Center for Writing and Literature
  • Center for Scientific Engagement
• Sustainability has been a growing thing. They even have an Envi Sci house – behind it, there’s an outdoor stone pizza oven powered by corn! (and as a side note – they have cute black squirrels running everywhere). One student looked at this within politics – and then how to institute this within a college, proposed a graduate student intern. Started composting and other initiatives.

The pizza oven (and a bonus black squirrel) behind the Tree House

As part of their Tech & Trek program, all students get an iPad and Apple Pencil. This program is only a few years old (launched in 2017); it teaches students how to integrate tech into their education as well as outside of classes as part of “Mindful Technology.” In 2019, they were named an Apple Program of Distinction.

Their retention rates seem low, so we asked the rep about this. She’s definitely heard the question before and knows it’s an issue! “Percentages are tricky. We’re really small. A lot of people come here and realize they’re not comfortable in a small town so far from home. We lose a lot of football players who don’t get a roster spot that happens in the first few weeks. Sometimes First-Gen students try to make it work financially. We do our best to help, but sometimes there are other issues. We try to be very transparent and do a lot of education up front, but we have a ways to go.” That being said, if students stay, they have a really good shot at graduating in 4 years which is great.

This is listed on as a Colleges That Change Lives school – on the CTCL website. We did learn from another school that they might not be in the most recent addition of the book, but the CTCL organization voted to keep them in the “consortium.” As is usual, I tend to ask students how the CTCL school they’re attending changes their lives:

• “I’ve gotten more mature and learned to do my own laundry and be responsible for myself.” (I have to say that this was not impressive; most college students get to that point, I would hope. This student walked the other counselor and I across campus to the bistro for lunch, so we didn’t have a long time to chat and get some clarity. Let’s chalk it up to him being a first-year student!)
• Our tour guide was much more forthcoming and frankly, kind of saved the day with information and our impressions of the students! She said: “It gave me all sorts of contacts, internships, and advantages to get ready for vet school.” She had already done an internship as a sophomore and has another lined up. Students can get grants if the internship is unpaid. She’s spent time working at Vet Clinics. “Experiential learning is huge here. They make sure we get what we need.”
• She also said, “Students get to experience things you wouldn’t necessarily at larger or less eclectic institutions.”
• The rep we spoke to said this: “It’s about flexibility – the summer classes, the 3-week parts of the term, and the lack of restrictions on what they can try. Small campuses don’t work if the students aren’t involved. Students here go out on limbs.”

© 2021

University of Mount Union

University of Mount Union (visited 11/3/21)

The main sign coming onto campus

I was hugely impressed with this school. In terms of first impressions, their communication in advance of our visit was great, signs were clear getting us to the admission office, the campus is beautiful, and the people in Admissions were warm, friendly, and generous with their time and energy. Everything during our visit – from the tour guide to the food in the dining hall (we had dinner there – including some of their homemade gelato!) – reinforced our impressions. They even include textbooks in their tuition! As we were walking back to the car in the dark, we got a little thrown off by some of the construction; a student saw we were a bit lost and walked us back to the lot. She was a commuter in her last semester of college, and she gushed about her experiences. She felt included in all parts of life on campus and was well prepared to move into her job after graduation.

Main gates and the pond on a quad

Driving through town on the way to campus, we passed several huge, new Greek Life buildings (and I wish we stopped for pictures – but the time we left campus again, it was too dark!). We asked the rep about this: Greek life has a decent impact (about 30% of students join) but “We’re not a huge party school, so Greek life doesn’t contribute to that,” he said. Rush happens in spring to allow students to get their feet under them.

The chapel

Students come here because they’re part of a community. Many of their 2,100 students live on campus and stick around on the weekends. The Activities Board and athletics (including an eSports team!) tends to keep students on campus. “Lots of kids never want to leave. There are a lot of activities to keep them involved. Free food is a big deal!”  They tend to like the location because they can study and get their work done AND can get out and explore on the weekends. “Alliance might be in a small town, but there’s access to so much!” said the rep. “Students enjoy because it’s quiet and not distracting. We have the basics. Students can get late night food and go to Walmart – but Canton is bigger and more of a draw.” The college often offers trips to nearby cities for theater, sports, and other activities.

Bell tower

Unfortunately, this isn’t the easiest, most direct place to get to. However, the Canton airport is only 25 minutes away (Cleveland and Pittsburgh are about 90 minutes) but there is a train station in town and a decent town bus system. The International Office on campus will offer rides to airports. They do what they can to make it easy for students to get to and from campus – and around town.

Performing Arts Center

Diversity “is a work in progress.” They have a DEI office and they’re working towards reaching a 20% diversity rate (they’re close already at about 18%). The library had wonderful displays/exhibits on Banned Books and Indigenous Lands. They have several international students but are looking to increase this. They separated ties from the Methodist church “because our values did not align anymore” (although there’s a church on campus that welcomes all people, and services are available for several denominations for anyone who wants to attend). The president made the decision to split from the church in order to help move the college forward, particularly for LGBTQ and non-binary students. “We have a pretty great community here and they’re welcome and celebrated – but we are a subset here. Ohio is a red state and we’re transparent about that. Off campus, students in this community may not feel as welcome, but they don’t get that feeling that from other students. We’re a bit more liberal-leaning and accepting than some surrounding colleges.” They offer single-sex, coed, and gender-inclusive housing. Students who are experiencing housing or food insecurity can talk to the DEI office for help.

Admission is rolling and is now test-optional. They’ll look at any student with a 2.0 GPA, but the average of admitted students is a 3.4. They do encourage students below the 2.0 to apply because they may be conditionally admitted with supports. In the first year, these students take support courses and meet regularly with the Office of Student Success. They also talk about “being adult on their own for the first time” to help with the other parts of adjusting to college.

Most academic programs are hands-on, offering internships, fieldwork, and research – and students complete both a First Year Experience and Capstones. There’s funding and support for study abroad. Most students have a double major or at least add a minor. Some of their more popular programs are:

• Nursing: students can be given provisional or automatic acceptance. They’ll need to include a letter of rec from a science teacher and write a 500-word essay about why they want to be a nurse. “We want to make sure they’ve thought through their choice.”
• Engineering: There are no special requirements for acceptance. “Once you’re in, you can start taking classes in the first semester.” All engineering students (Civil, Electrical, BioMedical, Mechanical, Computer) take a common first year of classes so they can experience on all of them. If they start struggling, they can use the Student Success program.
• National Security and Foreign Intelligence Analysis
• Pre-health/pre-professional tracks and their Medical Lab Science major.
• Languages: Japanese, Spanish, French, and German. If students want to learn other languages, Mount Union has partnered with Kent State so students can take any language there! It’s about 45 minutes away and students will need their own transportation.
• Performing Arts: scholarships for those students (can be major or non-major specific). Pair up with directors and others in the industry to put on a play every year. Students work closely so they can build a resume.

© 2021

Walsh University

Walsh University (visited 11/4/21)

Chapel

Walsh is a Catholic university founded in 1960 by the Brothers of Christian Instruction (“It’s a tiny tiny order – and dying out,” said the rep. “Many are in their 90s now”). One of their missions was going to the peripheries of society; the university is part of a 900-year tradition to educate students for their life’s purpose. Like the Jesuits, they look at educating the whole person. This school is a great option for students who want a smaller school (they have a little under 2000 undergrads) in a small city and access to other places. The well-maintained, attractive campus with cohesive architecture sits in a more residential area of North Canton about an hour south of Cleveland.

Admissions is only moderately selective making this a good option for a solid C/B student – and they’re test-optional if applicants have a 2.5 GPA (an 80 average). Only about half of the students self-identify as white – but take that with a grain of salt since only about 10% of students self-identify as black, Hispanic/Latinex, or Asian. They are actively trying to increase these diversity numbers by offering scholarships to discount tuition for underrepresented students.

Quad

Service is a huge portion of the culture, and the college wants it to be meaningful to the student. About 50% of students self-identify as Catholic. We asked what drew others to campus — the rep said a couple things: “The school is small enough to know students by name and large enough to be like a family. We’re focused enough to get you ready for your first job.” There are also certain guarantees they give to students, including internships, often built into the curriculum. The president is highly involved in campus life, and the students we spoke to seem to love him. The rep said that he likes to meet students touring campus (and we mentioned this to the tour guide when we walked past the President’s office, and he agreed). “If you hear someone yelling “Swords Up!” from across campus, it’s probably him,” said the rep.

Academics are well-regarded.

• eSports and Gaming Management,
• Nursing
• 3+2 Legal Students with Akron or CUA and 3+2 Legal Studies with Dayton.
• 3+3 DPT
• 4+1 MBA for non-business majors
• 3+2 direct Entry for OT and Early Assurance Masters in OT
• 3+2 Early Assurance Physical Therapy
• 3+2 Engineering with Dayton in Chem, Material, Bioengineer, Computer
• Music Engineering
• Computing: Cybersecurity, Computer Science with concentrations in Programming or Networking, Web Design, and Information Tech. 

Eligibility for the Honors Program requires a 3.75 GPA and a 25 ACT/1200 SAT super-scored. They also have the Blouin Scholars Program:

• Applicants with a 3.0 GPA are automatically invited to apply – they must submit a a resume, writing sample, a couple rec forms, and come to campus to interviewing.
• The 35 selected for the Cohort receive an additional $1,500 yearly scholarship and have special LLC housing their first year.
• Students complete a unique program of course work to develop leadership, critical thinking, problem solving, communication, and intercultural competencies. Students receive distinction at graduation.
• The cohort studies a global issue or problem (food, access to water or education, human trafficking, opioid epidemic, etc) for all 4 years; their topic is kind of luck-of-the-draw based on which year they start.
• Students participate in 2 trips: the domestic one lasts 6-7 weeks; the international one is 2-3 weeks.

This is a DII school. Games are often a draw on the weekends. The tour guide said that the University Programming Board has upped their game in the last few years so there’s more to do on campus on the weekends. There’s a lot to do in town, too.

© 2021

Malone University

Malone University (visited 11/4/21)

Before touring, I knew that Malone was religious, but it’s always good to get onto campus to really get a feel for how strong a vibe there is on campus. This one is very strongly religious! We asked the tour guide how that translated to life on campus. She said, “It’s integrated into classes and activities without making people feel left out for not being the perfect Christian. Come as you are.” I was surprised to learn that Malone is affiliated with the Friends (Quakers) since this was unlike any other Quaker school I’ve ever been on; the rep clarified more than the tour guide: they’re Evangelical Quaker which explains a whole lot!

The tour guide said that this community gives students a deep sense of belonging, allows them to discover who they’ve been created to be, gives them opportunities to find their calling, and allows them to have a career immediately after graduation knows that that’s what they’re called to do. “They’re selling joy in the college experience, in the discovery of calling. Joy is a sign from God that you’re doing what you’re supposed to be doing.”

Students who choose to come here are going to be self-selecting; they really need to want this type of environment. Even though Walsh, a Catholic college, is 10 minutes away, Malone doesn’t compete with them or most other liberal arts schools in Ohio. They tend to cross apps with schools like Geneva, Gordon, and Taylor – all of which require much more investment in living one’s faith. “There’s an integration of faith into assignments and how faith is connected to careers. We’re accepting of beliefs but make sure we keep Christian roots,” said the rep. Attendance at religious services/events are required. Normally students must attend 15 services from over 200 offered in a term. These can be small Bible study, traditional Christian chapel services, student led worship, and community-style traditional Quaker meetings. Students also have to take Bible 100 and Theology 100 as part of their Core.

They had a large poster in Admissions advertising the Pendle Hill Pledge so we asked about it: they explained that George Fox was on top of Pendle Hill when he had a vision to start the church and evangelize. It symbolizes what they’d like in terms of the kids’ goals. The school doesn’t expect them to evangelize – but they are expecting them to think about their faith and what their calling is. “It’s a journey up the hill; at the top you can see clearly and know what your goals and paths are. Our Pendle Hill Pledge to students is that we’ll prepare them to adapt. Statistically, they’ll have 11.2 jobs in their lifetime but only one calling. That’s the fundamental goal,” said one of the reps.

They do have a few stand-out academics:

The “zoo”

• Criminal and Restorative Justice major and a Peace and Reconciliation minor
• Zoo and Wildlife Biology and Wildlife Rehabilitation Majors: these are their largest majors, and one that’s not normally offered at a school this size. “Add Christian to that, and we’re pretty much the only one!” We got to go into their “zoo” (a couple large rooms) – they have prairie dogs, reptiles, birds, even a possum!
• Applied Psychology
• Cybersecurity
• Nursing: this is considered direct entry but have students to pass freshman year intro courses (A&T 1 and 2, Chem) before continuing into the program. They have a tutoring center just for nursing with 2 RNs to help them with everything from content to bedside manner.
• Business, including a Business Analytics minor.
• Music: lots of choral groups and offer marching, concert, symphonic, and jazz bands.
• Marine Biology minor.

All students complete internships or experiential learning. “It’ll look different for a psych major or a business major. Business might be in an office, but psych might do an independent research project where they’re reporting to a professor,” said one of the reps. Many departments offer (and require) a 1-credit internship prep class; this provides options for types of internships, how to do informational interviews, and more in preparation for their placements or research.

Some of the dorms

Some of the dorms still look like they haven’t been updated since the ‘70s although there are some newer ones. Dorms are single-gender and have strict visitation rules. The tour guide told us that there were more commuters last year due to Covid. Some traditions that students enjoy include a yearly tie-dying event (“t-shirts are strung up on trees to dry”), fancy dress-up dinners, and the Christmas tree lighting. Off campus, there are a couple parks nearby, some local restaurants (one called Hog Heaven is only 2 blocks away and offers karaoke which is popular), and ice skating. Sports are popular: they’re DII and welcome walk-ons for many teams; they have JV options for several sports if students don’t make it onto the varsity team right away. They added Lacrosse this year.

© 2021

Lake Erie College

Lake Erie College (visited 11/4/21)

A couple fun facts about Lake Erie College:

The original/Main building

• The school has its own airport. Amelia Earhart visited when they had an aviation Program. Susan B. Anthony also visited campus; they have letters in the archives about her visit here.
• The library was built to look like stacked books. They used to have a moat around it with windows “until they realized that that was stupid, particularly in a building housing books!”

Interestingly LEC started as an off shoot of Mt Holyoke. Started as Willoughby Female Seminary on a different site, that burned down and was rebuilt in its current location. The original building on this site is impressive; they’ve kept much of the original feel to it as they’ve made upgrades. Located down the road from President Garfield’s home, he celebrated his last birthday in the social parlor here (which they said was his last public appearance/social gathering?).

The quad

Many people thought this was religiously affiliated because of the original name (so named because they taught in the Seminary/Seminar style) but they haven’t ever been associated with any church. The school remained all-women until 1985; today they have an almost-even gender balance. This may be in part due to their success with athletics: with just over 1000 students, this is one of the smallest DII schools in the country. The mascot used to be a unicorn but is now a storm cloud, changed when they added men’s athletics to the mix. The men’s soccer team recently won the Great Midwest Conference regular season championship. Equestrian teams took the title from Findlay (their biggest equestrian rival) which offers significantly bigger programs in this field – so they’re all very proud of this. Other teams have done well, too.

We spent about half an hour talking to a couple reps before they took us on a golf cart tour of campus (which was a treat on a drizzly day!) although the campus is certainly compact enough to walk. They cross apps with lots of publics (Kent, Akron), Case Western Reserve, and many of the smaller liberal arts colleges in the area such as Hiram and Baldwin Wallace. They’re only about 30 minutes outside of Cleveland which gives students access to great deal of opportunities. Students can all have cars, and there’s a decent public transit system around Painesville – which, with a population of about 20,000 people, provides easy access to stores, restaurants, and activities students want.

One of the older dorms

About 85% of first-year students live on campus. The dorms “really could use a bath,” said one of the reps, and he’s not kidding. They very much need upgrades, “but they’re certainly a bonding experience,” said the other rep, a recent alum. They do have a gender inclusive floor for students who are interested in that. They work with an apartment complex down the street for housing for older students. “Food is a 7.5 It’s dining hall food. Pre-covid it was a bit better.” Their fall clambake is a beloved tradition. “We’re in the Western Reserve. Clambakes in the fall are a tradition. They had to get shipped here by train, so people had to wait for cooler weather.”

One of the new dorms

We asked about what they felt they did well in terms of diversity and what they still needed to work on: they felt that they do ethnic diversity fairly well although say there’s certainly room for growth: “because of our healthy athletic programs, we tend to bring in people. We’re sitting at about 15% self-identified domestic underrepresented students. For a small school in NE Ohio, that’s pretty good.” They also said they do well with LGBTQ students. “We could do better serving the international students. We bring in 10-12 students out of 200+ freshman.” In terms of religious diversity, they said, “I don’t want to say we’re a-religious, but we’re not religious. We weren’t founded by someone. If someone wants religious life, it’s off campus at the local congregations.”

Music Building

The university has a rich history of music but tends to attract the kids who want to participate in music but major in something else. They have several music ensembles and a marching band. The music building was designed by Garfield’s brother in honor of Helen Rockefeller who wanted her name left off of everything; he agreed to this — but designed chandeliers with her face all over them.

Not surprisingly, their classes are small. They don’t have any TAs so undergrads do all the Science labs and research. “It can be intimidated, but we learn!” They even have an Applied Research minor (never seen that before!) The largest lecture hall holds 90 people but is never filed for classes — they often fill it for special events such as lectures (Currently they’re running a sustainability series). Some of their academics worth mentioning are:

The Library

1. Graphic Arts and Advertising, PR, & Digital Media – “These are more like an apprentice program with few a profs” said one of the reps.
2. Entrepreneurship and other business programs like HR and Sports Management.
3. Fine Arts: They have Copper Pouring facilities in the arts building!
4. Education
5. They only offer a few masters programs including Physician Assistant.

They offer a comprehensive Equine Studies Program with 4 majors (Equine Business Management, Facility Management, Therapeutic Horsemanship, and Teacher/Trainer); they’re probably best known for these (and were the first in the country to offer Equine Studies). This is also the only college to offer a Certified Equine Massage Therapy program; student complete 50 hours of supervised training during this program. They update their curriculum every year to keep it current. Graduates from at least the last 2 classes have had a 100% job placement rate within the industry (many with jobs lined up before graduation). The student we spoke to said that she loved the faculty: “They’re awesome and have connections because a lot of the are still working in the industry.” The Equestrian Center is about 5 miles away from the main campus; there are shuttles between campuses; they text for a ride when they need one. The student we spoke to said that she didn’t have a car and never had an issue getting back and forth.

All LEC students can take riding lessons, intro classes, and participate in free ride times; preference go to those on the Equestrian team, but others can take classes and lessons. (As a side note, Equestrian Team members must work out just like all other athletic teams, and they have to pass baseline fitness tests). There’s open riding on the weekends, although hours may be limited for non-majors. “There’s a lab fee attached to riding classes, just like they’d pay for some science classes. This is an expensive sport!” The horses they have are often donated to the school. Some are being rehabbed, as well. “We have a few unicorns – the ones that can do it all. They’re great for Therapeutic riding, dressage, whatever.” The Director of the program was rightfully proud of the horses and the facilities – as we walked through the barn, she told us all about the horses, including one that does great when it’s sunny, “but as soon as it starts to rain, he turns into an emotional wreck!”

© 2021

Case Western Reserve University

CASE WESTERN RESERVE (visited 4/11 and 1/13)

One of the admissions reps described Case Western students this way: “Every place says that their kids are nice. . . . it’s bizarre here.” So nice, in fact, that students regularly take up the Million Minute Community Service Challenge.

Students are also very competitive, very smart, and very demanding on themselves. Many double or even triple major. “Our kids are focused but not so set in their one path that they aren’t willing to try other things.” However, about 2/3 do end up graduating in the division in which they entered, although not necessarily the same major. Nursing is the exception to this with about 95% continuing.

Students collaborating in a Business School lounge.

Students can be creative and innovative here: they design, fail, break things, and try again. The school isn’t setting kids up to fail. Often, this is the first time they’re with a lot of people who were in the top of their classes in high school but learn quickly that this is ok.

New residential area surrounding some of the athletic facilities

This is a big campus for 4500 undergraduates (about ¼ of whom are from Ohio); there are actually more graduate and professional students than undergrads, but CWR is actively increasing research opportunities for undergrads who can start as early as the first year. Case actively looks for ways to “expand” campus by encouraging students to utilize all the wonderful things at their doorstep in the city of Cleveland. Campus borders University Circle, a renowned cultural, artistic, medical, and educational center.

Case’s SAGES program (Seminar Approach to General Education and Scholarship) includes 5 semester-long, writing-intensive seminars. These classes, limited to 17 students, include 3 interdisciplinary classes over the first two years, 1 class in the student’s major, and a capstone project. Students can no longer test out of their writing requirement based on AP scores, and faculty say that this helps with writing skills. The content and sequence is “integrated and intentional. Students are well-coached and well-practiced in skills employers want.”

The first seminar (taken in the first year) focuses on skill building by providing extensive feedback about writing, speaking, engagement, etc. Students have several options meant to engage them in life of the mind. The built-in “Fourth Hour” includes events scheduled in the institutions around the Circle (Art museum, Natural History museum, etc) so that students take advantage of the region’s cultural capital. Before the end of sophomore year, students also complete 2 University Seminars meant to extend knowledge by exploring topics at a more sophisticated level. They produce longer writing projects and oral presentations showing a more advanced analysis. The Seminar in Major allows them to become facile in disciplinary knowledge and the modes of communication in that discipline. Finally, the Capstone allows them to define a problem or ask a question, then find a solution or answer. It could be an experiment, an artistic creation, an extensive research project, etc. Both written and oral presentations are required.

About 2/3 of the students are in the Science and Engineering departments. Biomedical Engineering draws the most students followed by Mechanical Engineering. Systems and Control Eng., Engineering Physics, Civil Engineering, and Polymer Science and Engineering are the “small but mighty” departments. In the Sciences, the Gerontological Studies, History and Philosophy of Science, and Evolutionary Biology programs are worth noting.

Their Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences departments are smaller but still strong; these departments will feel much more like a small Liberal Arts college with discussion courses. There are several Collaborative Programs that link CWR with other schools and programs throughout the city. Their music department is a bit unusual in that they teach musicology and music history but not theory or performance: students looking for those can cross-register at the Cleveland Institute of Music and neither can complete degrees without the other. They do the same with the Cleveland Institute of Art: students at either school interested in Art Education complete part of their degrees at the other school. All CWR students can take up to 4 credits per term at either the CIA (Art) or CIM (music).

Business School

The Business School is booming and housed in a modern, well-designed building. Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Organizational Leadership, International Business, and Supply Chain Management are particularly worth taking a look at.

Nursing building

The nursing program is particularly strong and is named as one of the top 15 in the country. This is a direct-entry program with classes starting in the first semester – and clinicals starting in week 3! Students complete 1600 clinical hours before graduation, almost 2 times the national average. If that weren’t impressive enough, students can also study abroad through articulation agreements with programs in China, Cameroon, and Alaska (yes, they know that this isn’t abroad – but students say that it sometimes feels that way in the small villages they’re placed in!). One student from Pittsburgh did her capstone in Hong Kong where she audited classes and studied increasing obesity in high schoolers. Also unusual is that students in the program can double major. One student from Cincinnati is also getting a degree in PoliSci.

Applications have increased more than 200% in the last 8 years; international apps are up from 500 to over 4000. Applicants get ranked in 22 academic, leadership, and extra-curricular categories. They currently admit about 42% of applicants. Students who visited campus, went to the HS visit, or did an alumni interview are twice as likely to be admitted. “We can still take kids with a 1200 SAT. We don’t want to have it harder to do that.” They have a single-door admission except for music (audition requirement) and art (portfolio requirement).

Freshmen are housed in 4 residential communities helping Case with their excellent 93% retention rate. There are also residential complexes for 2^nd year and for upperclass students. Their Graduating Senior Experience program is one of the few I’ve run into. Almost 1/3 of students are Greek-affiliated (and many live in Greek Housing). 20% of students stay on campus to take classes, do research, or just take advantage of other opportunities during the summer. The college-owned Squire Valleevue Farm is about 8 miles from main campus. Aquatic Biology is offered in May Term so students can go into the streams for hands-on learning. There’s also a ceramics area out there.

© 2015

College at Wooster

The College at Wooster, visited (4/20/12) (click here for notes and pictures from my 11/21 visit)

“There are black squirrels everywhere. They freak me out! The freeze when they see you and just stare . . . You know what, squirrel? I can see you!!” I seriously want to go back to school at Wooster, and not just because the tour guide at Wooster might have be the funniest, most personable guide I’ve ever encountered on a college campus (although it’s true what they say about tour guides – they can make or break the experience in a lot of ways).

One of the many sculptures on campus

Students at Wooster didn’t seem to have a stereotypical look (but without being as quirky as Oberlin students where they appeared to be trying hard to NOT be the same); the people I talked to backed up that impression: students said that people were not cliquey and tended to get along really well. The students want to be involved in the community in addition to wanting to learn. They’re curious: these are the types of students who will read a quote in something they read for class and will then read the book that the quote came from on their own. The tour guide told me that the academics are challenging but not competitive: “Your A doesn’t detract from my A.” There’s no sabotage, no competition for resources. People would rather that they all succeed, and she thinks that makes the campus a happier place and definitely feeds into the community feel.

This curiosity is one factor keeping students at Wooster because they are given outlets to pursue their own interests. Every senior takes a class of ONE – their mentored Independent Study. They pick their project and have weekly meetings with the advisor throughout the year. Students have done everything from researching which microbes will break down Prozac to doing a documentary on Tween and Teen transgendered students. Juniors complete a “Pre-IS” project to determine the feasibility of the project (including doing preliminary research to make sure they have enough material to work with) and to set up a plan/timeline. Students can get some travel money to complete their projects if that’s an issue; one anthropology/ theater&dance major who had studied abroad in Fiji got a travel grant to return for 3 weeks to complete her project on the cultural components of dance in Fiji. As a double major (which is not only possible but encouraged), she needed to tie in her two majors in her senior project. The admissions counselor I spoke with was a Wooster graduate who wrote his Senior Project on the British Canal system; he couldn’t believe that they were cutting him loose in England to go do primary research. After graduation, he went to work for the National Parks Service at the Erie and Ohio canals before returning to work at Wooster.

However, even though they love learning, the students aren’t the stereotypical nerds/geeks who hole up in the library and do nothing but study. Sports, clubs, and other extra-curriculars are really big on campus. The tour guide told us about signing up for clubs: “Every fall, they hold Club Fairs on this quad. Everyone comes out for it, and all the clubs bribe you with chocolate to come to their tables. I signed up for a bunch of things, and now my mailbox is flooded. I get mail from SO MANY different clubs that are doing things ALL THE TIME. I really wish I knew how to get off the list-serves but haven’t figured it out yet. . . . It so wasn’t worth the chocolate!”

Their mascot in tile in the foyer of the new athletic center.

Of the 2000 students on campus, 20% participate in theater and 30% are involved in some sort of music group (including one of the five a cappella groups and the Pipe and Drum Corps) — including 10% of the students in Marching Band who perform in full Scottish Regalia – their mascot is the Fighting Scot, after all. Athletics are also big, and not just in terms of playing on a competitive team (allthough about 30% of the students play a competitive sport), but also supporting the teams from the stands, playing an intramural sport, or just working out in the new Athletic Center; alums raised $22 million for the Center during the height of the economic downturn which speaks volumes about their experiences at Wooster (in fact, the donated money covered almost the entire cost of the building). The admissions representative called it the “wow piece” of campus (although I thought there were a lot of “wow pieces – a lot of buildings are really great!). When the tour guide was taking us through the new athletic center, she told us, “The material used to make the [indoor] track is the same stuff they used at the Beijing Olympics. I don’t know how that benefits me, but it sounds pretty cool, doesn’t it?”

Students have a strong sense of community activism and they tend to get involved in the wider community, although their Entrepreneur Program seems to need some work; I asked both the tour guide and the admissions counselor what they would do if someone handed them a million dollars to improve campus. The tour guide said, “Save the entrepreneur program.” The admissions counselor had that 3^rd on his list after expand the organic farming initiative and work on the environmental science program. The social entrepreneurship program pairs students with non-profits around the community to develop and refine sustainable plans. There’s also Global Entrepreneurship in Bangalore, India. The connection to India started about 100 years ago because of missionaries. Now Wooster has a large alumni base in India who know that it’s not about the big name but about the quality of the education, so the school has become a hot-spot for students wanting to study in the US.

Academics are impressive here. The sciences are particularly strong; Wooster ranks 4^th in the country for Chemistry PhDs from a liberal arts school. They’re also 22^nd in the country for engineering PhDs – and they don’t even have an engineering major! However, they do have a 3-2 engineering partnership with both Akron and Wash U of St. Louis. There are several other 3-2 programs, as well, such as in environmental studies (Duke) and in nursing. They even have a recent graduate with a Fulbright in Nuclear Science studying at George Washington. The academic buildings we saw were beautiful: lots of wood, nice carpeting, and comfortable work areas. They were warm and inviting – definitely conducive to a learning environment. As with most universities, they sometimes had oddly paired departments sharing buildings such as Philosophy and Geology (since the philosophy department is on the top floor and the geology department is on the bottom floor, the running joke is that the building proves “mind over matter”).

I took the admissions people up on their offer to eat in the dining hall, located on the 2^nd floor of the closest thing they have to a student union. I got there in the middle of the lunch rush; the line to get into the dining hall was all the way down the stairs; I almost left, but decided to check out the bookstore for a few minutes instead. After spending about 5 minutes there, the line was gone, so I headed up the stairs. I found a stereotypical dining hall: a large room, lots of tables, several options for food. Students swiped their cards as they enter and could stay to eat (they could eat as much as they wanted), or ask for a to-go container which they could fill for the same swipe. Although very full, there was seating for everyone, and people were getting served quickly. In addition to a lot of the typical stations (sandwiches, pizza, burgers/hot dogs), they had things like eggs-to-order (including omelets) all day, specialty foods, a large salad bar, etc. Food was clearly marked if it was vegetarian, vegan, or gluten free. Apparently there are kosher and halal meals available as well; about 10% of the students self-report as Jewish and several more self-report as Muslim. The community is incredibly inclusive. Cultural and religious celebrations are common on campus and draw big crowds of all sorts of students. My tour guide (who was from India) said: “Yeah, in my culture, you’ll see lots of parties: a god defeated someone by doing something – so we celebrate!” The admissions counselor said: “You’ll see the whitest person from Iowa dressed up some traditional garb of whatever group is celebrating.” Eid dinner, Seders, and other religious dinners also draw people of all faiths. People are very open and want to share their traditions and faiths with others – not to convert, but to educate. Wooster students are the types to want to learn about these differences and celebrate them. Who wouldn’t want to have that sort of community?

(c) 2012

Baldwin Wallace University

Baldwin-Wallace College (visited 4/19/12) (now BW University)

“Ok, before we go into the lab, we have a couple rules. First, leave all food and drink outside. Second, do not lick anything in the lab. Everyone good?” Really, you can’t beat a biology professor with a good sense of humor!

The main Conservatory building on campus.

First impressions mean a lot even though we’re told not to judge a book by its cover. BWC made an excellent first impression with its beautiful old stone buildings, immaculate grounds, and tulips and daffodils blooming everywhere. The good news is that the substance of the college did not disappoint! The people at BWC were the only ones on the seven-college counselor-tour who showed off what made them distinct from other schools instead of giving the typical spiel/song-and-dance. A couple other schools gave lip-service to the idea of “we’re not going to tell you that we have great faculty, study abroad options, and research opportunities, because every place you go is going to tell you that” . . . and then they proceeded to tell us about those things. BWC didn’t. Instead, we got to spend time in a lab to interact with students doing independent research, check out innovations in their athletic center and the majors associated with it (such as athletic training, exercise science, sports management and health promotion and management), and then tour their Music Conservatory and learn about programs there. I didn’t even know that they HAD a conservatory; neither did my sister who is a musician, so it’s clearly one of their best-kept secrets! The students go on to do impressive things including performing on Broadway. Seniors graduating with a Musical Theater major participate in a showcase every spring in New York City in front of several directors and producers. This happened about a week before our visit, and within a span of five days, all 13 graduating seniors had signed with agents. (As a comparison, I heard that Michigan had two at that same point in time). An audition is required for entrance into the Conservatory (accredited by the National Association of Music Schools) which offers emphases in performance, pedagogy, jazz, conducting, theory, composing, and sacred music in addition to the unusual major of Music Therapy. (Students also have to be proficient enough on at least one instrument to gain acceptance into the Conservatory if they want to major in Music Therapy).

Baldwin Wallace actively looks ahead to jobs that experts predict will be available for students in 5-10 years, and then creates majors and learning opportunities for students in order to prepare them. They created 14 new degree programs in the last four years or so. The Physician Assistant program is 1 of 6 in Ohio; they’re a year away from accreditation for a 3-2 program. They excel in Health Sciences and Allied Health majors. They utilize the nearby Cleveland hospitals, some of which are ranked in the top 10 nationally, and they work with industry professionals to develop the new degrees. Their Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing utilizes Concept-based learning; only a couple other programs in NM and NC do this. The Health Sciences are producing impressive results; this year, two students (a junior and a senior) interned with the top pediatric neurosurgeon in the country.

Other majors of note include Digital Media and Design (combining artistry/creativity and technology), their Software engineering degree starting this fall (the only one in the state), Health Care Management, Public Health (which started this fall; 29 students are already enrolled), and Recreation Sport Sciences.

One of their major goals across all majors is to create a practice-based education. Most of the faculty members come to BW from the fields in which they teach allowing them to provide practical, real examples of how the theory and knowledge they teach translates into the real world. Almost every student completes some sort of “experiential education” experience through internships, study abroad, and other types of programs. The school has 52 articulated agreements for study abroad with options for others if students find a different program they’re interested in. Students must complete a minor here in order to broaden their educational field.

Although this is a Methodist-affiliated college, it does not feel at all religious. Although we didn’t get a full tour of the school, I’m not sure they even have a chapel; if they do, it’s not obvious in the main part of campus. However, the current president is only one of two in the history of the institution who is a non-Methodist, non-pastor president; he was also only one of two college Presidents on the tour to take the time to talk to us (Otterbein’s president was the other).

BWC is a Test Optional school; applicants have the option to turn in graded paper instead of test scores. They are also committed to affordability; there have been very small tuition increases in the last several years, the lowest in their peer-group. The entire bill comes to $35,000 a year including all the fees (tech, health, etc.), although the tuition at the conservatory is higher than the rest of campus because of the private lessons. The best thing – and the first time I’ve heard of a school doing this – has to do with the Meal Plan: students only get charged for what they use. If they don’t use it, BWC will give it back!

This incoming freshmen class (fall of 2012) can sign up for a 4-year graduation guarantee. BWC has been intentional about getting students out in four years, and they’re putting their money where their mouth is. They have a mapped-out four-year plan so students can stay on track. It is a completely voluntary program and basically requires that the students do common sense things such as meet with their advisor regularly and declare a major within two years as well as attend seminars and sign a waiver that will release information to the parents (if they drop a course, if they aren’t doing well in class, etc). If they do everything they need to do but can’t graduate within 4 years, the 5^th year’s tuition is free.

One of the dorms with a sand volleyball court in front.

Students must live on campus for freshmen and sophomores years unless they are within a certain radius of campus and living with family. About 80% of freshman and sophomores live on campus and about 2/3 of the total undergraduates are on campus – that’s almost 2,000 residents on campus. Freshman can have cars on campus.

I was left with the good impressions of BW that I started with and I would definitely recommend it to my students. It has the typical smallish-college feel but with a lot of options and innovative programs that allows students to take advantage of a lot. The campus is comfortable and students are friendly. A former student of one of the counselors had joined us at lunch so we got yet another student’s perspective; he loves the college and all that he can do there.

(c) 2012

Ohio State University

The Ohio State University (visited on 4/17/12)

One view of campus from the top of the library.

Driving onto campus, one of the other counselors said “It’s clear to see where Ohio is spending its resources . . . and it’s not Kent State!” It’s true that OSU is flashier and feels newer, but they are also very different campuses in more way than one. Physically, yes, OSU seems to have many newer buildings, but it’s also a much larger, busier university with high-rise, institutional dorms and buses that are constantly loading and unloading students. The edges of the OSU campus, although as rough as Kent, quickly gave way to an impressive campus; buildings were newly built or renovated, new construction was underway (apparently the President said that if there weren’t at least 3 cranes on campus, not enough was happening), and campus was clean and well-maintained. I was much more impressed with the University than I had expected to be. I assumed that it would feel much larger and more impersonal because of its huge size (with 40,000 undergraduates and 16,000 graduate students, I think it has the 3^rd largest student population in the country after Arizona and Florida? By comparison, Penn State with several thousand fewer students, felt more overwhelming and sprawled much more than Ohio State).

They started our tour at the top of the 15 floor library (which, by the way, has about 10,000 people a day come through its doors . . .) where we had panoramic views of the entire campus – not a bad first impression! I asked the director of admissions how far the main campus stretched, and he pointed out the four boundaries. The compact size of it surprised me; he said that you can walk from corner to corner of the main campus in 15-18 minutes, although there are other satellite buildings that fall beyond the borders.

Recently, there has been a big push to increase student engagement and happiness which is paying off in retention, currently at 93% from freshman to sophomore years. Their First Year Experience gives students a chance to learn how to navigate OSU and Columbus and to feel at home and engaged in the opportunities around them. There is some recent impetus towards adding a “Sophomore Year Experience” of sorts, including a sophomore residence requirement. Currently, only freshmen are required to live on campus unless they are from Columbus. Clearly, OSU is already doing something right since their five-year graduation rate falls in the mid-high 70s, above the national average. They are very intentional about tracking freshmen, especially those who come as Undecided Majors – they have an office dedicated to one-on-one meetings with undeclared students, checking in on their progress with classes (what they’re registering for as well as how they are doing with their grades), and providing a lot of guidance.

Another view of the campus from the library tower.

Unlike a lot of schools, they separate out their Honors and their Scholars programs even though the two programs overlap in terms of who qualifies. Students in the Honors program tend to be more academically focused while the Scholars lean towards community service and global learning; they also live in a cohort and many tend to stick together for more than just their first year. For both programs, they look for people who want to push themselves and are looking for rigorous academics as well as opportunities for leadership, research, service, and global experiences. In terms of general admissions to OSU, their profile has been steadily going up for the past 20 years. The biggest admissions factors are grades, high school curriculum, and test scores. They will consider leadership, extra-curriculars, and other factors, but they are less important. They offer several merit based awards including the Buckeye Award (worth $10,000) to students in the top 40% of the class and a 28+ ACT or 1260+ SAT. They also have the Eminence Scholars Award which is a full ride plus a one-time stipend of $3,000. Specifics of these awards are listed at meritawards.osu.edu.

Several people – students and staff alike – bragged about the diversity offered to students both in terms of who is around them and what is available to them. Students can choose from 175 majors, 475 specializations/minors, and over 12,000 classes a year. The School of Arts and Sciences is the most popular with almost 39% of students in there (not surprising for this type of school); engineering has just over 15% and business has almost 14% of students. Their Agriculture, Pharmacy, and Nursing programs are also strong. They push internships and co-ops hard, which are not hard to come by since Columbus is so large (1.7 million people); students can also go abroad for internships. On-campus research is available; they are 9^th in country among public universities for research expenditures which gets a lot of kids involved.

I was very impressed with OSU; for students looking for a large university, I would definitely recommend it. They seem to have their acts together; kids don’t fall through the cracks nearly to the extent that I had thought they might at such a large school. Students seem happy with their education and the resources on campus, and the retention and graduation numbers back up what I saw and heard on campus. The location is fabulous since so much of Columbus is available to them. It’s definitely worth checking out.

(c) 2012