Susquehanna University

Susquehanna University (visited 3/20/23)

“Everyone reaches for their best here. People don’t stand out; it’s not the haves and have-nots,” one of the reps told me. Having talked to several of the students there, this seems to hold true. Susquehanna is a great school for students who want to flexibility and support to figure out what they want and then go after it. “We want the students who will engage. People wave at each other. They want to be there and talk to each other. They’re positive,” said the rep. The students agree: “it’s fun to be here!” This university is well worth an in-depth look; you can now check them out on “The College Tour”!

The quad between classes

Susquehanna attracts the full range of kids. “For the high-flyers, we have the Honors Program: students are automatically considered based on their application. If students have at least a 3.9 weighted GPA, we go through them in committee to reread essays, look at their English grades [the program is writing intensive], and look at scores if they submit [they generally like to see at least a 1300].” There’s a little wiggle room; students close to those numbers can interview. There’s no cap to the number of students who get invited; whoever qualifies can come in. All first-year Honors students live together (with few exceptions such as participation on an athletic team). After the first year, the students can choose to do live together or not. They’re moving the program to a bigger dorm because the program is growing; they’re getting more qualified, interested students matriculating.  

However, it’s not just honors level kids who thrive here. “If you have a solid B kid who works hard, this is the place: they’re going to do fine here,” said the rep. Services are coordinated and overlapped to make sure students don’t fall through cracks and that they have access to everything they need.  “In the admissions process, it might be a good idea to send along another rec letter, particularly from an advocate who can show how it might not always be easy for the student, but they’re going to work until it comes. The supports are in place here – and frankly, these students tend to be the kids we send to the conferences and other off-campus opportunities. The education here is hands-on so we get the best out of those students. It’s the difference of investment and the type of work they can do here.” In fact, SU consistently ranks in the Top 10 of schools taking students to Undergrad Research conferences. At least 90% of students do research before graduation.

One of the dorm clusters

This is a residential college; students live on campus all four years unless commuting from home. “Move-in day is great,” said the tour guide. “People swarm the car to help unload and move in.” They have a range of living options, including Greek housing. Suites and apartments range from 6-12 person depending on location. The university is still Lutheran affiliated with a beautiful chapel on campus, but that’s about the extent of impact on students’ lives. There’s no requirement to attend services/chapels or required religious classes, although they offer a Religious Studies major/minor and a minor in Jewish & Israel Studies. There’s an active Hillel House and have offered GO programs in Israel on Interfaith Encounters.

Walkway with the chapel at the end

About ¼ of students play one or more DIII sport. Volleyball, Field Hockey, football, and basketball are competitive; field hockey usually finishes recruitment a year ahead. Recruitment portal!! The earlier on the radar, the better! Crew club team. They’re the only school in the Conference with a full 200m track so they end up hosting a lot of events. Football, field hockey, and basketball draw the most fans.

Admissions has been test-optional since the ‘90s – and they’re essay optional, as well. They’re good at the holistic process when evaluating whether a student can be successful at the university. Their retention rate hovers in the mid-high 80s, “and the students have tremendous outcomes after graduation,” the rep told me. “96% of our students are in grad school or jobs within 6 months.” Both of these statistics are well above the national average.

The GO program building and signs

Another fun fact: Their business school is the only one that guarantees an international internship, likely due to one of SU’s distinctive features, the Global Opportunities (GO) Program, their cross-cultural and study away/abroad office. All students must participate in the one of the short term, long term, and “your way” trips offered; students work closely with the GO staff who will help them meet their goals. They have on-going programs in Hawaii and New Orleans (and several other places) for students not looking to go abroad but want a different experience. Many of the short-term programs (2-6 weeks) embed service or research into the trip. There are even micro-internships within this program where students can start online before they go. Grants provide funding up to 75% of the cost, but the university and departments will work with students who need the extra beyond that. The office will work with them to meet goals. Interestingly, though, financial aid only travels with students only for a full semester; they can stay longer if they want to do a full year abroad but need to fund it.

Information about Academics:

• Somewhere between 20-25% of students major in Business in any given year; they set students up for success. Their School of Business is AACSB accredited, 1 of only 6 LACs to have this. Students all take Global Business Perspectives and meet on Monday night for their FYS. Programs of particular note: Luxury Brand Marketing and Management, Professional Sales, and Entrepreneurship & Corporate Innovation.
• They have a ton of solid sciences programs, especially natural sciences:
  • A Fresh-water research lab is designed for undergrads – they work with non-profits, universities, and government agencies. They have 5 Chesapeake Conservancy scientists stationed here doing research in the watershed; they’ve built in internships. Students can work on campus – and as far away as Australia and New Zealand for marine biology experience for their GO experience!
  • CEER (Center for Environmental Education and Research), an 87-acre reserve located adjacent to campus, engages students in research. 14 of the acres house solar panels which students can work on. They use sheep to keep weeds in check so they don’t block the array. The food grown at CEER gets donated to local pantries.
  • Students can major in areas like Sustainability Management, Ecology, Health Care Studies, Environmental Studies, and Earth & Environmental Sciences.
  • They have a cadaver lab!
• Engineering 3+2 Program: students can choose 1 of 6 areas including Macromolecular, Systems Science, Aerospace, Industrial, Computer, or Biomed.
• SU is also known for their School of the Arts, where students can get intensive training within the context of a liberal arts institution (they offer a minor in Arts Administration which makes parents and students happy in terms of “real life job prep!”)
  • Graphic Design is now a BFA.
  • Drama is strong. They offer Theater Performance, Studies, or Production & Design.  However, anyone can participate in/audition for productions without being in the major. Students get free tickets to all shows; the tour guide feels that they’re well attended. Students support their friends here.
  • In addition to performance and general music degrees, students interested in music can major or minor in Music Theory & Lit, Music Technology, Church Music, music education, and more.
  • Although there’s no dance major, there’s a Dance team.
• Approximately 15% of students major in Communications, Journalism, or one of their Writing Programs. They offer a range of options such as Publishing & Editing; Advertising & Public Relations; Professional & Civic Writing; Journalism & Digital Content, and Applied Linguistics.

Specialized librarian offices

First-years take a First Year Seminar which includes teaching about campus resources. One assignment requires that they talk to a specialized librarian (side note: the tour guide loves the recently renovated library). The university has a violence intervention and prevention center; they talk to the FYS students. On the other end of their academic journey, all students have a capstone based in their major.

Favorite traditions that the tour guide shared with me:

• Candlelight Vigil
• Greek Life Dance-off
• Students will run through the fountain at least once before they graduate
• Thanksgiving dinner: “Everyone dresses up.”
• To Be a Kid Again: Students show up in their PJs for cookies and hot chocolate

© 2023

Bucknell University

Bucknell University (visited 3/21/23)

In many ways, Bucknell reminds me of Lehigh and Lafayette in terms of size, offerings, and the types of students they’re going to attract (and these schools get a lot of crossover-apps along with Colgate and some others). This is an undergraduate-focused institution – and although they have 11 graduate programs (6 of which are in Engineering), the tour guide made sure to point out that 95% of the research on campus goes to the undergrads.

The main quad

Although known for Engineering, Bucknell is a solid liberal-arts university with three colleges. Like many others, their largest is Arts & Sciences enrolling about 60% of students; Engineering and Management each have another 20%. Because of their size, they’re able to offer a range of options within these schools including cross-over/cross-disciplinary options. They encourage students to look at seemingly diverse majors like Econ and Religion to see how things transfer and connect.

Students can apply/come into Bucknell by major or by college (Undecided Arts & Science, for example); the rep recommends that students apply for the more competitive major as their first choice because some are limited by numbers and lab space. It’s highly recommended that students apply into Engineering if they’re thinking about it at all and transfer out if they change their minds. Admissions will be more careful admitting students to a 2^nd choice if it seems like they’re more strongly focused on the 1^st choice.

The Bison (school mascot)

All students take a writing class each year, but most are major-specific. There is a language requirement at Bucknell as part of their distribution classes. Study abroad is highly popular with about 75% of students going abroad; it’s possible to go multiple times. This is harder for the engineering students, but that department runs some specific programs for them.

Some specifics about the schools:

• In Arts &Sciences, the BS degrees tend to be the most competitive with Animal Behavior possibly the most competitive in this college. They offer some unusual majors/minors including Environmental Geosciences, Children’s Studies, Arabic & Arab World Studies, and Biophysics.
• Management applications are spiking so it’s becoming increasingly competitive – and students cannot transfer into the college once here. There are 5 majors offered in this school (Accounting, Business Analytics, Finance, Management & Organizations, and Markets, Innovation, & Design). Currently, there are 2 minors but are slated to have 3 or 4 more in the fall: general, Real Estate, analytics, heath care management. All students in this school take Business 101 – lots of reps, identify a non-profit, create a product, profits go to that non-profit.
• Engineering: they offer all the standard engineering majors you’d expect as well as Environmental and Biomedical engineering. All students in this college take Engo 101 instead of a First Year Seminar. They also have access to Engineering in a Global and Societal Context class which provides 3-week experience abroad.

This year, they’ve started “ED2.5;” admissions may reach out to some of the RD applicants to ask if they want to switch. If they do, they’ll get an answer in early March vs later in the month. Athletes (about 20%) are asked to apply ED 1; all told, they admit about 60% of their freshman class in the ED1 and ED2/2.5 rounds. “Unfortunately, we’ve been seeing a trend in people not taking the ED agreement as seriously as they should” leading to a bit more melt than they should.

Students need to apply separately for scholarships. They can apply in any order – once applied, they get a bounce-back email with links and a “don’t forget to apply for scholarships” message. Some scholarships are major-specific (engo, arts, etc) and a Dean’s scholarship that’s a catch-all.  This year, they’ve started a new Gateway Scholars program; they brought the first class in this year. For these students, Bucknell meets full demonstrated need without loans. Ultimately, the goal is 20 students per year. They’re also opening Student Success as part of Enrollment Management.

All told, Bucknell enrolls just under 4000 students. It’s a highly residential campus with “200 housing spots set aside in the lottery for seniors to opt for off-campus/not campus owned housing,” said the rep. Like most liberal arts colleges, there’s a variety of housing options on campus, including senior apartments. In terms of food, the students aren’t hurting for options. I ate lunch in the main dining hall for lunch and loved the food – there were plenty of options, and lines were quick. Students can also get grab-n-go/takeout from places around campus; The Bison, a popular one in the student center, has made-to-order food from 5am-11pm.

The town of Lewisburg is cute; students say that there’s plenty to do downtown, a 5-10 minute walk away. The college also runs shuttles so it’s easy for students get what they need. Town-gown relations tend to be strong. “Meet the Locals” is an orientation event: students visit a bunch of stores and introduce themselves until they find the one that has their goody bag.

Getting to Lewisburg, however, can be a challenge for students coming from a distance, particularly since freshman can’t have cars. The Harrisburg airport is 90 minutes away, and even most regional airports are an hour. They do help students by running shuttles before and after breaks to Harrisburg airport as well as BWI, Newark, and Philly (all about 2.5-2.75 hours away). There is a Greyhound stop in town.

In terms of diversity, “we’re doing well admitting students of color but not yielding them,” said the rep: 19% of matriculated students self-identify as BiPOC. They’ve had some good traction with their diversity fly-in program (with both in-person and virtual components) which is has been expanded to include rural, LGBTQ, and First Gen students. They’re switching to a spring fly-in for those who have applied. “We’re looking carefully to make sure we’re communicating effectively and diversifying where we’re visiting to recruit.”

The main quad where many traditions are held, including watching the sunset.

Some favorite traditions that the tour guide talked about include:

• Thanksgiving is a huge deal! The line for dinner starts hours in advance.
• They run large-scale events once a semester. Flo Rida and Yung Gravy came this year (22-23). Mid-scale events like bingo are more often. Like all colleges that have this, “you can win a bunch of random stuff,” said the tour guide.
• E-Week: this is a national program, apparently. The 8 engineering majors compete against each other in things like pie eating and frisbee. “It’s a great bonding experience.”
• The quad faces west – and it’s a big deal to watch the sunsets here. There’s even a camera set up on one of the buildings so you can watch online. Many traditions revolve around the quad and/or sunset. For example, Freshman convocation starts at the chapel; from there, new students go through the gates and into the quad. All are given candles and they light each other’s. They time it to sing the Alma Mater at sunset. To bookend that, on Senior Night, they all come together as a class; professors join them for champagne to celebrate their final night together.

© 2023

Pennsylvania College of Technology

Pennsylvania College of Technology (visited 3/20/2023)

Right in the middle of campus sits a Victorian House. It looks a little out of place, and of course I had to ask my guide about it; she said she likes to end the tour talking about it and I was happy to let the suspense build. It worth the wait. It turns out that the house was built by PCT students – from the excavation of the site by the Heavy Equipment students; the electrical and plumbing; and finally the landscaping surrounding the final construction. The building is now used for visiting guests. The building exemplifies the education and outcomes for PCT students.

PCT is a great school for students looking to get a hands-on, practical education. They offer 100+ majors mostly in Applied Tech, Business, and Health Sciences. For every Associate degree, they offer an equivalent/parallel Bachelors which allows flexibility for the 4200 students: some students come in wanting to do the full 4 years, but many want the option to stop after the Associates or take a break and get experience in the industry before coming back. The only graduate degrees they offer are in programs in Nursing and PA.

The curriculum is set up so that students spend 3-4 hours in the lab or getting experiential work for every hour in class. Classes are fairly small (averaging 17 students but math and English may go as high as 30-35). All faculty work(ed) in the industry in which they teach so they understand what students need to know and have great connections for job placement, internships, etc. Some majors require internships.

The main campus is compact (about a 7-10 minute walk across) and located in Williamsport, a city of almost 30,000 people. Students have easy walking access to downtown with lots of local mom and pop shops, a movie theater, cafes, etc.; Alabaster’s coffee is a favorite. First year students can have cars. Parking costs $100/year. Students get color-coded tags for parking lots; “there’s really no problem finding spots, even with the number of commuters,” said the tour guide. Students can also ride the Williamsport City bus for free which will get them to Target, Walmart, Wegmans – “pretty much anywhere we want or need to go.”

About 1/3 of students live on campus; 1/3 live off-campus but within walking distance; the final 1/3 commute from home. Housing is generally available for the people who want it; there hasn’t been a waitlist for it in the last couple years, but they’re seeing an increase in requests. Housing opens October of year before; students must be admitted and committed to PCT before applying for housing. First-years traditionally live together, but that housing filled up this year so they put some 1^st years into upper-class housing. There are some apartments that had been 6-person/2-bedroom; in recent years, they were able to downsize this back to doubles (4-person/2-bedroom) but can convert back if/when they need more space.

Le Jeune Chef – the on-campus restaurant

There’s a lot happening on campus and in the community to keep students here so it’s no longer a suitcase school. Most residents stick around on weekends. The student engagement office has done a great job hosting events. The school owns the Community Arts Center located about 6 blocks away; they use this to bring in speakers, comedians, and other events. They currently have 2 recognized frats but no sororities (I believe they’re looking to change this). Athletics (DIII) is also big – both participation and for spectators. They even have archery and esports! Lax, baseball, tennis, and golf are popular. However, they don’t have a football or swim team.  There are walk-on spots but also a lot of active recruitment.

Admissions is test-optional and there’s no application fee. Admissions decisions are done on a rolling basis. Students should declare a major coming in if they know. Popular ones go to a waitlist – 21 of them had a waitlist this year including welding (Welding certificate, Welding Tech AAS, Welding & Fabrication Engineering Tech BS), Electrical Construction/Electrical Tech, and baking/culinary. “A lot of it comes down to space,” said the rep. “We need to be able to get them into labs and other hands-on experiences.”

One of the Health Science Academic buildings

As for Academics:

• Students start taking major-related courses in their first semester with the exception of Health Sciences. This helps them determine if they’re in the right major. There’s a ton of advising if they think they may want to switch to help them get into the right program so they can still graduate on time whenever possible. All students also complete a Core Curriculum including Social Science/humanities, cultural immersion, math, and English.
• There are study abroad options, but most are shorter term (winter or spring) due students needing to complete prereqs and often a specific sequences of classes. Many of these study abroad/away trips are specific to their majors. For example, automotive students might tour Fiat and Lamborghini factories in Italy, etc.
• There’s a lot of cross-collaboration between departments or are doing hands-on work. For example, if automotive students in need a part, they may work with welding or engineering to get it. Other majors may go to people’s homes to do energy audits for a course. Forestry students are out working out with trees or accounting may help doing taxes for people.
• They offer several Competency Credentials in areas like Concrete Technician (I and II), Nanofabrication Technology, Aftermarket Performance Specialist, and Innovation Leadership.
• They hold 2 Career Fair a year; recruiters fill the allotted spots 48 hours. Many students have multiple job offers before graduation. They get free business cards and access to a clothes closet (And they don’t have to return the clothes!)

The School of Business, Arts, and Sciences has a wide variety of options:

• All their Culinary/Baking Arts are housed here. They offer the AA with a coordinating Management Bachelors. “It’s kind of a 2+2,” said the rep. Students can stay for the full 4 years or finish the AA and do the remaining 2 online. There’s also a Brewing and Fermentation Science Certificate offered.
• Emergency Management and Homeland Security offers
• Advertising Arts

The School of Engineering Technologies offers a huge range of majors such as:

One of the dorms

• A full 5-year BArch degree!
• Megatronics
• Plastics and Polymer Engineering Technology
• Landscape/Plant Production Tech
• They have a lot of automotive tech options here; a student of mine came here for the Auto Restoration program, continuing on to the Auto Service, Sales, and Marketing program (they also have Auto Tech Management and Honda PACT AAS degree).

In the School of Nursing and Health Sciences, students have access to majors like:

• Nursing (both an AA and BSN) offers conditional seats to interested students (those wanting a guaranteed seat must submit test scores during admissions). They’ll take a lot of the pre-reqs before entry into the major.
• Dental Hygiene – clinic on campus and will do the work here. Open to everyone (students, staff, community).
• Paramedic Science or Prehospital Medicine
• Cadaver Lab in the Physician Asst Tech Center. The paramedic students have access to the back of an ambulance in the lab to practice in.

They do have 2 satellite campuses/teaching locations:

• The Aviation Program holds classes at the town airport about 10 min away. Students can take the bus which stops a couple blocks away or will carpool.
• The Earth Science Center is kind of tucked away on Rt 15. “You probably passed it driving up here and didn’t even realize it,” said the rep. Students in Heavy Equipment, Forestry, Diesel, Landscaping majors take most of their classes there. Shuttles run directly back and forth between the campuses.

A few final fun facts:

• Although affiliated with the Penn State System, they are really two distinct schools. PCT students get a few perks based on the relationship such as discounts through Penn State’s computer store and tickets to Penn State games. Some students transfer between the schools, but they have to apply as transfers.
• Students can check out bone kits at the library.
• All students get 50% off Snap-on Tools at the bookstore.
• There’s an open workshop where students can learn to engrave, weld, etc. the tour guide

© 2023

Alvernia University

Alvernia University (visited 5/27/21)

Alvernia is a lovely little campus tucked away on the outskirts of Reading and often overlooked. Students looking for a moderately selective, affordable, Catholic (Franciscan) University where they won’t get lost should take a look at this one.

Currently with 1500 undergrads (and another almost 1500 grad students), they’ve been expanding. “We’ve seen lots of growth but remaining true to core values of the university.  We’ve been growing so much that we’re trying to add a sport and a major every year.” They pull about 30% of their students from outside Pennsylvania (the majority of OOS students come from NJ, MD, NY, and DE). Not surprising for a smaller Liberal Arts institution, they skew slightly higher female (55%); they’re doing a decent job with ethnic diversity with 34% of students self-identifying as BIPOC. They’re also relatively religiously diverse: “Most students don’t identify as Catholic or even any religion.” However, as a Catholic institution, they do require 1 philosophy and 1 theology class as part of their Core: “the Theology class is geared more towards the history and background of Catholicism. We aren’t trying to indoctrinate people.”

As part of the Franciscan Heritage that involves community outreach, they’re doing what they can to integrate the university into the larger Reading and Berks County communities. “We’re fulfilling our mission by returning downtown and uplifting the city.” Berks County Residents with a 3.5 GPA get scholarships worth up to 25K a year (scholarships for other students are worth $18-24K) with an additional $1000 for Catholic High School students or siblings. They’ve also recently built Reading CollegeTowne that will house classes and resources for the business and engineering degrees. Phase 2 will increase resources for the Health Sciences where they plan to include a whole floor for clinicals. “We see this as a Student-centered, entrepreneurial direction for the university that will increase the experiential learning opportunities.” Housing will be similar to LLCs and include apartment-style living for upperclassmen.

Some of the dorms

About 80% of freshman live on campus; 66% stay all 4 years. Housing is guaranteed but not required after the first year, not surprising since they rank in top 10% for 2021 Best College Dorms in the country Options include traditional, suites, apts, PODS, and townhouses. However, students say, “Parking isn’t the greatest! If you don’t find one early in the morning, it’s harder and you may need to walk more.” The upside is that parking is free. Shuttles also run around campus every 15 minutes.

The Golden Wolf mascot outside the Recreation/Athletic Center

Almost half of the undergrads are athletes. “We’re pretty heavy on sports here,” said the rep. They just added eSports (the only “athletic” team that gives scholarships since Alvernia is DIII). They just added women’s bowling, triathlon, wrestling, and will be adding crew at some point. The equestrian team is varsity and practices about 20 minutes away. Basketball is the big sport that draws crowds (there’s no football yet); their rival is Albright (also located in Reading). One of their big traditions is the Gold and Maroon night when the 2 play.

Fire pits and other gathering areas outside the student center

For a school this size, they have an impressive array of academic offerings; they tend to be a big more Health Care and STEM heavy but that’s not the entirety of it! Some of their programs worth mentioning are:

• Accelerated 6-year Doctor of Physical Therapy
• Addictions and Mental Health Treatment
• Athletic Training (including a 5-year accelerated Masters Program).
• Biology-Medical Lab Science
• Community and Environmental Sustainability (minor)
• Engineering (Industrial, Mechanical, or Electrical)
• 5-year MBA option
• Digital Media Marketing
• Accelerated 3+3 MA in Clinical Counseling
• Criminal Justice Administration
• 5-year OT and PA programs

Their PLEX building (both recreation and academic spaces) is one of their newer facilities. “It’s a really awesome space.” Many of the Health Science classes are here, including 4 virtual cadaver labs. Their competition level track, courts, and other rec spaces.

© 2022

Wilson College

Wilson College (visited 5/26/22)

Students who want a traditional campus where they aren’t going to fall through the cracks and not have to pay a lot (Wilson is highly affordable at just over $38K for the year), this is a great option! They’ve built a great community here with traditions like Odds & Evens (based on graduation year – students compete in year-long events for bragging rights), new students getting both a Sophomore Buddy and a “Big” (Junior), Daisy Chains (Sophomores build this for graduating seniors and float it down the river for good luck and to symbolize “moving on”), and more.

Wilson is an incredibly pretty campus with stone buildings and beautiful landscaping. Being small, most things are within a 5-minute walk. The exception to this is the Equestrian Center and Athletic fields which sit behind Main Campus; they’re still walkable but take a little more time (maybe another 5-10 minutes depending on where you’re going.

Wilson has grown by leaps and bounds in the last 10 years; when they went coed in 2013, they had about 600 students. Now they’re at 1600+ and are looking to continue increasing enrollment. They’re still about 70% female “but we’d like to be closer to 60/40. We’ll get there,” said a rep. Despite going coed, they’re holding strong to their history and tradition of empowering women and their voices. They even have a Women’s Studies class as part of the core!

Despite the growth in enrollment, they maintain a personalized, small-college feel. The average class size is 15; one of the reps is an alum – her smallest class had 5 and biggest had 20, “but that’s probably going to be closer to 30 now with the increase of students.”

The college sits along Wolf Lake in a residential area of Chambersburg. The city is easily accessible by foot; it’s not a huge city (about 22,000 residents), but there’s a lot to do. “This isn’t exactly a happening scene if you’re in your early 20s, but there are plenty of restaurants, stores, theaters. The college kids find plenty to do and can get what they need,” said the rep who recently graduated. Harrisburg is less than an hour away; Baltimore and DC are both about 1.5 hours. All students can have cars on campus; parking is $136.

The 2nd floor of the library

Academics are traditionally liberal arts but with an emphasis on some jobs that are more hands-on and geared specifically towards job training. They have a few niche programs that you won’t find too many other places:

• Animal Studies
• Media Writing concentration (within English)
• Dance (and a Dance team; students can participate without being in the minor).
• Veterinary Nursing
• Esports Management (and there are eSports teams for people who want to play not major in that area).
• Equine-assisted Therapeutics (and minors in Equine teaching and Equine Management)
• Minors in Ancient World Studies, Medical Spanish, Athletic Coaching, and Applied Ethics.
• They have several Articulation Agreements, including:
  • 3+2 Athletic Training (undergrad major: Exercise Science) with Thomas Jefferson
  • 3+3 Law Degree with Widener
  • An Environmental Law program with UVM: students will complete their undergrad work in Environmental Sustainability and then can earn their Masters AND JD in 4 years at UVM
  • 4+3 with NY Chiropractic College
  • They also have a working relationship with Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation

They have several housing options. Students in Doubles can choose from Open (what we think of as a double room) or Divided (sharing a room but with some privacy) which is the first time I’ve seen that at a college. Students can choose coed and single-gender halls – as well as pet or pet-free! Juniors and Seniors can move off campus “and there are a ton of apartment options around.” First year students must have the Phoenix Meal plan (19 meals a week). They have a few grab-an-go options including one in the Fitness Center that does the healthier options like smoothies.

Wilson has an unusual offering in their Single Parent Program: They can take 12 students in the program at any given time and can accommodate 1 or 2 children (ages 20 months to 10 years) per parent. Students are required to have a meal plan but their children can then eat for free in the dining hall. They will help subsidize child care in the local community, and recently have started a grant program to cover the cost of housing on campus, as well.

They offer 6 women’s and 5 men’s teams “and they do well. If you want to play sports, you’re going to be on a team that wins a lot.” The Equestrian team is competitive for Hunt Seat (IHSA) and Dressage (IDA). Western, Eventing, and a Drill Team are available but not at a competitive level. They even have an Equine Facilitated Therapeutics Club.

© 2022

DeSales University

DeSales University (visited 3/15/22)

Although DeSales’s physical campus probably isn’t going to wow people, there’s a lot going on under the surface (so to speak). This doesn’t have the look of a traditional campus; it’s not unattractive but is more utilitarian than anything else. The (mostly brick) buildings, none more than 3 or 4 floors high, are spread out. Although there is a sense of a central part of campus, there’s no traditional quad. Instead, there are open areas and fields between clusters of buildings. The school owns 550 acres so there’s a great deal of wide-open space, including a 50-mile trail right up the hill. “It’s known for its beautiful sunsets,” said my tour guide.

Campus has a secluded, “middle of nowhere” feel, but Bethlehem (including Lehigh College) is only about 5 minutes away. The rep (recent alum) liked this as a student: “You can have the Lehigh experience on the weekends but not have it shoved it down your throat every day.” They also have an outdoor mall about a 4-minute drive away. “It’s possible to walk but it’s not a great idea. They’re not really walkable roads.” All students can bring cars starting for about a $90 parking fee. All parking is right outside the Res Halls so students don’t need to trek across campus like at bigger schools.

Having a lot of space also means that DeSales has the chance to expand which they’re doing regularly: the rep likes that they’re updating and expanding facilities, many of which have been worked on since she arrived as a freshman 5 years ago. The university is currently renovating the old chapel; this originally housed several Brothers but is being converted to house the new Graduate Speech Pathology and other health care programs.

This is very clearly a Catholic university with about 50% of students self-identifying as practicing Catholics. Obviously, they follow the teachings of Saint Francis de Sales (be a good person, be yourself, etc) which shows in their motto of “Be who you are and be that well.” I asked the rep how that played out in the day-to-day vibe on campus: “It’s not forced here, but it is a feeling. There’s a lot of Community Service and giving back. We don’t require it, and we don’t have to because students seem to want to do it. It’s a thing.”

The old chapel being renovated

All students are required to take 3 theology/values classes in the Core Curriculum. The first is taught more like a history foundation class. One rep said, “We’re more of a progressive religious school. There’s a selection and range of offerings.” The Values Seminar is heavily based in the major. It’s Salesian-based to understand the ethics and morality of different fields. For example, students may take Ethics in Medicine. Most students take that last in the sequence in the junior or senior year because they have to take the other 2 classes as pre-requisites.

In terms of academics, “We’re Health Care Heavy,” said one of the reps.

• Their nursing programs are popular. “These are the hardest to get into.” If scores are required, applicants must have a 1270 SAT or 26 ACT and a 3.6 GPA, but no minimum math or science. In addition to the BSN, they offer a Nursing-Data Analytics/Applied AI track and Accelerated Direct-Entry BSN+MSN as well as a Nurse Educator Certificate.
• They offer Healthcare Administration, Pharmaceutical Marketing, and Health Communication.
• Accelerated Programs: Applications are due by 12/15. Students must be accepted to DeSales first and then interview for their program to assess interest and drive, etc. If students didn’t want an accelerated program, they’d major in Bio (PA) or Sport/Exercise Physiology for DPT and can continue on in the graduate program after the bachelors.
  • 3+2 Medical Studies/PA degree – they consider this an “honors” type program. Students will take at least 18 credits a term to allow them to finish in the time frame. Students need to be very sure this is the path they’re interested in. They do not offer the Medical Studies major for students not in this accelerated path.
  • 3+2 Speech Pathology program:
• Business (including a Certified Financial Planner Board-Registered program leading to certification).
• Criminal Justice is on the rise, and they even have a crime scene house! Some classes are held here, but the rest is for crime scene work, including blood splatters, dummies, fingerprints, etc. In another building, they have forensic computer labs that are often used by the Allentown PD to crack cell phones – students can use the training equipment to learn about cybersecurity. They have a track (within CS) in that but not a full major.
• Musical Theater – My tour guide was in this major and really loves it! She says that all students in the theater majors must participate in shows as part of their requirements. However, if a student isn’t cast in a show, they complete a practicum where they’ll learn tech and Front of House as well. They even have tracks in STEM theater and Design Tech.
  • Students must audition/interview for TV/Film, Dance, and Theater majors
  • The Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival is hosted on campus in the summer. Students can intern with them.
• DeSales is part of the LVAIC (Lehigh Valley) consortium (a total of 6 colleges: Lehigh, Lafayette, Cedar Crest, Muhlenburg, and Moravian) so students can take 1 class per semester at one of the other colleges.
• ROTC is hosted at Lehigh.

Professors are accessible and helpful. “They usually know who we are before we walk into class. We feel welcomed here.” Like most small/medium colleges, classes usually have about 25-30 students. The tour guides’ classes have ranged from 14-40. The Academic Services office sets the first semester schedule for them. They have the major, if they’re in an accelerated program, etc. Then they get a dedicated faculty major in the major. Additionally, all students all take a First Year Experience called Character U FYS in which they get mentors – and then can become mentors in later years.

There are no traditional dorms with bathrooms down the hall; all Res Halls are suite style. The dorm I saw had 2 double rooms with a bath in between. All dorms have 2 Wi-Fi systems: the main and one for entertainment. “It definitely helps when we’re streaming things.” The tour guide said that she’d love to see another residence hall built. She likes the ones they have, but the university is bringing in more students every year and they could use more space. Food seems to be an area where they can improve. The tour guide rated it a 5 “It’s definitely college food. They do a good job trying to accommodate people, but I’m kind of picky and I hate to ask for things.” She particularly likes the pierogi bar. The rep, who also graduated rated the food at a 7. “It’s improving and there are options.” As a nod to the Catholic values, they also do not serve meat on Fridays during Lent.

Overall, all the people I spoke to said that the university does a good job catering to what students are interested in. If there’s an issue, they do their best to fix it. “We can add a personal touch to people’s experiences. I noticed as a student and now as an employee,” said one rep. There’s a lot of help for academics, mental health, physical health – clearly, they’re looking out for the students here, and it gets noticed. They’re actively working on diversity issues. They skew about 60% female “mostly due to our health care majors.” Almost 30% of the student body self-identifies as a Person of Color. “We’d like that to get even better, but things take time. However, we are already hitting the demographics of the area which is great. That’s something they’ve been working on. It’s a little harder increasing our lower-income demographics. They do what they can with the financial aid, but there’s only so much money to work with.”

Admissions is rolling but they don’t start looking at applications until Oct 1. “If you apply by then, you’ll have an answer by Halloween at the latest.” However, they’re usually good at a 2-3 week turnaround. They recommend earlier applying early in the year, particularly because some scholarships have hard deadlines including a full one with a 12/1 deadline; if you miss it, you don’t get considered. Their Full Tuition Leadership Scholarship requires a 500-word essay; students are initially judged on that only instead of by grades! If selected to move on to the next round, an interview is required.

© 2022

Delaware Valley College

Delaware Valley University (visited 3/15/22)

Del Val knows who they are and can articulate it, which is a breath of fresh air after visiting so many schools that start looking or sounding alike. Del Val offers several niche programs that you just aren’t going to find many places – for example, they’re 1 of 3 schools in the US with a major in Zoo Science. They compete with much larger universities, particularly in terms of their animal sciences, but students aren’t going to get lost here. With just under 2000 undergrads, students will get intensive hands-on experiences and aren’t competing with others (including graduate students) for space in labs or classes.

Students who want to get their hands dirty and do hands-on learning will thrive here. “Del Val students are ambitious, good kids. People find their place and will enjoy their time here. If you’re willing to put yourself out there to find your spot, it’ll be fine.”

“If you like animals, this is the place to go!” said a senior majoring in Animal Sciences and who is off to vet school in the fall. She raved about the living classrooms: “We have horses, cows, pigs, sheep, smaller animals – and we’re getting a Poultry center soon, too! The Equine Center is on South Campus (along with the livestock, trails, and more) – only about a 10-minute walk away from the main campus.” Campus owns about 1000 acres which gives them plenty of space to run all these programs with larger animals. She did say that she’d love for the school to work on adding a dairy processing center! “We do a ton of dairy work here. I come from a place where there’s not a lot of agriculture, it’s great to see where our food comes from!”

Their “E360” program – or experiential learning –is at the heart of what they do. Job outcomes have increased every year since they implemented it. Graduates have to complete three co-op or internship type experiences which helps set them apart and set them up for success. Students often work at the Camden or Baltimore aquariums, zoos, shadowing at vets (including vet tech work), wildlife refuge or rehab locations, and more. The student I spoke to worked with scent-detecting dogs in conservation work, at Last Chance Ranch doing equine triage, and worked at both equine centers on campus just for fun

They have 5 licensed vets teaching here, and many students go to vet schools after graduation. “It’s really competitive to get into vet schools but we have a lot of success sending students. There are only 36 in the US. Large Animal/ Equine often go out to Oklahoma State. Otherwise, a lot of our students will go to Penn and Cornell.”

A few academics to brag about:

• Not surprisingly their School of Agriculture and Envi Sci is their biggest one. Agribusiness is a niche program (and they offer a 4+1 in Agribusiness Management) but they also offer Dairy, Food, and Crop Sciences, Equine Management or Studies, Turf Management, Landscape Architecture, Horticulture, and a lot more.
• Conservation Wildlife Management prepares students to work with the Park Service, the PA (or other state) Game Commission (the State Commissioner teaches classes here), animal rehab facilities, zoos, and more.
• Animal Sciences is fairly generic but focuses generally on livestock and other large animals. Students can choose a Small Animal major “which we define as dogs and down.” Equine Science has a Breeding and Management/Training specialization; Equine Therapy is launching soon.
• In the humanities and social sciences, “we have amazing Criminal Justice, business, counseling psych, media communications, and a History, Society, and Policy interdisciplinary major.”

Campus is only 5 minutes from downtown Doylestown which has plenty of restaurants, cafes, thrift shops. “I can talk Doyleston all day! Best town ever,” said the rep who grew up here. The local bus system gets students around town for free. Freshman technically cannot have cars but can apply through Public Safety if there’s a reason to have one: “Out-of-state students have a better shot of being approved.” Parking is $80 a year. They’re also only 20 miles north of Philly; the SEPTA (train) station next to the football field makes it easy to get into the city – and students can access Amtrak or the airport from there to get home.

One of the biggest traditions (which is also a hugely popular regional event) is the completely student-run A-Day which is basically “a state-wide county fair! We get 30,000 people in foot traffic on campus over the weekend.” They bring in food and other venders, and students all get to show dairy cows (even if they’ve never shown cows), compete in horse shows, etc.

“I love that this place makes it easy to do things you’ve never done before or even thought of. They teach you! Even if you don’t want to do something as a career, you can learn a lot of fun things. Often these are things you can do for the rest of your life.” That goes for academics, too. “They look out for us and make sure we make the transition.” She told me that she struggled freshman year, but counselors helped her quickly. They worked on her schedule, got her help to learn to study, helped her get her GPA back up so she could keep her scholarship. “Things weren’t brushed under the rug. They helped me get back on track. I couldn’t be happier with my time here.”

Housing is required for 2 years and guaranteed all 4. There are plenty of local apartment complexes in the area for students who want to move off. The student said that some of the dorms and other buildings may look older, but they’re kept up and feel fresh. Dorms are updated in the summer. Food got ranked at about a 8. “It’s not home cooked, but they always have something good and tons of option including theme nights.” They get unlimited swipes – and love that students can tack-on Starbucks to the meal plan. A lot of food is locally sourced including veggies that are grown on campus. “This is as farm-to-table as a campus can get.”

I asked the rep what she’d like to see added to campus: “I’d love to see more with the athletic field house. We have so many great athletic stuff, coaches, things like that. A field house with be amazing! That would push it over the edge! We offer 22 sports here, so it’s a big deal – including coed equestrian and men’s and women’s wrestling. We’re ranked the #10 football team in the nation for DIII. We do lots of tailgating. I think that makes the university feel larger than it is.”

© 2022

Washington and Jefferson College

Washington & Jefferson (visited 11/2/21)

The original building (you might recognize this shot from Mindhunters or The Chair)

Wow, does W&J deliver! The school wraps its arms around students to make sure they don’t fall through the cracks – not just academically but socially and all the other ways that matter. Starting during admission process, they want the student’s story, looking for the best fit on campus. They’re looking for students who want to engage with each other, with their academics, with their interests. They’ll help students step out of their comfort zone in exploring ideas, by going abroad, and more. Their retention rate sits at about 85% (well above the national average), showing that they’re taking care of the students.

The Dean of Admissions, a W&J alum, is a joy to talk to and a huge cheerleader for the school and its students. We had dinner with him; he knows everyone – and people went out of their way to come talk to him. He gave us a great deal of information: he didn’t sugar coat things that could be improved, and he raved about the things they do well.

He said that W&J is a great school for students who are fairly certain that they know what they want to study (which may actually be several things) but not what they want to do with it. There are supports in place to help students explore and figure out options — and now, all students must declare a focus in at least 2 academic areas (double major, major and minor, etc). “Many had been doing this anyway; we’ve just formalized it.” This allows pathways for students to explore and go more in depth in multiple areas.

Our tour guide loves the professors; he said that they know students even if they don’t teach them. “They show an interest in the students, in and out of the classroom. They want us to do well.” They have a 4-1-4 schedule (2 semesters and a January Intersession). There are some amazing academic opportunities here (as well as some fun departmental histories/fun facts) particularly for a school this size:

The English Department — this was a stop on the Underground Railroad AND it’s supposedly haunted!

• They offer a lot of languages on campus including Russian, Mandarin, Japanese, Italian, Spanish, French, and German. They’ve developed a partnership with the University of Leningrad to send students abroad, and they fund teacher exchanges; this helps bring in native speakers to teach language classes.
• The English Dept building is haunted and was a stop on the Underground Railroad.
• There are 2 brand new Joint/Partner programs as of the end of 2021:
  • Master of Athletic Training with Chatham University (Pittsburgh): students complete either 3 or 4 years at W&J and 2 at Chatham, earning the 2 degrees at the end.
  • Master of Science in Economics with West Virginia University (Morgantown): this requires only 1 additional year at WVU after completing the bachelors in Econ at W&J.
  • This adds to the 2 joint programs already being offered:
    • Chatham guarantees 2 seats for the PsyD program
    • WVU (School of Public Health) and W&J have partnered for a Math (BS)/Biostatistics (MS) Program – students complete 3 years at W&J for their math degree, then attending WVU for years 4 and 5
• They do well in terms of outcomes including over a 90% acceptance to med and law schools (well above the national average). They several articulation agreements with a variety of schools for health-related careers (Physician Assistant, Physical Therapy, Optometry, Occupational Therapy, etc) as well as 2 Early Assurance Programs with medical schools.
• They encourage students to study abroad and to do research. They have ways to financially support the kids who want to go abroad but might not be able to otherwise. “If they want to go, we’ll find a way to get them there.” They also help with stipends for research as needed. Much of this support comes from the Magellan Project: Students take charge of their interests and come up with a plan to research or explore these. One student researched Women’s Rights in South Africa, SE Asia, and South/Central America over 3 summers. Another projects included studying chocolate-making in Switzerland, the Olympics in Europe, and Cherry blossoms in Japan. “Anyone who has a solid plan will get approved.” Last year, all but 3 students who put in proposals got approved; 2 chose not to rewrite their proposals and the 3rd couldn’t go for other reasons. Three additional students took other grants.

Some of the newer dorms

In terms of racial diversity, W&J is currently at about 10% African-American and about 20% BiPOC. “We’ve done a lot of work, but we have a long way to go,” said the Dean: their goal is 15% AA and 25% multicultural. They have lots of organizations on campus “but not enough social activities that are primarily African-American based.” They now have a Director of Multicultural Affairs on campus which is helping. They also started the Charles West Scholars program several years ago. This first targeted African-American males from Western PA, but now includes students from MD, VA, WV, OH, NY, and all of PA. The Program provides mentors, and the students themselves are expected to mentor younger students as they move up. They’ve seen this increase retention.

They have a wide range of socio-economic diversity on campus, as well. Almost 1/3 of students are Pell Eligible and are successful here. They’re taken care of. Campus remains open for almost all breaks; for people who need a home, they stay with faculty. Students get fed if there’s food insecurity without anyone making a deal about it. “They’re made comfortable. We might have a student without a winter jacket rooming with the son of an owner of an NFL team.” Everyone just gets along and takes care of each other.

About 40% of students are athletes. “This is a place they can thrive,” — and each team has a faculty advisor who can help with academics. About 40% of students also go Greek (with rush happening in the spring) but this doesn’t mean it’s a huge party school. “You can have fun, but the police will definitely shut down things that get rowdy,” said the tour guide. We met one of the security guards while we were in the Science building (the Admission office – and our tour guide – were great about arranging/giving us a tour at 4:45 pm so we were in the academic buildings after classes were all out). He was chatty and told us about some of the history of campus and a few fun tales of campus hauntings.

The bench used in The Chair (the coffee drinking scene)

This is a traditional looking campus in a lot of ways – lots of brick, quads, etc. In fact, both The Chair (with Sandra Oh) and Mindhunters were filmed on campus because of its quintessential campus look. There has been a push to update buildings; recently, they’ve gotten a lot of donations for renovations; “none of it has come out of tuition,” said the Dean. They’ve been working on the dorms, particularly the “Presidential Dorms,” and are mostly done with those upgrades. They do have a “pet dorm” and gender-inclusive housing. There are lots of ongoing activities and traditions on campus that the students love.

Some of the “Presidential Dorms” that are getting renovated.

We asked about the town of Washington itself; it is much bigger than we thought with about 14,000 residents – and home to Pony League Baseball (we had to ask about that, too). “It’s an interesting place.” The town is fairly compact; the central part is only a couple blocks from campus, so students can walk to almost anything they want to do. “There’s diversity in town. Students feel comfortable walking around.” Pittsburgh is only about 30 minutes away, and there’s a free “Pittsburgh Pipeline” Shuttle on the weekends. Students have easy access to all sorts of professional sports, great food, museums and theater, and all the other things they may want to do.

© 2021

Chatham University (Take 2)

Chatham University (visited 11/3/21)

Click here for notes and pictures from my visit on 5/26/16.

The quad

Chatham has a history of putting women and underrepresented students into leadership positions. Their undergrad program went coed in 2015 and still enrolls approximately 2/3 women. As we were checking out campus, we randomly ran into a student who took a few minutes to talk to us (after nicely asking if we needed help with anything). It turns out that he’s a soccer player from LA (he came for the athletics) and the Student Body President. We asked him what he thought about the gender disparity; he said it wasn’t too weird being in the significant gender minority and told us that many of the males are athletes.

The Chapel

One student told us that “Most kids can find their space here. The extroverts will have their spots, the athletes, the people who just want the 3 friends – they’ll all do fine here.” The rep said, “students care about each other. They know each other. It’s a very welcoming place. Students tend to be very politically and socially aware.” We asked about politics: “It leans more liberal. The Republican Club is small. They want to engage in conversation and difference. It can be a little more difficult for conservative-leaning, but it’s not toxic or exclusionary.” This is a highly residential community. Students enjoy being here; retention is well above the national average.  They are working on increasing diversity in all forms. They do a very good job with the LGBTQIA+ community and are transparent about what they can and cannot provide for students. There is some gender-neutral housing, and most bathrooms are inclusive gender.

In 2012, they started RISE, an intensive program for students from underrepresented backgrounds. This is an opt-in program, and there aren’t any assumptions about what students want or need from the program. Students who choose to participate get extra mentoring from older students, the Dean, and others. As they progress in the program, they’re expected to become mentors for incoming students.

They enrolled their largest incoming class in the college’s history in 20-21, contrary to national trends. They’re looking to continue to grow enrollment. One enhancement is that they’ve gone test-optional during COVID and would like to remain so; they’re collecting data about success of the incoming students so they have the data they can back up. They also have the Chatham Student Emergency Fund. Funding to this has increased need during Covid. It’s publicly available; students just need to ask. “One of the benefits of being a smaller university is that the answer is rarely no. Although we identify as a university, the small liberal arts college is more of how we operate,” said the rep. They publicize the Fund around campus so students are aware that help is available if and when it’s needed.

Some of the dorms

They have 3 campuses with shuttles running between them:

• Shady Side: this is the oldest, main campus. This is located between two great neighborhoods, both within a mile and very walkable. Students go there all the time. Millie’s, a famous ice cream place, is a favorite. Students get access to all public transportation for free.
  • Andrew Mellon’s summer home is on campus; this building had the first indoor pool on the east coast. “Smile” is etched into the ceiling because of the synchronized swim team that used to practice there.
  • Chapel Hill is one of the highest points in Pittsburgh. There’s a lot of construction going on around the chapel; the main things they’re doing is that they’re partnering with the city to manage water flows. They’re also enhancing student experiences.
• East Side: about a mile down the road, housing Health Studies/Nursing and Interior Architecture.
• Eden Hall: This is located 40 minutes north of main campus. Most of the Food Studies and Sustainability classes are held. “It’s gorgeous,” said the rep. There’s a full farm with gardens, goats, water management systems, running trails, natural grasslands, and a man-made pond. They have intentional Living and Learning communities with housing for up to 200 students at a time (although students can also live on main campus and shuttle over). Students living out there are interested in digging in and living it every day.

The university takes a First Semester Approach to Academic and Career advising. Students are encouraged to visit starting at the beginning to start thinking of what their end-goal might be. They have a Success Coach who fills the gap between Academic advisors and everything else. “It can be as simple as where buildings are, where tutors are, how to get a job on campus,” said the rep. They do have an early warning system; RAs, teachers, even admissions counselors have access to this.

Some of the special programs and majors include:

• Pathways to Nursing: This is a draw for students because they do a year of work while they’re still in school. They complete their undergrad here; in the final year, classes are all online so they can work and get clinical experience. In admissions, they look for a higher GPA (3.4ish), a personal statement of interest, and some shadowing or volunteer work do demonstrate that they know that this is what they want ; Admissions is either preferred or guaranteed.
• Interior Architecture is a great program; “it takes a social justice and environmentally awareness stance,” the rep told us. It’s not just about creating the space but looks at who uses it and who CAN use it. What are people saying about who is able to use it? They want students to think about accessibility and sustainability.
• Majors like Applied Data Science Analytics, Music Business, Social Services Administration, and Management Information Systems are hard to find at a school this size.
• They’re particularly well known for their Environmental Science, Food Science, and Sustainability. Rachel Carson graduated from here, and they do offer awards in her honor for students interested in this type of work (although they don’t need to major in that).
• Integrated Degree Programs offer students an accelerated way to earn a Masters in 21 majors by starting to take grad classes in the senior year. Students apply for this going into Junior year and if accepted, are guaranteed a spot in the Master’s program. If they’ve done everything they needed to do, they can continue on. If they aren’t qualified, they’re counselled out and have alternatives while there’s still time. If they’ve done everything they needed to do, they can do it.

© 2021

Westminster College (PA)

Westminster College (PA) (visited 11/3/21)

This is a lovely campus, but unfortunately, the school itself is kind of forgettable. It has a local feel/regional draw. This provides a solid education but is very much like a lot of other small liberal arts institutions; we had a hard time finding any hook that would draw a student from more of a distance. Located in western PA, they pull just over 80% of their students from PA and Ohio with another 6% each from Florida (mostly recruited athletes) and Maryland. The closest major airport is Pittsburgh, about an hour north.

Articulated Woodpecker mural

Campus is 300 acres including college woods where they have an EviSci lab, hiking trails, beehives, bird blinds (used for classes), a lake, and more. Our tour guide took a birding class and said they were out there at least once a week. “I saw a bald eagle once which was great! Other than that, the coolest was the Articulated Woodpecker” (and they have a large, beautiful mural of one in a hallway in the Science Building).

Our tour guide said that this is not a faith-based community although it is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church. “If you aren’t involved, you won’t notice it.”  There’s a general Christian service and a couple Catholic masses are offered on Sundays, but they aren’t required. This is a dry campus, but there seem to be enough places off campus for students who want to go to pubs.

In terms of things to do on campus, the on-campus movie theater is a big draw. The tour guide said that there was enough to do to keep busy with clubs. He couldn’t give us much information about things he liked to do other than there was a great gelato place nearby. The town of New Wilmington itself is small (not much bigger than the university) so students definitely need to make their own fun! There are some trips to Pittsburgh and other cities offered every few weeks.

Stained glass in the library

They have a typical selection of majors found at most liberal arts institutions; most majors require an internship. There are few majors within the Sciences worth mentioning: Engineering Physics, Molecular Biology, Materials Science, and Neuroscience. They started nursing program about 4 years ago.

There is a fairly sizable School of Music here with 3 majors: Music, Music Education, and Music Performance. and lots of music groups – choirs, brass ensembles, jazz, etc. They have new music recording studios for students who want to go into that. Something I wish they had played up more in the tour is their 4+1 Music Therapy Program (that might be a draw for students who want to go into that).

They seem to have strong Marketing and Communications programs including Creative Media Production, Strategic Communication & Social Media, Marketing & Professional Sales, Broadcasting & Sports Communications, Sports Management, and Professional Communication & Leadership.

© 2021