Shepherd University

Shepherd University (visited 5/16/22)

This is a cute campus minutes from the banks of the Potomac, right across the river from Maryland. “We’re in the perfect location with the river in one direction and mountains in the other. It’s a hidden gem in the heart of history, particularly the Civil War era,” said a rep. They’re located only 1.5 hours from DC and Baltimore and 3 from Philly; with 2 MARC stations within a 10-minute walk, students have access to lots of things in the region.

Shepherd is affordable, costing about $30k (total tuition, R&B, and fees) for non-WV residents (yes, this is a state school which surprises some people!). Currently, a 3.0 GPA will earn students a $3,000 scholarship without test scores; however, they’ll need to submit scores to be considered for higher amounts. This is stackable with their Metro Scholarship ($5,500): all VA, MD, and DC residents and those living in some PA counties qualify for this award.

Students need a 2.0 GPA and 19 ACT or 990 SAT to be considered for admission. They’ll super-score either exam. Essays and recs are optional but recommended. They end up accepting almost all applicants; only about 2/3 return for sophomore year, though, so that’s something they need to work on. Students interested in the Honors Program should apply by the priority deadline of 2/15; they’ll need a 3.6 GPA, 26 ACT or 1250 SAT. Once admitted, students get housing in Martin Hall, more scholarship money, smaller and more interactive classes, and special field trips and social events.

Sculptures in front of the new arts building

About 60% of the 3800 undergrad students are from WV (and about 60% are also commuter students) with the vast majority of OOS students coming from Maryland (only a couple miles away) and Virginia. As with many smaller liberal arts schools, they’re skewed more heavily female (currently about 60/40).  Just over 1/3 of students are First Gen and 20% self-identify as students of color (and those numbers are going up).

Some fun facts we learned about Shepherd are:

• They’re DII; their Women’s Volleyball was undefeated last year.
• Rufus, a bulldog, is the unofficial mascot.
• JC the Ram (Actual mascot) turned 5 in March. “Everyone loves him. People volunteer to give him baths and take care of him.”
• They’re one of the few universities in the country to have a Photobiomodulation (PBM) machine: they’re using light therapy (red and near-infrared light) to improve tissue repair and reduce pain and inflammation. This is located in Wellness Center.
• Their LEED certified Center for Contemporary Arts was completed in 2013; it’s made of copper so once it ages, it’ll look like the Statue of Liberty. The architect designed it to mimic the mountains in the background.
• They have a farm about 8 miles away; this is often used by EnviSci and other sciences for field work.
• This is an incredibly LGBTQ-friendly campus and often have the highest per capita population; they have their own Pride parade.
• They do very well with students on the Spectrum.

View from the tunnel with the art center in the background.

Classes, not surprisingly, are small. The rep who attended Shepherd said that she had 20 students in her largest class and 10 in her smallest one in her first year. Students get a lot of attention, and they’re small enough to make sure that all students have mentored Capstone experiences before graduation. Academics worth noting:

• Arts (theater, film, fine arts, music) are a big deal here and students can get scholarships for all that.
  • They offer a BFA in 4 areas – including sculpture and Photo/Computer Imagery.
  • Digital Film Making or Strategic Communications (within their Communications and New Media department)
  • Contemporary Theater Studies
  • Multiple music majors including performance, composition, and music education.
• Their Global Studies has 4 concentrations including Cultures, Economics and Development, Governance and Peace, or Environments.
• Recreation and Sports Studies has multiple concentrations including Therapeutic Recreation, Sport Communication, Athletic Administration and Coaching, and Public red and Park Admin.
• Engineering Science: students pick a concentration in either Systems (like Mech/Civil) or Biological (looking at sustainable solutions).
• Criminal Justice with focuses in forensics or law enforcement. Students can also declare a criminology concentration in Sociology.
• Nursing is not direct entry; students must complete the pre-reqs and then apply into the program.

© 2022

West Virginia University

West Virginia University (visited 11/2/21)

Fun Fact: Catherine Johnson (of NASA and “Hidden Figures” fame) graduated from WVU.

One of the original campus buildings.

WVU is, in many ways, a typical large, DI, Research 1, flagship institution. Started in 1867 as the Agricultural/Land Grant college of WV, this is now a large campus with a mixture of historic, new, and refurbished buildings. They’re located right in Morgantown with a cute downtown (lots of shops and restaurants) is easily accessible to the main part of campus. The Grind is a student favorite (particularly the maple latte!).

Morgantown, the main campus, has 26,000 students (48% of whom come from WV). They do have two other branch campuses in Beckley (WVU Tech, 1,700 students, 30+ majors) and Keyser (WVU Potomac State College with 1,300 students and 60+ majors). The Main Campus itself is split into 3 sections:

• Downtown houses 3 colleges: Arts and sciences, media, business (They’re currently building a new $100m business building on the Waterfront).
• Evansdale has 6 of the colleges – ag, natural resources, creative arts, horticulture.
• Health Sciences campus houses dentistry, med, nursing, pharm, and public health. There’s a hospital across from campus that runs the only Trauma 1 center not located in a major metro area.

One of the PRT cars in action!

The 3 Morgantown campuses are closer than they looked on the map they showed us during the short info session before our tour; I appreciate that they gave us a sense of where we’d be going on the tour. We were told, “There are 3 modes of transportation here: walking (it’s the WV mile – uphill both ways!); the Mountain Lion Bus system (the city bus system that students use free with their ID – and they can use it to get to the Pitt Int’l Airport for $15); and the Personal Rapid Transit/Monorail system which is included in fees. “We can say that the PRT is unique because it was created here.” They have these cute little cars that run on demand – students push a button at the station, and a car will be on its way to get them! Tracks are heated for winter so there’s no excuse for not getting around. In fact, it only takes 5 or 6 minutes to get from campus into Downtown so that tells you how close things are.

Students were repeatedly emphatic that cars are NOT recommended. “Parking is REALLY hard! They say that it’s the most competitive sport on campus,” said one of the tour guides. In fact, there’s only 1 parking lot on campus for freshman — on top of a hill, and they must move their cars for game day because that lot is used for Tailgating before the football games. Parking costs $366 a year!

This is a Big 12 School with lots of school pride and spirit, including for “non-traditional” sports – their Rifle team has won 19 National Championships, and a recent Olympic Gold Medalist is from WVU: “She won the first medal of the Games, so we joked that it was ‘World-0, WVU-1.” Students get free admission to all the games including Football and Basketball, but they do have to request tickets for those 2 sports because they’re more popular. Mountaineer Maniacs, though, do get tickets to all games. On game day, the population of the city is the largest in the state, including its capital city.

Football stadium

“We work smart and play smart,” said one of the guides. The university provides a ton of options of things to do, and we got the sense that parties are easy to find like at any school. The Union runs programming like “Up All Night” on Fridays and Saturday, usually from 10pm-2am with food, games, activities, and prizes. About 10% of students go Greek with a delayed rush. “It’s a presence, but not a pressure,” said a student.

One of the signs advertising First Year Adventure Trips.

Outdoor activities are really under-sold, said a tour guide: “It’s an underrepresented state for outdoor adventures. I was surprised at how accessible all the things were” (including a 15-mile rail trail just off campus). Multiple trips are offered every weekend (and during the week) to hike, ski, bike, and more. Students can come a week early to participate in an outdoor trip. The university also owns both high rope and zip line courses about 10 minutes away (shuttles are provided) and runs regular programs, including at nighttime at Halloween when it’s all decorated. Ziplining costs $10. They even have yurts on that property that students can stay in. The school definitely utilizes its location to offer some more unusual majors like Adventure Recreation Management and Forest Resource Management.

Some housing options as seen from the courtyard behind the Union.

There are several housing options including LLCs. There’s a 1-year residency requirement but is guaranteed all 4 years. However, about 90% of students move off campus starting in their 2^nd year because there are a lot of affordable options, including some that are directly next to campus. To get the most choices (and best chance of getting what you want), students should apply for housing early – the housing app opens in the fall so students don’t have to wait until the May 1 deposit date. Students must get admitted to the university and submit their academic deposit before they can apply for housing. It’s worth doing early if they’re fairly sure they want to attend WVU.

The Freshman Dorm quad

The university offers a lot of experiential learning. Approximately 2/3 of classes are taught by full-time faculty, and 1/3 of classes have fewer than 20 students. 90% have 60 students or less. Large classes have labs or recitation periods taught by TAs: no new material is taught during these. Instead, it’s a time to discuss, complete practice problems, do some hands-on work, etc. They have some amazing educational resources:

Part of campus along the main street

• They offer the only Sports and Adventure Media major in the US.
• This is one of two schools in the country to offer a Puppetry degree. Students will regularly go to elementary schools to perform for students there.
• They have the largest crime scene recreation in the country. This is so good, in fact, that the FBI could take it over and use it for federal investigations with less than 24 hours of upgrades. The Forensic Examiner Department runs 4 crime scene houses – and the students in these classes aren’t told exactly when their final is. They usually are told a day, but then they’ll get a phone call and have to report immediately. “Crime doesn’t wait for students – they wait for crime.”
• The Sciences are amazing and are particularly well resourced:
  • Their Engine and Emissions Research Lab discovered the Subaru emissions scandal.
  • They have a Taxidermy lab
  • The National Research for Coal and Energy attached to their Engineering and Mineral Resources school – have they’ve won a competition against the Ivies!
  • The Planetarium offers shows open to the public every 2 weeks.
  • They have an arboretum just off campus, and the Greenhouses in the Science buildings can be converted into a variety of climates ranging from desert, tundra, arctic, etc.
  • They offer a “Wines and Vines” class; students must be 21.
• Engineering has many paths including Aerospace, Biometric Systems, Industrial, Petroleum and Natural Gas, and Mining.
• Museum Education Center
• Business has extensive offerings including the LaunchLab which lets entrepreneurship students launch a business.

© 2021

Wheeling University

 Wheeling University (visited 11/5/21)

In total transparency, I wouldn’t send students here; I’m worried about too many things, including what seems to be the most recent issue (in March 2021) of the university being put on probation through the Higher Education Accreditation team for failing to meet accreditation standards. They also have a retention rate (students returning for sophomore year) under 50% — well below the national average of about 76%. I’m concerned that they aren’t taking care of the students academically or otherwise. Having been on campus, now, it confirms my wariness about the university.

This used to be “Wheeling Jesuit University,” but they dropped the “Jesuit” about 3 years ago. We asked the rep who brushed it off and said he wasn’t here when it happened; he alluded to funding being pulled. A bit of research after the visit showed that the Jesuits decided to cut ties with the institution. It’s still classified as a Roman Catholic institution; students must still take 1 religion class out of a menu of options.

We spent almost an hour on campus, and I don’t think we saw more than 5 students. Where are the kids?? Although we were on campus on a Friday afternoon (arriving around 3:30), most schools have students around – there are still a few classes, kids are in the student union, or teams are practicing. None of this seemed to be happening. Both of us were flummoxed by that.

Granted, this is a tiny school with about 550 undergrads (and what seems to be about an equal number of grad students). The rep told us that it’s a highly residential campus (their website says 76% live on campus) but couldn’t tell us if this was a suitcase school or not, so maybe students had already fled for the weekend. However, he also said that 90% of students are athletes – this is a DII school (which explains some of the draw to the school). This further confused us in terms of where students were since no fields were being used for practices despite it being prime practice time. He told us that volleyball has won Nationals more than once, there are lots of state champs for golf and other sports, and football is big.

Wheeling is an older, industrial river town. We asked what students did off campus for fun, and he couldn’t tell us – or even what he liked to do in the area. He said that there’s a lot to do on campus, and he brought up bonfires (for the 2^nd or 3^rd time) which doesn’t answer the question about the area.

Some of the sports fields

Campus is compact and most of the buildings seem relatively well kept up. They own a building that’s currently empty, but the rep had no idea what they may be doing with it.

Academically, “We have all the stuff except comp sci,” said the rep. I’m not quite sure what he thinks “all the stuff” entails, but their list of majors is not extensive. Education and Nursing are big draws.  When pushed, we learned that their “engineering program” was Engineering Science. I looked this up online afterwards; students get all the basics (Calc, physics, chemistry, general engineering) and then complete a concentration (mechanical, industrial, electrical) which aren’t evenly distributed in terms of credits. He didn’t seem to have any idea of what students could do with this major other than going onto grad school or “working in a job related to their major.” 

© 2021

Marshall University

Marshall University (visited 4/12/12)

When I originally decided to go to Marshall, I was sure that I wasn’t going to be impressed, but I figured that I was going to be so close, I might as well see it. I was going to arrive late in the day because of other college visits, so I planned on stopping in the Visitors Center (the fancy term for Admissions Office that more colleges seem to be adopting), introduce myself to the NC rep, and then walk around campus a bit on my own. Instead, I found three talkative students in the main reception area who were more than willing to engage in conversation as I waited for the Assistant Director of Admissions to meet me for our appointment. Even though only one was “on duty,” they all joined in the conversation. They were articulate and positive about the school without “gushing” or seeming disingenuous. They told me what they were doing and why they chose Marshall. One is Junior nursing major; he was proud that Marshall had the highest passing rate in WV on the Boards. Another student was a Junior psych major and she said she loved the classes she was taking. The third specifically talked about how school spirit is big on campus; Homecoming and football games got special mention.

The woman from admissions spent a great deal of time with me about the university, including pointing out highlights on a map before sending me on my way to walk around campus after the office closed at 5. The fairly compact campus, occupying 4 blocks by 4 blocks, is a manageable size for a medium-sized university. Huntington’s official “downtown, filled with movies, restaurants, coffee shops, and more, is technically four blocks from campus but there are certainly a lot between campus and what the city would call “downtown.” I was impressed at how seamlessly the campus was integrated into the surrounding part of town while still maintaining an attractive traditional campus filed with lots of brick buildings as well as open green spaces. The quad, although it had a lot of grass, was not the traditional flat, grass-filled quad. Instead, it was a rolling area with a lot of trees, bushes, flowers, and brick walkways. A couple statues (one of John Marshall) and sculptures were in the area as well as a lot of benches and other seating areas, tables, and chairs. People were out on the quad interacting extensively. Students were using the seating areas to study as well as socialize, and people were talking to each other as they walked across campus (I saw very few people plugged into their music). Students were dressed in a variety of ways; it didn’t seem like there was a “type” of kid at Marshall – some were dressed up, some were in athletic gear, some in the stereotypical college sweatpants and t-shirt getups.

Marshall is the second largest public university in WV, but with 10,000 undergrads, it’s half the size of WVU. This is a largely residential campus, but not entirely since dorm space just doesn’t allow it at this point. All students who come from outside a 50-mile radius MUST live on campus for freshman and sophomore years, although there is talk of reducing that to a 30-mile radius. The freshman residence halls are only two years old – and each room has a private bathroom. They aren’t even suites, so students only share the bathroom with a single roommate! The upperclassmen halls are suites with either two or four single bedrooms, a bath, and a common space. They do have two large dorms called the Twin Towers which are 8 or 10 floors high. Only one residence hall on campus is all-women; the rest are coed. Freshman are allowed to have cars on campus; parking is accessible and costs $150/semester on a surface lot and a little more in the garage.

The Forensic Chemistry and the Computer Forensics are unique programs on campus. Education is huge; Marshall started as a Teacher’s College, so they have kept the program going strong. Their Business program is Internationally Accredited, which is rare. They have a new Engineering facility, as well, including some new programs that will be coming along shortly. Their Fine Arts/Communications (including Journalism) programs are also worth mentioning.

In order to attract more non-WV students, they have the Horizon Scholarship for out-of-state students who meet minimum requirements; this brings the price to about what an in-state student would pay (and I was told that this makes it cheaper than what a Penn resident would pay for Penn State). They also have the Yeager Scholarship which is a full ride: students need a 30+ on the ACT and need to fill out the application on the website by 12/15. They do not need a nomination. In terms of admissions, they basically look at GPA and test scores. There is no required essay. They do have an Honors College; applicants are invited based on their application. Generally, Honors College students have at least a 3.5 GPA and 26+ ACT scores.

The students who thrive at the college tend to be involved and who stand out; they also want attention in the positive sense: they want to talk to professors, they want to be able to ask questions, they want to discuss things. Marshall is invested in making sure that their students succeed at the college. The Student Resource Center, in addition to providing resources similar to those at peer institutions, also will track the freshman, and if they see that students are floundering, will reach out to them to offer help and set out plans for success (tutoring, study schedules, etc). They also provide excellent resources for students with specialized learning needs (ADHD, dyslexia, etc).

(c) 2012

University of Charleston, WV

University of Charleston, WV (visited 4/12/12)

What first struck me about UC was how little it looked like the typical college. The buildings were all a light, yellowish brick and stone (clearly all designed to go together rather than adopting various styles as they grew), and the campus was long and compact, wedged in the block between the river and the main street and taking up about two or three blocks lengthwise. Buildings sat in two long rows with plenty of parking in the middle, effectively separating the Res life side of campus (the side away from the river) from the academics/admin side. Not only is the campus accessible from town, but everything is quickly available on campus. The Academic buildings are mostly connected with enclosed walkways/bridges so in bad weather, you don’t have to go outside. For example, the library takes up four levels of one of the buildings and it’s accessible on many levels. The river view is amazing and they love to show it off. In one of the academic buildings, they have a multi-level art gallery with panoramic views across the water. The artwork changes periodically, but all of it is by female artists from WV. They have maximized their use of space to let in a lot of light and open the buildings to the river views. One of the academic buildings, the Clay Tower, is eight floors; some colleges might put the fancy offices in the rooms with windows overlooking the river, but here, those are taken up with classroom, labs, and work-spaces for students. The Capital Building (and its gold dome) sits right across the river.

One of the most unique aspects of UC is that there is no core curriculum like at many other colleges. Instead, they integrate English (particularly writing and communication) into any major that students choose. All classes are writing and presentation intensive; they care more about having students apply what they have learned through practice rather than just spit back information on a test. They also have 6 Liberal Learning Outcomes, important traits for success in the workplace, such as critical thinking, citizenship, and infusing science and technology. These LLOs show up over and over in the classes that students take throughout their time on campus.

For a variety of reasons such as not having a core curriculum, accepting goal/career-oriented students, and the class structures, 35-40% of students graduate in fewer than the traditional four years (fabulous from an economic standpoint). Most students declare a major within the first year or so, but it is not required – however, in order to graduate early, students do need to know what they want to do fairly early on. However, they also have a Discover Program for first year students who are undeclared/undecided.

Driven, engaged, goal-oriented students tend to thrive here. Internships are available as early as 2^nd semester freshman year. My tour guide, a freshman Chemistry major from Northern Virginia, was asked by one of his Chem professors if he wanted to help do research on finding traces of cocaine on paper money. Although he was a bit disappointed that they didn’t find any, he got a lot of practical research experience, and he said that they found other really interesting things in the process. The professor is going to be expanding the research, and this student is first in line to help continue the project over the rest of his time at college. He is also involved in a variety of campus clubs, including some that compete in regional and national levels. When I asked him what he’d like to change about the university, he said that he wishes more people got involved in some of the extra-curriculars. Several people were really involved, but some students got more wrapped up in the academics.

A view of the WV capitol building from campus

Health Sciences and Pre-Professional programs are strong here. There are 7 hospitals within 10 miles of campus, so internship and hands-on experiences are common and accessible. They also have a 6-year Doctor of Pharmacy program; students do 2 years of prereqs and then spend 4 years on the doctoral program. They also have a fast-track business degree in which students can get their BA in 3 years and then spend 1.5 years getting an MBA. Public Policy, politics, and pre-law are also very popular. The Capital Building is directly across the river from campus, so again, internship opportunities are there and highly sought-after. Finally, both the Interior Design and the Athletic Training programs are hands-on; students majoring in Athletic Training get assigned to different sports teams, so they work for full seasons with the same people; they also rotate through teams for different seasons to get a sense of what different athletes might need. Incidentally, UC is DII which surprised me because there are only 1,600 students at the college. They even have a large football stadium across the river, something almost unheard of for a college this size.

There are 4 residence halls: 1 for only freshman, 1 mixed, and 2 for upper level students. They also have a new graduate residence hall for the MBA, PharmDoc, and other grad students on campus. All the dorms are suites or private bathrooms. My tour guide and his roommate, for example, had a private bathroom directly across the hall from their room. They had a key for it so they knew that no one else would be using it. On the Res Life side of campus, they have a brand new fitness center (with views of the river, of course!) and a gym right behind it. That building is next on the list to be renovated with the expectation that it will eventually be joined to the new fitness center. All students can have a car on campus; parking costs $100 a semester.

(c) 2012