The Best Colleges/Universities that You May Not Know About
 

A few weeks ago at a family gathering, my brother began asking my oldest nephew about his college plans. He's going into his senior year and is exactly the kind of student that colleges look for, as evidenced by the piles of college information that has already been sent to him. My brother stated sorting it all into 3 piles: 1) Definitely consider 2) Maybe and 3) Definitely not/throw out. My nephew was grilled by 6 eager adults including his parents all with their own ideas of where he should go. It turned into mayhem.

Talking to my nephew one-on-one, I found that he knew exactly what he wanted in a college/university. He found this discussion as amusing as I did, because the final decision is his to make. Since this idea of choosing a college/university is one of my favorite topics on GC, I thought that we could have a thread to discuss the good and bad (hopefully not too bad) aspects of schools.

I'd like the emphasis to be on the more unusual, obscure schools, the ones that are not that well-known yet. For example, I'd like to know about Mississippi Women's College (Mississippi University for Women and Men, Columbus, MS). I'd love to hear from somebody in Minnesota who knows about Winona State University, which is one of my favorite little campuses. There are loads of little colleges to be considered --- if one knows about them. I'll start with my next post. :)

Lewis University - main campus: Romeoville, IL (It has several other smaller campuses around the Chicago area).
Okay, maybe this is a little "mainstream." But usually the Roman Catholic universities & colleges don't impress me that much unless they are Jesuit. This is one that is the exception to that rule. Founded in 1932 by the Christian Brothers (Lasallian); it has approximately 6800 students. There are both undergrad & grad programs with a large selection of academic programs. There is a BA in Liberal Arts which combines any 2 minors for a total of 128 credits. So you could combine International Business with Philosophy, or Communication Studies with Contemporary Global Studies to design your own program of study.
The students could not be nicer when you are on compus. This is a beautiful little campus with a nice bookstore. The facilities and outside grounds are meticulously maintained. Things are expanding and the library seems to be having growing pains. There are several sororities and fraternities including some co-eds and a "fratority." There are most of the the NPHC sororities and a Kappa Alpha Psi chapter on campus.
My nephew said that some of his friends are going here, so it definitely has already been discovered. I can see why -it's an impressive campus atmosphere.

Columbia College - Chicago, IL (Downtown Chicago Loop area)

This is "The other Columbia" (not Columbia University in New York). This is still pretty "mainstream." This is a very artsy type college with some unusual college programs. Founded in 1890, Columbia has approximately 12,000 students. Great Radio, TV, Film & Video programs among others like Dance Movement Therapy and Counseling, Game Design, and Fashion Business. There are also more traditional liberal arts and sciences offerings, but the students here can be highly untraditional.

Everything is taught from an arts perspective here. Creativity is rewarded. If you don't like to write, you may be able to contract with your professor to do an art project instead. It's in downtown Chicago, so it has a very urban feel. Students are surrounded by Chicago's skyscrapers. The campus includes the city. Columbia College's main building is right in the heart of it.

Could you explain this more? (Disclaimer: I'm not Catholic so I'm curious!)

The Jesuits are such excellent educators that I know that any campus that they teach at will require a student to fully engage in learning in order to stay enrolled. Their high school programs are all "college prep" because there is no need for a Jesuit education if it does not prepare one for further academic study.

Whether it is Loyola University in Chicago (I worked here for a few years), Marquette University in Milwaukee, Washington University in St. Louis, College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, or any of the other numerous Jesuit institutions, a Jesuit education is a true liberal arts education, no matter what the field of study.

Integrating the classics with theological thought and social justice, the Jesuits teach a timeless academic tradition that is both contemporary and historical at the same time. Members of my own family have gone to Jesuit schools, so I am familiar with their curriculum. I am no longer Roman Catholic. But the Jesuits still impress me with their educational standards. :)

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m0...5yr7o1_400.gif

How could you forget the flagship Jesuit university, my beloved Georgetown???

:)

Also, St. Louis University is Jesuit but Washington University in St. Louis is not.

I would venture to add on the female side that any Sacred Heart school would be included in that discussion. They are considered the female Jesuits from an educational standpoint. The fact that there are many fewer nuns today than in the past may have impacted them though. I've been out of school for a number of decades.

And back to the original post, interesting to me is the comment that it is the young man's decision to make. Is he independently funded at this point in his life? His parents have no say?

Wash U. is not nor has it ever been a Jesuit institution. While it was founded as "Eliot Seminary", it has always been nonsectarian .

Wash U was founded by Unitarians. It's sort of the opposite of Roman Catholic.

St. Louis University is the Jesuit university in St. Louis. It's a solid school, but it's not Wash U.

My cousin went to MSCW decades ago but I can't tell you anything.

If you are really interested, I can send her your contact info.

Sorry, Sen, for not mentioning Georgetown specifically. There are so many Jesuit institutions and so little time ...
Thanks for pointing out that it is St. Louis University that is Jesuit and not Washington University. To me, this falls under the category of 1) Boston College & Boston University (same town, two very different schools) and 2) Georgetown and George Washington (same town, two even more different schools). One of my brothers went to one of these for his masters and I never could remember which one it was. :eek:
I love your GIF. Let us know about Georgetown; give us a profile of your alma mater, mainstream as it is. :)

Thanks, deadbear80 & KD Cat for also pointing out about St. Louis University being Jesuit, not Washington University. My bad ...

Titchou, I never made the connection between Sacred Heart Schools/Society of the Sacred Heart and the Jesuits until you pointed it out. It makes perfect sense because when I was growing up their grammar and high schools were top notch. Also, I know that my nephew's parents will allow their son to make his own decision. It's a good thing that he is such an excellent student/athlete with a great activity record because they will no doubt be looking and comparing scholarship and financial aid packages. There are 4 kids in the family altogether, but he is the first child and the oldest son. He'll have support from both sides of the family if necessary. You are right, the funds are always an important consideration.

Also, Modorney - thanks for the pm. If you clean out your box I can resend my response. :)

I never knew this school existed until last summer when I helped a friend with a PHD edit his Curriculum Vitae and search for positions in his field online. It seemed really unusual and definitely got my interest. Let's see if someone else responds. :)

Oooh... I'll chime in a smidge regarding GW/Georgetown... seeing as how I'm currently filling out my intent to register with Georgetown RIGHT NOW!

I feel like the campus environments of GW and Georgetown are night and day. Georgetown has a beautiful, somewhat insulated campus that reminds me a lot of UCLA in certain regards - it feels like a traditional "campus" to me, with expansive stretches of plazas, and gorgeous, old-world buildings. GW feels like many other young, hip areas of DC - school buildings are on city streets, so you have a melange of people walking to/from the metro, to class, and to work everywhere. Restaurants and shops are intermixed among the buildings, etc.

All of my visits and experiences with Georgetown have emphasized the whole person, "women and men for others" vibe that is inherent in the Jesuit culture. I get the feeling that they have a very clear vision of the kind of student they want, and the kinds of graduates they want to produce.

Mississippi University for Women is located about 20 min away from Mississippi State where I went to school...It's a small university of about 2500 students. It's mostly known for it's Nursing program and for Culinary arts. MUW, or "The W" as it's called here doesn't have athletics and the vast majority of it's students are women (like 85% I think) even though it's admitted men since 1982 I believe...I attribute this the fact that I'm a dude and I wouldn't want my diploma to say "Mississippi University FOR WOMEN". I think a name change would help attract students and improve it's image for sure. As far as greek life goes there are a few NPHC orgs, but there are no IFC or NPC sororities on campus. They do have "social clubs" on campus which really work like local sororities--however they have 2 year and 4 year clubs...these clubs are for women. According to their web site they have one local fraternity.

> Also, Modorney - thanks for the pm. If you clean out your box I can resend my response.

All cleaned out! Thank's for the tip!

Lawrence Technological University is a small private university located in Southfield, Michigan, just a few minutes outside of Detroit. Lawrence Tech is in a great location and is less than 30 minutes from downtown Detroit, shopping centers in Novi and Troy, the Detroit Zoo, and popular Royal Oak and Ferndale. Lawrence Tech has about 4500 enrolled students with under 1000 living on campus. LTU's strongest academic programs are Architecture, Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Engineering Technology, and Computer Science. LTU has also been ranked as "Best in the Midwest" by the Princeton Review and US News & World Report, in the top 30% by Bloomberg Businessweek, a Military Friendly School, and numerous other accolades. The university has been rapidly expanding its athletics since recently joining the National Association of Collegiate Athletics (NAIA). Student life is also very vibrant on the campus and a new burst of traditions and celebrations have exploded on the campus in recent years. LTU's new slogan, "Possible is Everything," is very evident as almost 77$ of class sizes contain under 20 students (student-faculty ratio of 11:1) which allow you to create unique 1-on-1 connections with your professors, deans, and directors. When it comes to Greek Life, members of Greek organizations are very active on campus, but only 5% of men and 7% of women are involved in Greek Life. An Order of Omega chapter does exist on campus. Greek are governed by the All-Greek Council, the IFC, and the NPHC. There is one NPC sorority (along with 2 locals) on campus, hence the lack of a Panhell. In terms of growth, the University was just approved by the City of Southfield to commence construction of new housing units, educational facilities, new athletic fields, and Greek Row. The University is very heavily involved with the City of Southfield's downtown development.

A former GC poster attended the W...I believe she was a member of its "Highlander" club.

Is there a reason, other than tradition/alumnae resistance, that the name hasn't been changed? When The Woman's College of the University of North Carolina, popularly known as "Woman's College" or "WC," went co-ed in 1963, the name was changed to the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. There were certainly many alumnae who found that disappointing, and there are still WC alumnae out there who talk about the school as "WC." (BTW, with over 18,000 students, the school still has about a 2:1 female-to-male ratio.)

The "new" name had the effect of emphasizing the connection to the UNC System, but it also set a pattern that ultimately had the effect of making the school another "UNC at ___." When the consolidated university system was formed in 1931, it was comprised of three institutions brought under one umbrella -- UNC-Chapel Hill, WC and the State College of Agriculture and Engineering (since 1961 NC State University -- the school's trustees and supporters in the legislature fought off efforts to rename the school UNC-Raleigh). So, when WC changed its name in 1963, it was the only "UNC at ____" other than Chapel Hill. But since then, the system has grown to include all 16 public universities in the state, 6 of which now have a "UNC at ____" name. (And one of those is Chapel Hill, the school everyone thinks of when they hear "UNC.")

While the move to a new name was appropriate and necessary in 1963, I think some still wish that the new name had reflected something of the individuality of the school.

I just found out about St. John's College in Annapolis & Santa Fe

and their Great Books program and it grants 1 degree, a BA in Liberal Arts and how they go about it...it just sounds interesting and intense St. John's College

I only found out about them recently also.... I'm really into what they're about.

St. John's is gorgeous! It's so funny that they share the town with the Naval Academy, too. They have a rivalry croquet match every year :D certainly interesting to watch.

Thanks for the responses, everybody. I want to apologize for not getting back sooner. My husband came back from his missions trip to South Korea with an unexpected visitor - a missionary from Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic). He is currently an intern pastor, and our pastor was still in Korea, so he was expected to show her around town for 4 days. In between family birthdays, church stuff & showing her Chicago & Wisconsin (gotta "do" Wisconsin), I am exhausted. I could not even remember my password & had to look it up.

I'm going to post the 2 schools that I had ready to post Friday am and then I'll respond about the Great Books colleges-- they are all very unusual.:)

Both of these colleges have approx. 2800 students. One is Jesuit, one is affiliated with the United Church of Christ. One does not have any Greek life; on the other campus it seems to be growing. When I chose to profile these 2 schools at once, I did not know that they were exactly the same size; it just worked out that way.

College of the Holy Cross - Worcester, MA (outside of Boston)

Founded in 1843, this Jesuit/Catholic college is undergraduate only. It has an older, traditional style campus. I personally love classical architecture & this campus satisfies this requirement. It has a large selection of liberal arts programs including Africana Studies, Latin American and Latino Stidies, Catholic Studies, Deaf Education, Naval Science, and Peace and Conflict Studies (how about the last one for "social justice"?) The emphasis seems to be on contemporary global culture. There are no fraternities or sororities.

Elmhurst College - Elmhust, IL (west suburb of Chicago)

Founded in 1871, Elmhurst is affiliated with the United Church of Christ and has programs for both undergraduate and graduate study. Elmhurst has an interesting church-related history of growth. It has small classes (approx. 13:1 student-faculty ratio). Elmhurst has an excellent academic reputation with both liberal arts and business/management offerings like Applied Geospatial Technologies, Musical Theatre, Communication Sciences and Disorders, Logistics and Supply Chain Management, Exercise Science, and Jazz Studies. It has a beautiful little campus and the train stops right by it and runs into the city at regular intervals.

Elmurst has Greek life - all conferences. What is different here is that the NPHC chapters all share campuses with other universities: Kappa Alpha Psi and Delta Sigma Theta with Lewis University (previously profiled in this thread), Alpha Kappa Alpha with Dominican University, and Zeta Phi Beta with Chicago State.

I've tried to get a long post up 2x - it must be the computer at the church. Irritating! I'll have to redo it a third time on another computer tommorrow.

William Woods University- Fulton, MO (roughly halfway between Kansas City & St. Louis)

This is my school! It's a small school with right around 3,000 students, it's on a private campus which is GORGEOUS, 2 lakes on campus, a bridge over one that leads to and from some of the buildings. There are around 40 different majors at this liberal arts institution. There is a stellar Equestrian program, with four seats and a excellent Equestrian Science & Equestrian Administration programs. Our American Sign Language Interpreting program is one of the best in the country. The Arts department also boasts excellent Graphic Design, Studio Art, Acting and Musical Theatre programs. It's an NAIA school with excellent athletics and a competitive Athletic Training department. I could rave for days about the small class sizes, alumni support and professors who are knowledgeable as well as professionals working in their industry. WWU is a diamond in the rough just waiting to be found!

As far as Greek Life: There are four NPC sororities and two IFC fraternities on campus. The student population is roughly 35 percent Greek and the university is extremely supportive of Greek organizations and their presence on campus.

OK, you beat me to it !!! On my list of schools to profile is William Woods, Stephens, and Lindenwood Colleges, all in MO, and all having a liberal arts program along with an equestrian studies program (I used to ride/show).

William Woods was the first college I looked at when I was in high school, but I considered all three. I went to a large university instead. I was so excited when I saw your post. I have never seen these 3 campuses, though. :)

Great Books Colleges/Programs
 

I'll have to break this up into parts because I've tried 3 x to post this now.

Imagine sitting around a table with 6-20 students and one or two tutors/discussion facilitators discussing ancient literature and classical authors like Plato, Euclid, Sappho. Pythagoras, Thucydides, Darwin, Gibbon, Hume, W.E.B. Du Bois, Godel, Simone De Beauvoir, Einstein, Freud, Descartes, Sartre, Rousseau, and more - the great thinkers of history. You are having "The Great Conversation" - unpacking the important ideas of these writers by reading the original sources. There are no textbooks with paraphrasing, only direct quotes from the authors themselves. St. John's College (Annapolis, MD and Santa Fe, NM is the most well-known example of the Great Books curriculum.

St. John's College - (Annapolis , MD - founded in 1892, approx. 500 undergrads) and (Santa FE, NM - founded in 1967, approx. 100 undergrad.; 90 grad.) - the best-known Great Books College. The reading lists are extensive and at St. Johm's the students read some of the classical authors in Greek. The students develop critical thinking skills by shared dialogue/Socratic method. The students all take the same classes, and there are seminars and tutorials. The shared curriculum connects students to each other and to the books/ideas themselves.

There is a language component so students can read authors in the original language, not a translation. This is an intense, challenging curriculum. It is very formal (think Oxford); requiring comprehensive (master's level-type) examinations. St. John's is a "place of ideas" and a "community of learners (college website). The goal is to make the original sorces understandable by exploring the valuable ideas that they contain.

Shimer College - Chicago, IL (IIT campus, near south side)
Other Great Books colleges include Shimer College, "The Great Books college of the Midwest." Founded in 1853 by Frances Wood Shimer, it was originally a non-denominational seminary, and at one time was connected to the University of Chicago. In the early 1950's, Shimer adopted the Hutchins Plan (originally a plan to change the undergraduate curriculum at the University of Chicago, which only lasted about 15 years).
Robert Maynard Hutchins (1899-1977), one of the presidents at the U. of Chic., and Mortimer J. Adler (1902-2001), author of How To Read A Book, produced the Great Books of the Western World (Encyclopedia Brittanica, c. 1952), and its index, The Syntopicon. The 54-volume set starts with The Great Conversation, which explains the goals of a liberal arts education and the need to read the original texts.

Shimer College (continued)
 

The radical "poor cousin" of St. John's, Shimer College's reading list varies from that of St. John's and the college atmosphere is much less formal. The College has an unusual history, having had 3 different campuses (Mt. Carroll, IL (1853-1977), Waukegan, IL (1978-2006), and the IIT campus (2006-present). Shimer students are quite liberal and student activism is popular here. Shimer is democratic and has a body of self-governance called the Assembly consisting of all students, staff, and professors. Alumni are considered non-voting members of the Assembly.

There is no Greek life at Shimer. There is a "Shimer-in-Oxford" program, sending students to Oxford for a semester or year. Shimer requires a senior thesis. There is a traditional program for students under 25 and an "every third weekend" program for working adults. With approx. 120 students, Shimer is one of the smallest colleges in the U.S.

I have done coursework at Shimer, and research on the Great Books model. There are other Great Books colleges to follow, along with a list of colleges/iuniversities with Great Books programs.

Thomas Aquinas College - Santa Paula, CA

Founded in 1971, this private Catholic and Great Books college has approx. 358 students, and a faculty-student ratio of 11-1. The 131 acre campus features beautiful Spanish-style architecture. With small classes, no textbooks, and Socratic discussions, the emphasis here is on theology and God-centered texts. The sophomore year reading list has a theology component. Thomas Aquinas utilizes the ancient TRIVIUM (grammar, logic, and rhetoric) and the QUADRIVIUM (music, astronomy, geometry, and arithmetic).

It seems focused on developing its students spiritual direction along with a classical liberal arts/Great Books education. See the book, Liberal Education and the Humanities by late college founder Marcus R. Bergquist. Approx. 11% of graduates enter religious studies/the priesthood. This college requires a senior thesis. It is very well-connected to Vatican and Roman Catholic doctrine/teachings. St. Thomas Aquinas is the patron saint of the college.

I won't go into too much depth, but Ohio Northern University is the only college in the US where a Pharmacy student can earn their PharmD in just 6 years. First year students are automatically accepted into the program when they receive their acceptance to the college. The college draws from all over the US for this reason.
I know three other pharmacists who got their undergrad degree somewhere, and then had to apply to pharmacy schools (like Ohio State and Cincinnati). They were in college for 7-8 years. They all regret not going to ONU and being done in 6 years. The only reason they all opted not to go to ONU was because of the rural location.

Haskell Indian Nations University is a 4 year college in Kansas for members of federally recognized Native American nations. It offers 2 and 4 year degrees and is funded by the federal bureau of Indian Education. Students do not pay tuition, but they must pay student fees. It has about 1000 students currently.

I have to say that Christopher Newport University is a great college that isn't very well known (not trying to brag since I just graduated from there last month!). President Trible has transformed the University completely since taking over. The campus looks completely different from when I started, to say the least about the academic programs. Since 2008, many different programs have been added, especially to the College of Science. The theater and music programs are also very well respected, and is hard to get into. It currently stands around 5000 students, and they're working on building new buildings (Chapel, new Business building, and 2 new dorms when I left) so that students can stay on campus all four years without having to have a long distance to their classes. Our business school is very popular and not easy to get into, and they are usually well connected with internships across the country. Likewise, there is a Masters in Teaching program that, if a student chooses to take it, means that he/she will graduate with a Masters in Teaching in 5 years. It's available for a variety of subjects and disciplines, and is something special about the school. I haven't heard of too many other places that offer that sort of accelerated program for Teaching. If you are in the program, you have the option of going to a country in the Caribbean for a few weeks and teaching there, as well as having a placement in a nearby school for your teaching hours.
I really loved going to CNU and love where it is going and how much it has changed since I started, and how much it will continue to change in the next few years. It's definitely not a school if you don't like construction haha, Trible has grand plans!

OK, I can bore us all to death (me included) by mentioning all the little Great Books Colleges/programs and that was not my intent - I'll throw the rest in randomly. Right now I'd like to profile a university that GC'er Modorney mentioned to me -- it seems pretty unusual because it tracks student progress.

TRUMAN STATE UNIVERSITY - Kirksville, MO

Listed as a "Best Values" University, Truman State promises to deliver "an exceptional education." The student-faculty ratio is 16:1 and there is a full list of majors/programs. Spring 2012 undergrad. enrollment is approx. 5,633. The emphasis at Truman State seems to be an education that is personally focused, and the professors are readily available to students. Truman is the only highly selective public university in MO. It has also instituted an assessment program for measuring student outcomes. Truman State already has Greek life- there are 28 fraternities and sororities from all conferences.

Another one of my favorite little colleges -
Deep Springs College - Big Pine, CA
With a student body of approx. 26, this place is definitely one of the smallest colleges in the U.S. Currently all male, the college is undergoing a change to a co-ed program. This little college is based on a working cattle ranch. Founded in 1917, the 2-year college has a very diffferent curriculum. It seeks to foster leadership, responsibility, and the consideration of others within our communities. This is a learning community, and self-governance through the Student Body committees is practiced. The remote location hosts seminars and discussions. There is a Public Speaking requirement for all students. With a large library, classrooms, and shop rooms for the tools needed for the farm/ranch, this unique program combines student labor with a living/learning experience.

Similar to Deep Springs College, the following colleges have students work on campus in lieu of tuition:
Berea College
College of the Ozarks

Cooper Union guarantees each accepted undergrad a full tuition scholarship. Alice Lloyd College gives a full tuition scholarship to students from 108 designated counties in Appalachia. 75% of its students are first-generation college students.