The Pacific Northwest Counselors College
Tour
Notes and Impressions
Whitman College
Whitman is located in Walla Walla, Washington which is 5
hours from Seattle and 3 hours from Portland.
There is an airport in Walla Walla that is 5 minutes away from campus
and a slightly larger airport in Pasco which is one hour away. There are private transportation options from
Pasco and taxi’s from Walla Walla.
Students usually find a friend to pick them up or over their stay at
Whitman, they arrange for rides to the larger airports in Portland or Seattle.
Walla Walla has a
historic downtown filled with art galleries, sculpture, wine tasting rooms, a
Macys, home decorating stores and restaurants.
The Walla Walla Valley is renowned for its onion and its wines. There are 48 Walla Walla Valley
wineries. There is also a symphony, a
farmer’s market during the fall, spring and summer months, a wildlife refuge,
rivers and lakes to explore, the Fort Walla Walla Natural area, bike trails,
golf courses, a skateboard park and skiing.
The campus is lovely brick buildings in a well groomed,
grassy setting.
Whitman has a 45% admit rate with a wait list of around 300
students which usually goes down to 100 once students make their decisions in
May.
Not many students get off the wait list.
There is a small pool of spring admits of 25-30 students
20% athletes
70% public school students
Financial Aid is “need blind” for students except those on
the wait list.
Financial aid is available for students with financial
need. Whitman is trying to reduce merit
scholarships
All students do a First-Year Core Program in Antiquity and
Modernity during their first two semesters.
One professor teaches a section of not more than 17 students for the
entire academic year.
All Whitman students are required to complete written and
oral exams to graduate. These cover
knowledge the student has acquired over their four-year education at the
college.
Whitman professors do a good job identifying students, early
in their academic career, to engage in research opportunities or to put
nominated for a variety of grants and scholarships.
A hallmark program at Whitman is Semester in the West. This is offered through Environmental Studies
program. Forty students and a faculty
member travel throughout the west studying social justice and environmental
issues. They speak with 80-100 people
from varying background and viewpoints during their travels. They study all areas of science, social science
and humanities.
·
Highly selective program
·
Applicants must have at least a 3.6 GPA, usually
be a junior, write an essay, get letters of recommendation ,have an interview
and be able to relate it to their major.
·
Each morning is focused on environmental
activities and each afternoon exploring the counterpart.
·
Participants discover the complexity of the
issues
·
Each student keeps a journal and does a final
project (4 credits in politics and 4 in environmental studies)
·
There is a two week intensive science component
where students study the grass lands to explore what grows where etc.
·
Throughout the program there is a ”human
dimension” giving the students the opportunity to explore archeology, historic
art, guns in various cultures and so forth.
·
There is discussion each day and the program is
writing intense
·
Students travel in trucks, camp in public lands,
prepare their own meals, and learn to live in close proximity with one another.
·
A computer van accompanies the group
·
The program operates ever other year and leaves
in early fall and ends by December.
Whitman owns a nearby wilderness
campus
There is a large study abroad
program
·
45% of juniors study abroad
·
Students may take their financial aid and
scholarship with them
·
20% are science and math majors
·
Students are immersed in the local
community. They study with teachers from
that country, live with families or with local students
·
They do research and/or independent studies
·
New programs are in Latin America and Egypt
·
Students do not need to be proficient in a
foreign language for all of these programs
Research is encouraged and
available and is common for students to do projects with faculty.
There are interest houses,
Fraternity houses and NO sororities
Asian Studies is also an area
showing a lot of progress. There are two
programs with Japan
Whitman students are:
·
Unpretentious and intellectually curious
·
Are defined by what you do and what you think
·
Totally engaged in their education and a mix of extracurricular
activities
·
Live by an environmental ethic
·
Outdoory (or will become outdoorsy)
·
Passionate about multiple things
·
Well rounded
·
Nice “kids”
·
A professor describes a typical student as an “
·
Intellectual snowboarder”.
Whitman has a DI Ski team,
cycling, and crew to name a few of Redwood’s favorite sports.
Reed College
Reed is located in Portland,
Oregon on a beautiful campus with some exquisite old buildings.
All freshmen take Humanities which
is an integrated course joining Humanities, Social Science, Art history and
Religion.
There is a cultural approach to
all of the materials. Students
participate in interdisciplinary lectures, small class discussion groups known
at Reed as conferences.
Students in these “Conferences”;
·
Learn to listen
·
Learn to speak
·
Do intensive writing. Each student works individually with a member
of the faculty in a one-to-one situation in a writing tutorial for ½ hour. The papers are not graded but have comments
written on them.
·
These comments help students to understand their
self development.
All freshmen read the same text at the same time thus making
a binding relationship for all freshmen on campus which lasts through the
college years.
- Students
find themselves discussing their readings
- All students
must participate in class discussions go beyond the classroom and beyond
the freshman year.
- Students
begin dealing with different view points on the small material early in
their college life.
- This
discourse and inquiry and attitude of discovery is what distinguishes the
Reed student and something that continues throughout their education
- Will
be assigned a pre-major advisor
Majors are declared in the sophomore year
All juniors take the qualifying exam which is known as the
“qual”. It tests skills in writing and
quantitative skills.
There is a seminar during the junior year. Students are expected to look for what has
been written and documented about the given topic they choose.
- They
are expected to be able to define what they are doing and why.
- This
helps prepare the students for their senior thesis
All seniors do a Thesis with the help and support of one
faculty member. Seniors will need to
defend their thesis with 4 faculty members during a two hour oral examination
Seniors also have the opportunity to participate in the
senior symposium.
- Talk
about contemporary texts with students from a variety of majors.
- Students
always know where they are and what is expected because of this highly
structured curriculum
- All
groups are small and discussion based
- Students
are expected to think like a professional in their field.
- The
seek out articles and literature to help them with the project
- All
senior thesis are bound and live forever in the “tower” of the library
which looks like the one in Harry Potter.
Reed students are said to have their own language because
they have gone through this unifying experience.
Students do earn grades at Reed on their transcript but not
on their assignments. All assignments are
returned to the student with a written evaluation by the professor. Chemistry exams are returned and scored with
the number that is correct.
- Students
are notified by way of a note to see the professor if they are earning a
C- in a subject.
- The
professor then helps them prepare for the next exam
- There
is lots of support for all subjects and for the “Qual” in the junior year.
The typical Reed student is;
- A
pure intellectual
- Loves
discussion
- Involved
- Intellectually
creative individuals
- Willing
to work really hard
- Articulate
- Celebrate
different types of students
Admissions at Reed
- Holistic
- Applications
are read twice
- If
there is any question they may be read by the faculty and the dean
- The
evaluators are looking for consistency in academics
- Interest
in learning
- Motivation
- Evidence
that the student is up to the challenge of Reed academics
- The
essay and interview must support the fact that the student truly cares
about learning
- Professors
“recruit for their” team academically
- Potential
students must show excitement about the thesis
Reed has no sport teams
Willamette
Willamette University is located
in Oregon’s Willamette Valley in the State Capitol of Salem. The campus has a river running through it and
is lush and green. The Capitol buildings
are across the street and the new art museum is a block away from campus. I is beautifully manicured and gives students
plenty of places to be out of doors in inviting surroundings.
There is a very good music
department at Willamette. All students
can audition to be in a musical group.
There are lots of opportunities
Political Science is another
popular major. Students have easy access
to the Capitol and are able to secure internships.
English and Creative Writing were
also mentioned as strong majors at Willamette
There is a Japanese study program
in Tokyo that students can access for a semester, a year, a month or for a
summer exchange program. There are also
Japanese students who come to Willamette as part of this program.
Students are encouraged to do
research with professors either in a summer program or during the school
year. These collaborative opportunities
are competitive and include areas such as pre-medical, pre-dental, physical
therapy, optometry and more. Basically
“anything goes”. There is also an EMT
program on campus. The hospital is 2
blocks form campus and is a major contributor to internship possibilities and a
setting for research.
Seniors in all departments have a
“Senior Experience” project which is a thesis, internship or special
project. Students who have declared a
Humanities Major will be required to do independent research bases on one of
four seminars that relate to a text. A
major scholar is brought in to meet with the student.
There is a Greek system but they
are not a separate entity on campus.
They participate in all campus events and their events are open to all
students. They are viewed as service
organizations.
There is a Core course but it is
under review. Presently there is a 1st
semester seminar with a quantitative requirement, six modes of inquiry, two
years of a foreign language and four courses in writing. All subjects, across the curriculum, during
the first year have a “World View”.
Faculty works collectively on the plans and curriculum. Everyone reads the same texts but with
different teachers, and some invited speakers.
This is set to change for students beginning in 2006. The groups are small, 15-16, students each. The faculty is proposing cluster courses
around themes with continued faculty collaboration but a larger variety of
texts.
The Students:
·
From all over the United
States
·
Very involved – sports teams, Greek life, tour
guides, overnight host coordinators, internships at the capitol, attending
sports events and cheering for the teams, music and theatre productions,
philanthropic events, community service and religious clubs.
·
Students wished they could slow down a bit but
there are so many things to keep them busy
·
Very friendly, warm and welcoming
Sports are DIII and the athletes
are supported by the other students, town, faculty etc.
Hearths:
·
Special study areas that are set up in a central
location to the professors offices.
·
The professors come out and interact with the
students
Traditions at Willamette include the
Opening Day initiation walk in the rose garden. The freshmen float candles on
the Mill Stream that runs through campus as a symbol of their hopes for the
future. When the students graduate they again walk through the rose garden with
their professors with the bag pipes playing
At freshmen orientation the new
students eat in the home of an alumnus in Salem. The alumni provide a great support system for
the students and help them with connections in town for internships and other
opportunities.
Lewis & Clark
Lewis & Clark is in Portland,
Oregon set in a fabulously beautiful park-like setting. The administration building is an old mansion
overlooking lawns and the mountains. The
older structures on campus are all scheduled to be replaced
Students at Lewis & Clark
enjoy the resources of the Law School and graduate school counseling
Environmental Science and
International Affairs are popular majors.
Funding is available for students
to do research with faculty.
There is a two semester Core
Course which will be “Exploration & Discovery” for future freshmen
classes. Students will spend the fall
semester working on a core group of texts, studying them from a historical
perspective. During the spring semester
the students and faculty will break into groups and take off from there. Students may select teachers according to the
discipline which interests them the most.
AS is the case with all of these
small Liberal Arts colleges, students at Lewis and Clark would like more
diversity on campus. There is a fly-in
program and good Financial Aid.
The student panel identified
“school unity” as a problem and felt there could be more school spirit.
There is a strong music program
that is open to all students. There is
World Music, Classical Ensembles, Music Ecology and chorus.
There are many internship
opportunities.
·
Sixty student interns are invited to do research
with alumni during the summers
·
Hospital internships are available
·
The alumni has a contact roster
·
There are internship opportunities in the admissions
office and in the residence halls.
Students are involved in community
service. They have built shelters for
the homeless, worked with reading programs in the public schools, done
environmental clean-up and more.
Lewis & Clark will allow students
to apply with a portfolio including a transcript, an academic portfolio of
graded writing/course work and recommendations.
Students who wish to apply by portfolio may eliminate their SAT/ACT
scores.
Applicants who have demonstrated
an interest in Lewis & Clark stand a better chance of being admitted. The admissions counselors see if the student
has visited the campus, attended college fairs and seen the representative
there, has come to presentations at their high school etc. If these things are available then students
interested in Lewis & Clark should attend.
There is a national debate team
University of Puget
Sound
The University of Puget Sound is
located in Tacoma, Washington which was recently ranked at one of the 10 most
livable cities in the United States. The
campus is beautiful and is near a small neighborhood that has plenty of options
for the college set such as coffee shops, markets, movie theatres and places to
eat. Tacoma is on the Puget Sound and
they do have a crew team.
There are three new museums and a
new convention center in town.
UPS has the highest ranked DIII
sports on the West Coast and they are #28 in the Country. The athletes are also interested in their
academics and campus leadership. The
soccer and basketball programs are also good.
U. of Puget Sound has good
community connections and is able to access programs in the public
schools. There is actually an outreach
program for students in the junior high and high schools, run by the students
and faculty from U. P.S. to help prepare Tacoma’s students for college. This is just one example of the
humanitarian character of U.P.S. It is a
culture of engagement between faculty and students.
·
“Kids Can Do” program
·
Greeks active in community service with reading
programs and pen pals
·
Advising group also does work in the community
such as starting a vegetable garden for the homeless community
·
Take the volunteer ethic into the community to
help with creek clean-up/restoration
The University of Puget Sound
Student is;
·
Liberal, politically but open to what others
think (there is a Young Republican club on campus)
·
Intellectually Independent
·
Has multiple interests
·
Can be autonomous
·
Friendly
·
Happy and successful
The Admissions Counselors do keep
track of students who show interest.
They look at the high school
curriculum, the SAT (around 1250), and for a balance in the life of the
applicant. They are not “heavy-handed”
and will look outside the profile. 80%
of the admitted students are from the top 50% of their graduating class.
Signature programs include:
·
IPE International Political Economy is the first
and larges program of its type in the nation.
The professor who wrote the book is a faculty member.
·
The School of Music features all types of
musical performance including opera.
Music scholarships are available even for non-music majors. There are at least 100 concerts each
year. Anyone can audition for one of the
ensembles.
·
The New science building enhances the Biology
Department and other science majors.
·
There is a graduate level School of Education
·
Plenty of research opportunities
Students say that U. P.S.
·
Is good for students who like a proximity to big
cities. Seattle is a 30-40 minute drive
·
They like the accessible admissions staff
·
People stay around for campus activities on the
weekends
·
There are “wee hours” programs and Late night
programs
·
There is a Casino Night and a Spring Cruise
·
There is a dry Greek system
·
Two large activities about twice a month
·
Like Tacoma’s restaurants, Pt. Defiance Park, minor
league baseball, movie theatre, museums and more
·
A bit of a bubble
·
Would like a larger minority population
CRUSSH TOUR
Skidmore College – Is in Saratoga
Springs New York
which is a resort town just east of the Adirondacks
and just south of Lake George. It is the home of horse racing in late July
and opera and the New York Ballet in June through mid-July.
- Skidmore
is a community of 2200 students.
- 50%
of the students study overseas during there time at Skidmore. This is an important part of education
there and all majors including science are encouraged to do this.
- 100
year tradition in the Liberal Arts
- Strong
in the Arts & Dance
- New
Science programs are strong such as Astro-Physics
- Students
may design their own majors. These
are called Independent Study majors
- All
students wait until their junior year to declare a major
- Skidmore
has programs that connect with American
University in Washington
D.C.
- The
campus in its present location is 40 years old and built with a South West
flare. A new dining hall will be
complete fall of 06 as will the new apartment style dormitories which will
replace the present housing in town.
A new music building will be completed in 08.
- A
key program at Skidmore is the Scribner Seminar which is a class of 15
students who work one-on-one with a professor. All work on a specific research which
the professor is passionate about.
Students choose the subject matter that is of interest to them. This professor becomes their mentor
until they choose a major in their junior year. Often the student and the Scribner
Seminar professor remain in close contact for all 4 years.
- Skidmore
has a 3-2 partnerships in Engineering with Rensselear
Poly Tech, Clarkson and Dartmouth
- The
Freshman Semester in London is
another defining Skidmore program.
Each year 36 or so freshmen begin their education in London. They will be selected after being
admitted to Skidmore. They go
through orientation in London and
then return to the main U.S.
campus in the spring.
- Skidmore
uses the Common application
- 70%
of the applicants applied on-line
- Skidmore
has both Early Decision and regular decision. There are 2 rounds of Early Decision,
one deadline is November 15th and the other is the same as
regular decision on January 15th and these students will know
their admissions decision within several weeks. Regular applicants will get their
decision later.
- There
were 6600 applications for 610 places on the Skidmore campus and 36 spaces
in London for fall of 2006.
- Admitted
students had an average SAT of 1320 while students who chose to attend had
an average SAT of 1260. The high
school profile is important as Skidmore wants students who have challenged
themselves in areas of interest.
They stated that “it is OK to excel in 2 or 3 areas and get a solid
B+ than try to be impressive in all areas.”
- Skidmore
wants involved students in and out of the classroom. They look carefully at the two letters
of recommendation from teachers and the letter from the counselor. The essay is important for content and
writing skill. Grammar counts!
- Recommended
are 4-years of Math, Foreign Language and Science. They did say that if a student does not
like or feel strong in Science or Math then there should be something else
filling the gaps
- Skidmore
wants students to take the ACT + Writing or the SAT although they only
count the first two sections of the SAT.
- They
will look at AP scores but say they will not “make or break” the chance
for admission.
- There
is a music scholarship, four Presidential scholarships and five
scholarships in math and Science.
- The
cost of attendance is $46,500 and the average award is $27,000.
- There
is a separate question on the Common Application regarding math and
Science for another $10,000 scholarship
- Application
and Financial Aid applications MUST be on time.
- The
students who spoke on the panel and on the tours said that they chose
Skidmore because they could study in specific areas, do research with
professors as freshmen and wanted a collaborative atmosphere. Other things that the students mentioned
were
- Involvement
on campus
- Flexible
and open to new experiences
- Open
minded
- An
embrace of the Liberal Arts Education
- The
campus and the town – Lots of things to do on and off campus
- Good
support by the staff
- Professors
that engage students in classroom discussions and are available at all
hours for the students.
A professor at Skidmore gave this
quote
“If you tell me,
I will
forget.
If you show me,
I will remember.
If you involve me,
I will understand.”
Rensselaer Poly Technical (RPI)
- Is located in Troy, New York
which is a small town on the rebound.
Students say there are places to go in Troy
to ear and drink. They like the outdoor
opportunities and the skiing. It is
around 3 hours from any BIG city.
·
Rensselaer is an Engineering college
with other majors in Architecture, Management and Arts & Sciences.
·
There is a Media and Performing
Arts Center
being built.
·
This school prides itself as a place where
Technology & Art meet.
·
They are building like mad. There have been one hundred and thirty-five
new hires and the addition of Bio-Technology, Nano-Technology
and Physics recently.
·
All areas of study go through the PhD. Level.
·
There are 6.800 students on campus and 5,000 are
undergraduates. In the past it has been
25% female but the entering class of fall 06 will be 32% female. The average SAT is 1320.
·
The BUZZ at Rensselaer is
the Product Design concentration.
o Students
combine their talents in different backgrounds to design products and then
actually manufacture them
o There
is a manufacturing laboratory on campus
o We
heard about several projects that 3 mechanical Engineers and one Management
Major got together and invented. One was
a radio frequency “Life Link” to help a caretaker track someone with a disability
or other issue. This product already has
the interest o a potential buyer.
Another product is an “X-shot Camera” built into goggles for Skiers and
Snow Boarders. They are still working on
the camera for the Proto-type.
o Students
overlap by getting a B.S. in their Technical field, a B.S. in design and a B.S.
in Science & Technology. They do a core of 1-2 years in engineering, an
English program, an Interdisciplinary Design program and a senior
project/Capstone.
o Graduate
students “pitch” their ideas to undergrads to develop and produce
Proto-Types. The goal is the product the
students create as they work with the innovation of the graduate students.
·
Rensselaer students all rave about
the Studio Teaching style where there are no real lectures. Classes meet and listen to the professors for
around 10 minutes and then they work on a problem together while solving it
together in an open inter-active way.
·
A freshman student said “why not change the
world? “Innovation and new ideas alter
the way society functions”.
·
The panel of students choose to attend RPI
because:
o They
could take “hands-on” classes
o A
female Architecture student like that she could do studio design immediately
o Another
student liked the Bio-Medical Engineering courses and said that RPI had more
resources than another Poly Tech school in the East.
o Another
student mentioned the Information Technology courses and the great financial
aid.
- Supplemental
Instruction was also mentioned as a real plus at RPI.
- This
is an option for all students
- Students
help each other
- Learning
Assistants in the Residence hall are available to students for group
study sessions. There is an L.A.
in each hall
- Personal
tutors are also available
- There
is a mentoring program
- Writing
Center
- Women’s
Center
- T.A.s with Office hours
- Accommodating
professors
The students seemed happy, hard working, engaged in their
education, smart, busy and fun.
There are study abroad options. Even the Architecture and Engineering
students go abroad to programs in London,
Asia, Singapore,
and Bombay.
Union College
– Is located in the Capitol Region of New York State in the town of Schenectady. Students can go into town and to larger malls
but report that their lives revolve around what happens on campus.
- Union
was the first non-denominational college in the nation founded in 1795
with the mission to help people look at the world in a different way as
they came together to learn.
- Union
is on a trimester system with 20 terms and opportunities for 60% of the
students to study abroad
- Recently
30 students were funded by the college to go to New
Orleans during an intersession to help with
clean-up. This will become a
tradition.
- Each
freshman will be in a preceptorial, sophomore
will do a research seminar and each senior will do a senior project. All students are encouraged to do
undergraduate research.
- Freshman
Preceptorial teachers become the student’s
mentor throughout their stay at Union.
- Union
is a Liberal Arts college with an Engineering Degree. The emphasis is on converging technologies
and crossing boundaries. Some of
the courses that were mentioned are technology in the ancient world,
bio-ethics and neuro-science.
- Union offers a
four-year Bachelor of Science plus a Masters degree by adding summer
classes. There is a five-year
Masters of Business (MBA) with any undergraduate major the student
chooses, a ¾ M.D. with Albany Medical
College and a combined Law degree
with Albany Law
School. There is also a Classic’s major.
- The
Minerva House system is a bridge between social and academic life. It is two years old and offers all
students an access to a social space.
There are 7 fabulous, mostly old stately, houses that both faculty
and students are assigned to depending on their interests. Each house has a living room, a game room,
a kitchen and some dorm spaces up stairs for students who are at least
sophomores. Each house has a budget
and sponsors speakers, trips seminars and events that are open to anyone
on campus. Before arriving,
students can go online and decide which house is the best for them. Freshmen are assigned a book to read
during the summer depending on which Minerva they will belong to. Upon arrival students meet in their
Minerva for a welcome and events will follow.
- There
is also a Greek system at Union. Rush is a sophomore event.
- Union
partners with the local community in community service opportunities,
theater, opera and good food.
- The
Trimester system allows students to access mini classes during the 6-week
breaks.
- Students
have 3 classes every ten weeks
- The
Administrators are also the faculty.
These teachers are also scholars and do research.
- Students
at Union say they are practical because they are
interested in research, internships and experiential learning. Union is not
oriented to be a pre-professional school but like most Liberal Arts
colleges it offers a breadth of options for its students.
- There
is lots of spirit at Union. The athletics are D III. Students have an ice rink on campus and
Hockey is a “big deal”. Students
also attend the other sporting events and 60% are involved in informal
leagues through the Minerva Houses.
- The
student panel reported that:
- There
are lots of housing options
- Lots
of student clubs
- Opportunities
for leadership
- Strong
academics
- People
get involved
- Students
are engaged and do not stay in their rooms
- Students
do not go home!
- They
want more diversity , not just racial but different types of people
Union looks at the essence of the student as much as their
SAT/ACT scores. They look at the “whole
package. It is a lovely campus with
warm, fun, engaged, and happy students.
Hamilton College
– is located on a hill in Clinton New
York which is still in the Capitol Region. This is a beautiful campus with the buildings
all of grey stone. Faculty, Greek houses
and other lovely residences are adjacent to the campus
- Hamilton
is a college with no core curriculum.
They do not put students “in bins”. Hamilton
believes in flexibility and freedom for students to study whatever
interests them. This is similar to
the philosophy at Brown, Amherst
and Hampshire Colleges.
- Students
have a sense of community and location.
Most faculty live on or near campus
- Students
and faculty say there is” intellect and not arrogance”. There is also lots of school spirit as Hamilton
is another school immersed in Ice Hockey . They have their own ice rink.
- They
report that their quality of applicants goes up each year. This is consistent with all of the
schools on this tour. Hamilton
is, however, SAT optional. They
require an SAT/ACT OR 3 SAT II with one being the Writing and
one being quantitative or IB testing, or an AP test with one other SAT
II. 60% do use test scores.
- The
admissions people were very honest with us and list as some of the things
they want to change as more diversity, both multi-cultural and
geographic. They reported that they
loose students to Middlebury, Cornell, Williams and Amherst. They take applicants from Trinity, Bucknell and Dickinson and they admit the same
students as Colgate, Colby, Bowdoin and Bates.
- The
Dean of students feels that Hamilton
students get “the best education for each individual student”. They have no distribution requirements
because they felt it was artificial and aimed at the weaker students who
might not be willing to experiment and take some classes that are offered.
- They
have a sophomore seminar that is team taught by two disciplines such as
studying the Adirondacks (Nature & Geography) or
Plays (English and Math)
- Writing
classes are required, as is Physical Education. All students do pass a quantitative
exam.
- The
students are interested in many things and are active and bright.
- Hamilton
offers regional interviews
- Students
may create majors
- There
are 1850 students on campus. There
is a pub on campus where students hang out. Those who are not 21 cannot drink while
those who are 21 can. Students
report that the life is ON campus and you only go into town for the
necessities like clothes and supplies.
- A
good student for Hamilton is a
self driven person with a broad range of interests and is “stoked” to
learn and experience new things.
- The
students seemed “down to earth” and not ostentatious.
Syracuse University
- Located in Syracuse, New York.
This “Big-Small” school took me by surprise. It has the feel of a large university with a
diversity of educational opportunities and students but it is only 10,000
students. It has BIG sports and lots of
spirit (the Big Orange). It has schools
of Architecture, the College of Arts & Sciences, School of education, the
L.C. Smith College of Engineering & Computer Science, the College of Human
Services and Health Professions (Child & Family Studies, Nutrition,
Hospitality management, social Work and Sports Management), Martin J. Whitman
School of Management, the S.I. Newhouse School of
Public Communications, the College of Visual & Performing Arts which
encompasses the schools of Art & Design, Department of Drama, Setnor School of Music, Department of Communications and
Rhetorical Studies and the Department of Retail management and Consumer
Studies.
- Syracuse
is 75% residential
- Offers
“blended BA and MA degrees
- Students
may earn a MBA or MSW taking summer classes in addition to a “full load”
of regular classes during the year
- Students
may take classes in all colleges.
All college do offer introduction courses
that are open to any major.
- Many
courses are inter-disciplinary and collaborative
- Syracuse
University encourages all majors
to have international experiences.
It owns campuses in London, Madrid,
Hong Kong, Beijing,
Straussberg and Florence. New campuses in India,
Australia and Brazil
are planned.
- Professors
say they are at Syracuse to teach
undergraduates and do research with them
The S.I. Newhouse School
of Public Communications – Dean Rubin
- The
Dean teaches and advises students
- The Newhouse admits about 20-22% of the applicants. Newhouse gets
around 3524 applicants for a class of 330.
They admit 772.
- Overall
Syracuse admits 46% to the first
choice and another 9% to second choice programs. Priority is given to the first choice
listed.
- Newhouse wants
students with around 3.7 GPA and 1300 SAT (old scales Verbal and Math
only). If students are under this,
they are encouraged to apply to the College of Arts & Sciences and
take all of the intro-courses for Communications, do well in these and transfer.
- The
Dean suggests that students who choose to do this “be smart” and take
courses they are really good in during that first year so they will get
great grades. Students wishing to
transfer into Newhouse will be ranked from 4.0
down and the top 100-120 will get in.
- If
one does not make it after the freshman year they can try again in the
middle and end of the sophomore year.
- Interviews
are encouraged. Students may go to
campus or arrange for an alumni interview.
- They say that they are looking for
geographical, racial and gender diversity. Newhouse is
presently 2/3 female. Above all
writing matters. They do look at
the Writing section of the SAT or ACT but do not use it in the numerical
equation for admissions.
- Students
may apply Early Decision to Newhouse. The applicant pool is generally a
little weaker and 65% are admitted from THAT applicant pool.
- Essays,
extra-curricular activities and recommendations are very important. Applicants should be interested in
communications as a profession and have developed some skills
already. Students are welcome to
send CDs, DVDs, or writing samples but they should be selective and EDIT
carefully.
- Dean
Rubin said that when selecting a major in Communications students applying
to Syracuse should know that:
- They
will have a straight 4-year Liberal Arts experience not a “career
education”.
- While
getting a Liberal Arts education they will want some professional
opportunities at the undergraduate level and at Newhouse
they will be able to get jobs after graduation. The graduation rate is 92% and this
program graduates its students and does not “weed them out”. 93% of the Newhouse
graduates work in media within 6 months of graduation
- Newhouse is accredited by the ACEJMC which is an
organization which accredits 106 programs in journalism and mass
communication at colleges and universities in the United
States (and one outside). The Newhouse School
has been accredited since 1948.
This accreditation allows students to compete in nationally
recognized competitions and be recruited by employers.
- The
program is ¾ Liberal Arts and ¼ Professional training
- There
are 1,750 students enrolled in Newhouse. Four to Five hundred of these students
are duel majors in the Arts & Sciences.
- Newhouse is “full service” and has everything;
photography, journalism, film, public relations, and broadcasting. Graduates can and do go anywhere in
media.
- Students
may change their major within Newhouse because
it is all there.
- Newhouse has a professional facility with all digital equipment
and a huge annual budget to spend on constant updates. There are presently two buildings at Newhouse with a third being completed by august of
2007.
- All
Media, on campus, is student run.
There are 3 radio stations (one sports,
one music and one NPR), a newspaper, 2 TV stations and a variety of
magazines.
- There
are lots of internship opportunities in Syracuse
as well as New York City.
- Students
spend their summers all over the world.
Recently Newhouse students were in Athens
and Turin for the Olympic Games
with NBC. They earned 6
credits. They will work with NBC in
Beijing
for the 2008 Games The film, P.R. and TV students
have opportunities in New York City
with CNN and other national agencies.
- The
main competitors of Newhouse are Northwestern, U.
of Missouri,
USC, U.
of Miami,
Scripps at Ohio
U., Indiana,
Arizona State,
Washington
State, University
of Oregon
and Boston
U.
(Boston U. IS NOT accredited by the ACEJMC).
Visual & Performing Arts
·
A small selective department of drama
·
The School
of Music
·
Department of Art & Design
o Includes
all visual arts such as Interior and Industrial Design, Printmaking, fiber
Arts, trans-media studies, photography, film, computer graphics and video
o There
is a venue for the communications design program downtown in Syracuse
“the Warehouse” which partners with architecture firms and is a public &
community gallery space.
o The
Drama program works with an Equity theater in Syracuse
and is able to partner with productions with these equity actors
o Theater
students may work at the Globe theatre in London
or in Los Angles with film at Warner Brothers (Aaron Sorkin
is a Syracuse graduate).
o There
are Theater and Music programs in Florence,
London and Strasbourg.
o Students
are admitted into Drama as freshmen. The
program has a “Core” curriculum so it is hard to transfer into later.
o The
theater has a Main Stage which is for majors and a Black box format which is
open call. The music ensembles are open
for audition. The marching Band is also
open
o A
portfolio is required for Environmental Design majors
o The
fashion design major offers a BFA
Martin J. Whitman, School of management
- 900
students
- Focus
pm team work
- Incubation
Center for business plans
- Students
enter competitions
- There
is an Investment Institute and a Trading floor on campus
- Admitted
students have between a 1230-1240 SAT and a 3.72 GPA
The College of Engineering & Computer Science
- There
are no “Geeks”
- Recruits
multi-dimensional candidates who want a deeply technical education plus a
broader knowledge of the world
- Innovation
driven
- Optional
Co-Op experience available
- Study
Abroad is fully articulated in England
and Spain
- Engineers
are a small family
- Do
partner with the Whitman School of Management for a second degree in
Entrepreneurship.
- Outcome
based
- Biomedical
engineering, chemical engineering,
mechanical, aero-space, civil, environmental, electrical and computer
engineering are all offered
- The
departments are interdisciplinary and supportive
- Applicants
should be strong in Math and Science and be solid B+ students. Pre-calc is
required. English courses are a
must. Looking for well-rounded
students who also are involved in leadership, music, sports etc.
- The
engineering Department is seeking gender balance.
Colgate University- is located in Hamilton,
New York. Hamilton
village is a small town adjacent to campus.
Students go there for the cafes and bookstore. Although Colgate is in farm country there are several
local colleges in the same general area such as Casenova
and SUNY Morristown.
·
Although Colgate is in a rural area the town of Hamilton
does have a movie
theater, a village green and is described as a “college town”.
·
The Colgate campus is hilly and stunning. There are green spaces and views everywhere.
·
The campus community is around 3000 students.
·
It is small for a research University and a
little larger than the other Liberal Arts campuses on this tour.
·
There are 25 DI sports at Colgate. The Men’s Lacrosse team just won the Patriot
League Championship.
·
The Athletic programs are very strong as is the
spirit
·
Class size is about 19 – 1.
·
Colgate gets around 8000 applications and has a
28% admit rate. The average GPA is
around a 3.7 with 1390 SAT. ACT is also
fine (31 score). They look at a wide
range of GPAs and SATs. They mostly
looking for intellectual curiosity and leadership.
·
Early Decision no early action
·
Use only Verbal and Math on the SAT
·
Strength of classes, essay, quality of
character, and activities most important
·
The faculty helps students find their
passion. The education is described as
intimate, intense, connected and with many options.
·
The clubs are student run
·
Students and faculty work together on research
and both write evaluations
·
Also known as a “big-small” school.
·
Both students and faculty spoke about the
collaborative learning at Colgate
·
Students have lots of residential choices
including some 10 person houses with lots of green space for bar-be-que, sports etc.
·
Colgate, like the other colleges on this tour, are small communities where the professors and students
welcome each other into their homes.
·
There is a student initiated honor code on
campus
·
The cultural center is at the top of campus and
has a large room for meetings, seminars and also acts as a diversity center
·
There is good support for students with learning
differences. Tutors are available; the
classes are small so professors know if someone needs help.
·
There is a program which identifies economically
disadvantaged students in the application process. Forty students attend a summer bridge
program.
·
Colgate students love their campus and feel that
if they leave for a weekend they will miss activities on campus. With that said, there are opportunities
“beyond Colgate”.
o Art
buses go NYC to see shows and art
o There
is a Washington D.C.
trip for sophomores when they visit the Holocaust
Museum
o There
is a bus going to a larger shopping mall in Syracuse
o There
is an inter-session 3-week abroad program
o There
are off campus science driven programs at Bethesda
Medical Center
·
Colgate is gorgeous and green. There are interest houses and a ranked ice
hockey team. There are good restaurants and a ranked golf course in town.
·
All faculty and staff live within 5 miles of the
campus and are available to the students 7 days a week
·
Happy, smart, involved students.
Notes from University of Denver
College Counselor Visit
The University of Denver
is located 8 miles from the downtown area of the city. The campus is lovely, green, semi urban and
has an array of new buildings, sports facilities and green areas.
- There
are 4643 undergraduates
- D.U.
is on the quarter system with 3 ten week quarters and a 6-week break from
right after Thanksgiving to the beginning of January.
- Students
also take special 6-week classes such as a “Walk on Wall Street, a
statistics class in Las Vegas
and other travel-study options
- Students
use this time to work, participate in internships, travel and take
inter-session classes
- New
students come to D.U. for Discovery Week which is one week earlier than
returning students.
- D.U.
is a Lap Top school
- There
is an honor code which will be discussed during the interview
- All
prospective students must have an interview. This helps “borderline” students who may
not test well.
- D.U.
lists their overlaps as Southern Methodist U., Texas Christian U, Tulane,
Boston University , Boston College, U. of Santa Clara, George Washington,
CU Boulder, Oregon State and Colorado State
- D.U.
has Ice Hockey but no football.
- Students
are involved on campus in many activities from campus leadership to the
visual and performing arts
- There
is a small Greek system but students do not feel “left out” if they choose
not to join. Greek activities are
open to all
- I
did not get the feeling that D.U. is a rah-rah school except for Ice
Hockey which is very popular
- Everyone
does not ski. There are 300 days of sunshine. The average winter temperature is 45۫
- The
sky is constantly changing as is “Colorado’s
ocean”
- Redwood
students would be comfortable in Denver
and at D.U. There are many types of
students there although they want more diversity (economic and
cultural). Denver
is a diverse city with an awesome area called “Lo-Do” where there are
clubs, restaurants, shopping and the new Ball
Park
Application
- The
applications were up 30% for the fall 2006 class
- The
admit rate for the fall of 2006 is 58%
- 50%
from out-of-state
- 17%
diversity
- 3-4%
international
- D.U.
uses the same criteria for early action applicants as the regular
applicant pool.
The Daniels
College of Business
·
the 8the oldest Business school in the country
·
It is recognized by Business Week as one of the
nation’s best undergraduate business schools placing in the top 50. It ranked 49 out of 1,400 schools evaluated.
·
Students are able to meet with recruiters in the
world of business
·
Double majors with the Hotel
Restaurant Management
School are possible
Learning Effectiveness Program
- Is a
special program for students with learning disabilities
- There
is a separate application for the LEP program but students must be D.U.
admissible.
- The
program is 25 year old. It is a
comprehensive program which includes academic counseling and tutorials
- The
fee for the LEP program is an additional $975.00 per quarter
- Students
can begin in the LEP program and leave it when they feel ready
- The
admissions process is as follows:
- D.U.
encourages disclosure during the admissions process
- Students
fill out the Common application and answer the question which asks if anything has impacted the students academics.
- This
disclosure triggers a process
- The
disclosure MUST be by the student NOT a teacher or counselor\
- Documentation
is necessary for disability services
- The
LEP faculty works to develop an alternative testing process for students
is necessary
- Students
and faculty first interact to determine how they will best work together
- On
average, students see their counselor once a week and the average stay is
one year although the relationships made last throughout the college
experience
- LEP
is accessible for students who transfer or who do not declare a problem
when applying. These students are
directed by their counselors to the LEP program
- Financial
Aid is available for LEP as well as tuition
- Will
not take 504 from high school but needs testing
The Honors Program
- A
selective process
- Look
at Academic Ability and SAT/ACT scores (1360 SAT CR & M or 30 ACT)
- Has
an integrated curriculum
- A
broad Liberal Arts Program
- Wants
students to think for themselves
- There
is a secondary application sent to students after they have been admitted
to D.U.
- The
schools wants more information such as an essay, demonstrated intellectual
curiosity, and a writing sample
- The
Honor’s College looks at these students and within two weeks the students
get an invitation and they have 3 weeks to respond.
- There
were 400 supplementary applications for 75 slots in 2006
- Often
Merit money is given to the Honor’s students
- Students
may be invited into the Honors program even after their freshman year
- There
is no pressure to declare a major.
30% are undecided when they enter the program
- There
is 96-98% retention in the program.
The minimum GPA to remain in Honors is 3.4
- “the Hoonors
Program is NOT a reward for what you have done but rather it is an
investment in what wyou might become”.
- The
Average GPA for an incoming Honors candidate is 3.91
- Stage
I = General Education and Stage II = Majors in Honors Tract
- Honors
students go further, faster
- Often
begin graduate programs within the four years
- Do
Master’s level research or other extended learning programs
- Do
a senior project which is their learning integrated into the “real
world”.
- Small
classes of 15-20 students or as small as 4-5 students
- The
faculty is engaged constantly with the honors students. They eat and play together
- Personal
support of the faculty, staff and peers
Program examples include:
o Study
abroad at Oxford and then bring the
experience in the form of a tutorial back to share with classmates at D.U.
o Summer
or local internships
o Fellowships
such as the Rhodes, Marshall and Truman.
The Department of Music
- The
Music department offers Orchestra, bands, choirs and vocal ensembles, jazz
bands, commercial music, Opera, and combined degrees with the Business
school
- There
are audition requirements
- The
Jazz studies program is competitive
- There
are Audio and Technical degrees in music
- Music
students can study abroad. Popular
programs are in New Zealand,
Australia,
Italy and Great
Britain
- Overlap
schools for students in the music program are Oberlin, Indiana
U., Miami U. UCS , The New
England Conservatory and the Berklee College of
Music
- Needed
are, male tenors, oboe, viola and bassoon
players!
- Brand
new Concert hall and practice rooms
- These
areas all are wired to have recording capacity
- The
music program just moved to the main campus and is being integrated into
the Denver University
community.
- Play
back equipment
The Department of Biological Sciences
- Olin
Hall is the new half billion dollar facility. Denver
University applied to the Olin
foundation who picked D.U. as one of the 2
colleges to funded because D.U. is committed to involved freshmen and
sophomores in scientific research.
- The
pre-professional degrees include; Biology, Molecular Biology, Ecology,
Animal Technology, Bio-diversity and Integrated sciences for those wanting
to go into Secondary Education.
- The Cognative-Neuro Sciences are interdisciplinary with
the Psychology Department
- There
us a 3/2 program with Daniels College of Business in Bio-Enterprise
(perfect for work in the Bio-Tech industry)
- There
is lots of undergraduate research
- Biological
Science is the largest undergraduate major
- Students
can take 12 courses in 4 years
- They
will all have a chance to take some post-grad courses
Bio-Engineering, Bio-Ethics (Business
School), Forensic Genetics are all
available.
Cherrington Global Scholars is a
program that ensures that every eligible junior and senior has the opportunity
to study abroad
- Seeks
to make study abroad available at no additional cost beyond that of a tern
at D.U.
- Programs
on 6 continents
- Pays
for transportation and visa application fees
- Believes
that travel will enhance cross-cultural understanding add insight to
global events and help develop empathy for other cultures
- Encourages
students to push beyond their comfort levels
- Offer
course in “Culture shock” before going abroad and another course in
re-entry upon return
- 50%
to 60% of D.U. students study abroad.
The goal is 75%
- Students
must be juniors or seniors in “good standing” and have a 3.0 GPA
Students attending The University of Denver next fall (2006)
will be able to participate in Peace Week.
They will interact with the Nobel Prize winners and be able to have
lunch with the Dali Lama.