Occidental College

Oxy, which is how many refer to Occidental College, is a lovely campus in the Eagle Rock section of Los Angeles.  The campus is spacious and located on a gentle hillside. Spanish architecture predominates and is mixed with more modern buildings.  The landscaping is lush and includes many inviting outdoor spaces for gathering and relaxing.  The students were a diverse group and I sensed that politics and activism were clearly a part of the campus culture here.  The library was busy on a Friday afternoon although our tour guide thought it was a sleepy Friday.  Half the students study abroad during their four years.  Classes are under 25 students and our guide reported getting to know her professors well.  Except for a graduate program in education, Oxy is an undergraduate liberal arts college with strength in most majors.  There are fraternities and sororities but only 10% of the student body joins. Oxy has a reputation for being in an unsafe area of Los Angeles but I think this is really a matter of opinion.  I thought the campus felt very safe.  Our tour guide said she frequented cafes and stores in the neighborhood, but my limited driving in the area did not reveal places that I thought would draw students.  In summary, Oxy offers a very strong education and if that’s what you’re looking for, check it out and make your own decision!

Susan

Colgate University

The village of Hamilton, where Colgate University is located, is big enough to have a movie theatre and more than one coffee shop but small enough for merchants to sell items outside their shops on the honor system.  The college bookstore is located “downtown” and also serves as the town’s bookstore.  The college and its students seem to be woven into the community and vice versa to the happy benefit of all concerned.  Getting out of town requires a car or the bus, with Syracuse an hour away.

Colgate is a very personal place, starting in the admissions process where acceptance letters contain a hand written note mentioning what the admission officer particularly liked about the student’s application.  With fewer than 2800, Colgate is focused on undergraduate education in traditional liberal arts areas.  A core curriculum guides students through the process of learning broadly and first year seminars assist students with advising and making the transition to college.  100% graduate within 4 years, 95% return for the sophomore year and 95% live on campus.  A new library and science building are impressive on this campus of stately older buildings that have been masterfully restored inside.

Colgate has an unusual early decision process with two rounds that serious applicants should research and consider.  50% of the class is accepted through these early decision options.

Syracuse University

At Syracuse, students choose from nine undergraduate colleges.  Each college has its own admission and outreach coordinator and these folks can assist a student in compiling portfolios and improving their applications – as resource not to be missed!  When applying, students rank their choice of colleges and selectivity differs by college.  The university calendar calls for a “Maymester” when students can take one course for a short but concentrated period of time.  Many students study abroad during Maymester.

With 14,000 students, Syracuse operates nationally known study abroad programs.  Known particularly for the schools of architecture and public communications, Syracuse offers the full range of academic choices.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)

Rensselaer has long been known as a place for engineering (11 different types!), math and science.  Achievements of RPI alums touch us every day - the inventor of sunscreen and the person who proposed including “@” in email addresses are graduates.  Schools of architecture, business, engineering, information technology and sciences are available in addition to a college of humanities, arts and social sciences.  The engineering programs are top-notch and the game design and electronic media departments are receiving National recognition as well. On my recent visit there, however, the admissions staff was anxious to show us all the other possibilities of like at RPI, including gleaming new athletic facilities and a star of the art performing arts venue.

This university of 5000 undergraduates is perched on a hill overlooking Troy, New York, a historically industrial town on the banks of the Hudson River.   The student body is predominately male (70%) and the typical class size is 2-40 students with 150 in the biggest class.  RPI boasts of an amazing alumni network and highly successful career development department.

Hamilton College

Named to honor Alexander Hamilton and founded to educate the local Native Americans, Hamilton College has 1800 undergraduates.  The college is located at the top of a hill, overlooking the tiny village of Clinton.  Students laughed at the snow flurry that greeted me as I arrived in late April – they’d been wearing shorts the prior weekend, and expected to again the next – such is April in upstate New York.   In 1970, Hamilton merged with Kirkland College, the women’s college located across the street, becoming coed and increasing in size.

Hamilton’s open curriculum sets it apart from many other selective liberal arts colleges.  Believing that its better to have students in class who really want to be there, there are no general education requirements except for three writing intensive classes (from which there are many to choose across all departments) and PE (yoga, golf and skiing included).  That said, faculty advisors deliberately engage students in conversations, strongly  encouraging them to take a broad selection of courses.   Students are supported by a Writing Center, Media Center and Oral Communication Center.  A senior capstone project is required.

Community is a defining characteristic at Hamilton and that’s not surprising considering its somewhat isolated location.  98% live on campus and students stay there on weekends, participating in a huge range of activities and events.  About 30% join fraternities and sororities but there are no associated houses. The two largest organizations on campus are the Outing Club, where you can rent just about any sports equipment you can imagine, and the community service organization that sponsors everything from one-hour activities to ongoing commitments.  The students I spoke with were self assured, smart but not pretentious.  They spoke of first hand experience with strong alumni networks for internships and jobs. What is the value of a Hamilton education?  These impressive students said they had gained considerable confidence, were far more articulate and have developed valuable relationships with classmates, faculty and alumni that would last them a lifetime.

Hamilton admits students without regard to financial need and meets 100% of their demonstrated need.  97% return for the sophomore year.

Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT)

It may be cold in the winter but that doesn’t keep RIT students from outdoor sports.  The snow is plowed from the playing fields and flag football goes on blizzard or not!  Once known as the Techmen (represented by an angry looking mascot, complete with pocket protector and screw driver) but now as the Tigers (something about the real deal attending games until, well, he got larger), RIT is not surprisingly, all about technology.   Kodak, Bausch and Lomb and Xerox have a major presence in Rochester and are actively involved in education at RIT through funding, research and internship opportunities.

RIT is extremely hands on both in and outside the classroom.  As a co-op school, students can alternate academic periods with paid internships in their field of study, gaining valuable experience along the way.  While that often means it takes longer to get a degree, it can also mean that it is easier to find a job after graduation.  As a larger university (12,000 undergraduates and 4000 graduate students), RIT is divided into academic colleges – applied science and technology, imaging arts and sciences, liberal arts, engineering, science, computer science, business and the National Technical Institute for the Deaf.  Students typically apply to a specific college but can usually change majors within the college.  The average class is 25 students and the largest lecture hall seats 350.

The newer campus is removed from the city of Rochester and located on a flat, sprawling campus of newer, appealing brick buildings.   Approximately 40% of the upperclassmen live off campus.   There is a Greek system but only 12% participate.

RIT enrolls 49% of their students from New York and is looking for geographic diversity.

University of Rochester

I toured the University of Rochester in late April and found myself in the midst of Bar-b-quad, the university wide celebration of the last day of classes.  I dodged Frisbees, checked out the free food and noticed how happy and relaxed the students seemed as they soaked up the sun on a beautiful spring day.  When my tour was over, the quad was empty and the library was full.

This is one gorgeous campus.  With the Genesee River Park on one side and the nation’s second oldest cemetery on the other (Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglas are buried there), the campus is mostly flat and the buildings mostly brick.  The library reading rooms (“where everyone studies”) are numerous and varied in design and function.  The fraternities and sororities are located on a traditional Fraternity Row.  The Eastman School of Music is located in downtown Rochester.

While there are general education requirements at UR, they are arranged as clusters, allowing students more freedom in course selection.  Five and seven year BA/Masters programs are offered in business, education, engineering and medicine.  There is a unique and very selective medical school program that guarantees freshmen admission to the medical school. My tour guide, an economics major from Wisconsin, will attend the University of Texas law school in the fall.  Students who wish to stay for a fifth year after receiving their BA and take courses in a discipline other than their major can do so without paying tuition.

My guide constantly greeted and was greeted by other students during the tour, affirming for me his description of UR students as begin extremely friendly.  While I did not get a sense of the city of Rochester, the area around the campus was lovely.  Shuttles take students around the main campus, downtown to the Eastman School and to shopping areas.  Freshmen can’t have cars but bike rentals are free and there is a car share service on campus.  86% live on campus.

Union College

Founded in 1795 as the nation’s first non-denominational college, Union College continues to live out the theme of “respect and understanding, whatever our differences”.  The name of the college was chosen to reflect the strength that comes from difference.  The college President identified three characteristics that make Union unique. 

• Students want to be part of something big.  As students at a college with a rich history and tradition, they are very aware of having a bigger purpose in the world and use their time at Union to begin to discover what it might be. 
• “Whatever our differences” has been a theme since the founding in 1795 and continues to underline discussion, curriculum, extracurricular activities and campus life.  The need to learn about, understand and respect a diverse, multicultural world informs much of what is done. 
• Students do not limit themselves by their major.  They take courses broadly across the curriculum and the structure of the curriculum supports this.  Unusual major/minor combinations are not unusual!

Union operates on a trimester calendar where students take three courses at a time for 10 weeks and consequently, courses move at a fast pace.  Students have a 6-week break beginning at Thanksgiving - very unique among collegiate academic calendars.  Almost half the students major in engineering, math or science at Union but 60% overall, and 90% of the engineers manage to study abroad. In an effort to bridge the academic and social lives on campus, every student, faculty and staff member is assigned to one of seven Minerva Houses – a place where academics, cultural and social activities intersect. 

The Union campus is within easy walking distance of downtown Schenectady, New York, original home of General Electric and now headquarters to GE’s renewable energy division.  Amtrak train service is available to Boston, New York City and Albany.  The focal point of the campus is the Nott Memorial, a Victorian gem, situated in the center of sprawling green surrounded by grey stone buildings.  There is a feeling of spaciousness and openness on the mostly flat campus.  Over 90% of the students live on campus, some in remodeled Victorian houses on Seward Street (yes, William Seward, of Seward’s Folly and the acquisition of Alaska fame, was an alum).  The students we heard from were serious about their studies, a bit on the preppy side and characterized Union as a place where students are happy, can get involved but have to take the initiative, develop invaluable relationships with faculty and have lots of academic and social choices.  Ice hockey is a big deal – everyone goes to the games.  All other sports are Division III.

Union is test optional and does not require the SAT or ACT for admission.

Skidmore College