The first college we visited on our Austin trip was Southwestern University, one of the colleges profiled in Colleges that Change Lives. At fewer than 1500 students, it is a residential college located about 40 minutes from downtown Austin in the suburb of Georgetown and is the oldest institution of higher education in Texas. The compact campus is comprised of newer beige limestone buildings. The landscape is flat – perfect for riding bikes, which is how the students get around campus and the nearby town. While many bring their own bikes, there is a free “pirate bike” (Southwestern’s mascot is the pirate) system of yellow bikes that anyone on campus may use. A whopping 75% of the students participate in at least one internship during their college years and all complete a capstone project as a senior. Southwestern is the type of college that pays close attention to students and where professors know each student by name. Athletics are offered and popular but are not a big focus here. Fraternities and sororities are present but only a third of the students participate in them.
