college - tell me about "the best kept secret" schools - anyone have one?

[Anonymous]

University of Michigan is a gem. It's on par with UVA, offers something for EVERY student, is in the quintessential college town, offers almost every major, and has an outstanding alumni network. Plus the football's not bad!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:University of Michigan is a gem. It's on par with UVA, offers something for EVERY student, is in the quintessential college town, offers almost every major, and has an outstanding alumni network. Plus the football's not bad!

UM is not exactly a secret! Funny, I went to UM, DH went to UVA, and we both think that our alma mater is better than the other's (in jest, of course--they are both fabulous schools).

[Anonymous]

Has anyone heard of Warren Wilson in NC?

[Anonymous]

Oberlin

Rice

Carelton

[Anonymous]

Considering how competitive admissions to many of these colleges are, I'm not sure how they count as secrets.

A small liberal arts college some distance away may be a little easier to get admission to, just because a lot of colleges care about geographic diversity. Still, with all the publications providing rankings of colleges, it's pretty hard to see a place that's got five applicants for every available spot as a "secret."

[Anonymous]

I advised a young man from SanFran to look for a college run by Jesuits when he described the kind of solid education he was seeking.
. He is not a Catholic --it makes no difference. He graduates this year happy as can be from Fordham in the Bronx.

Same advice to either gal or guy. Find one of the few colleges/universities that still adhere to the Classical tradition --and these are few, but the catholic schools are among the few who have curriculums that are recognizably classically based. I admire that greatly.

They run the same kinds of high schools --the best there are. Their twin high schools and colleges run by the Sisters of the Sacred Heart --the Sacred Hearts as they are traditionally called are the best educators bar none. They appear never to have fallen for the lid-is-off mentality that has wrecked many a college/university that has let the students smorgasbord their way through.

This written by a former Dean and Head of one of the best Episcopal schools in the country.

[Anonymous]

a couple of suggestions:

for the student interested in nursing --The University of Virginia ranks in top 5% works with topnotch hospitals . . incredible setting

for student interested in art --SCAD Savannah College of Art and Design . . the city of Savannah is its campus. It takes over buildings ot of use ---old armory, schools,train depot, pharmacies. They have an historic restoration major that turns all these places into stunning winners Arrivig in Savannah, the airport is itself adorned with SCAD art. Major companies look here for CADCAM talent. A beautiful old southern city of two dozen gorgeous large squares full of spanish moss draped Live Oaks --what a campus for an excellent school.Students are all over the place.

small liberal arts college, academically excellent, in lovely college town --Kalamazoo College

historic, vigorous high spirited fine academics in Atlanta ---Georgia Tech

film, theatre, literature . . . overseas. . . smack in the center of Dublin Trinity College surrounded by the stately medieval. .Ireland the center of contemporary art --poetry, novel, film, theatre

[Anonymous]

Don;t rule out our northern neighnor. Canada --Ontario and Quebec


Ontario ---University of Toronto

Quebec ---- McGill University

both eminent in academics and in the center of amazing cities

[Anonymous]

Those are great ideas pp. My daughter's class had 53 out of 88 graduates get some level of AP Scholar designation. Since college apps were so competitive for the class -- one girl did apply to McGill-- was accepted and loves it. It's a great place.

[Anonymous]

Drew was mentioned upthread but I wanted to put in another plug. The admissions rate is kind of deceivingly high. The academics are stellar and campus life is great. Someone expressed concern about the huge percentage of students from the tristate area, but it's not a big deal at all, really.

Oh yeah, and it's SAT optional if that matters for your DC.

I graduated from Drew almost 15 years ago and loved it. I'd go again in a heartbeat.

[Anonymous]

I'm from St. Louis originally and did my undergraduate at the University of Missouri-Columbia (Mizzou!). It's known for being a party school (tailgaiting is a mandatory full weekend activity), but is also ranked highly academically. The Journalism school is known world-wide and I can say EVERY professor I had truly cared for each student - even professors who regularly taught lectures with 200-300 students each. Columbia is the quintessential college town and is really almost like an old fashioned community. There are always people out walking, riding bikes, etc. The whole town caters to the students with discounts on car washes and oil changes, discounts at restaurants, discounts on chiropractic services.

My favorite part of going home is driving the hour and a half out to Columbia with my parents (both are alumni) and going to our favorite restaurants, catching a game, and just relaxing.

[Anonymous]

Miami of Ohio

[Anonymous]

Simmons in Boston (all women); Bates, Bowdoin, Elmira,

[Anonymous]

Lynchburg College

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don;t rule out our northern neighnor. Canada --Ontario and Quebec


Ontario ---University of Toronto

Quebec ---- McGill University

both eminent in academics and in the center of amazing cities

For a while I've been trying to convince DD to consider Canadian and overseas universities. In particular Scottish universities offer a liberal arts-type education (in the British universities you have to specialize, which not every high school grad is ready to do). My understanding is that tuition is higher for non-citizens, but still lower than a US private university. Also, many foreign schools welcome the foreign money, so acceptance is a bit easier although still not guaranteed for anybody.