College Review: University of Pennsylvania
Penn was the last college we visited on our recent Pennsylvania tour, and it was certainly the most selective one. As is often the case with highly selective schools, the admissions office had a fairly standard information session and tour. This was the only school where the counselors attended a regular information session that also had students and families. Penn Admissions: Are Some Schools Harder to Get Into? The admissions officer engaged in some notable spin — when asked if the Wharton School of Business was more selective than the other colleges at Penn, she flatly stated that there were [...]
College Review: Lehigh University
Lehigh University is obviously beautiful, with a campus that has lots of either Gothic or super-modern buildings nestled into the side of a mountain. This 6,000 undergraduate institution is definitely one of the “haves” in the higher education scene. Every building and interior of the school is impeccably maintained and filled with the latest and greatest technology. Lehigh’s star is on the rise, and they have the sharp increase in submitted applications to prove it. Students apply to one of Lehigh’s schools—Arts and Sciences, Engineering, Business, or Health. They also have a small “undecided” program in which students enter undecided [...]
College Review: Dickinson College
Dickinson College was founded in 1773 by Dr. Benjamin Rush, who went on to sign the Declaration of Independence. The school has a close relationship with the adjoining town, Carlisle, Pennsylvania, a town of 40,000, which is dialed up on the quaint/cuteness factor. Nearby, nature beckons—Dickinson is five minutes away from the Appalachian Trail, and provides access to all sorts of outdoor activities. Dickinson Combines Liberal Arts with Real-World Experience With 2300 students, Dickinson’s mission originally was to provide a liberal arts education because Dr. Rush believed that democracy could only survive with an educated population. Today, the school focuses [...]
College Review: Drexel University
Drexel University is situated in an urban part of Philadelphia, with much of the campus being high-rise buildings. It doesn’t have a contiguous campus feel, but what it lacks in quads and green spaces it makes up for in energy — you can feel that this is a place where people are busy doing things. Drexel serves 13,000 undergraduates, but still manages to have small class sizes, with involved professors who predominantly focus on undergraduate teaching. The university comprises seven colleges: arts and sciences, business, education, engineering and computer science, media and design, nursing, and public health. In addition to all [...]
College Review: Penn State University
One of the most popular Big Ten schools, Penn State’s main campus is filled with so many good things—275 majors, with all of the greatest hits, but also including niche ones such as Immunology, Rail Transportation Engineering, and Turfgrass Science. In addition, they are an R1 research institution, have thousands of clubs, play many types of “sportsball,” as Lynda and I call it, and have endless opportunities for student advancement. Along with all of those great things, however, come 40,000 or so other things—undergraduate students. As a lifelong introvert, I won’t lie—my first reaction to all of the people and [...]
College Review: Muhlenberg College
After Lisa visited Muhlenberg College, she shared a few takeaways with our team that we haven’t been able to stop thinking about. Why College Students Avoid Career Services (And Why It Matters) For parents of college students, one of the largest complaints I hear/make is that despite colleges offering amazing opportunities, such as research, mentoring, and career placement services, many students refuse to avail themselves of them. I believe this to be because in order to get help, students would have to TALK TO A GROWN-UP. The discomfort this causes creates avoidance behaviors, followed by oppositional behaviors when their parents [...]