University of Maryland

The University of Maryland has been a rising star for the last 15 years.  The school credits their ascension with a concentrated effort to improve the quality of education provided.  One strategy to achieve this has been the creation of smaller learning groups 

providing students with smaller class sizes and greater opportunities to connect with students and faculty.  These groups include the Living and Learning Programs with sub specialties in journalism, life science and more.  Students are invited into this program as part of the admissions process.  There is also an Honors Program, College Park Scholars, Civicus and global communities.  

Other strengths of the school points to include a new core curriculum that starts Fall 2011 and focuses on how to learn rather than collecting information.  The classes are called the I Series and included classes in Investigation, Inquiry and more.  The school offers over 100 majors through its 12 colleges and schools.  73 of the school’s programs rank in the top 25 and 24 of the programs rank in the top 10.  The school is best known for its engineering, physics and computer science programs as well as the schools of business and journalism.  With such strong academics, students do not need to worry about outgrowing the faculty.  UMD is a world class research institution and one of the fastest growing universities in scholarship.  All of these strengths however can be linked to the schools sheer size, over 25,000 undergraduates, and like most large public research institutions, the best research opportunities are often taken by graduate students.  Similarly, in these institutions Professors are recognized for their research not their teaching with predictable outcomes. In particular, students complain about math and science professors.

The school is like its own city, enriched by diversity (34% students of color) which the schools contends helps prepare the students for their careers and the real world.  Students learn how to negotiate different perspectives, values...  Like a city, there is not an average citizen or students.  It’s a big melting pot.  Campus life centers around Greek life, local bars, house parties and football and basketball games.  Off campus, it’s easy to take the metro and go down to DC.  Whoever you are and whatever you like to do, there is a community of students for you.     

St Johns MD and Santa Fe

St Johns, there’s no place like it unless you are talking about its peer location.  St Johns has one campus in Annapolis and has been around since the 1700’s.  It opened a second campus in Santa Fe New Mexico in 1964.  But what makes St Johns truly unique are its academics.  There are no majors.  There are no lectures.  There are no text books. All students take the same classes and have the exact same curriculum.  These classes are based on the “Great Books” and includes the works of Socrates, Plato, Newton, Einstein, and others.  Students learn by reading these thinkers original works and then discussing them in class.  Class size ranges from 8 - 20 at most.  Class discussions are lead by tutors who at other universities would be considered professors.    They are viewed as tutors at St Johns because their role is not so much to teach as to guide the discussion and serves as a model learner.  There are no final exams.  Grades are based on papers and class participation.  In fact, the papers often do not come back with a grade on them.  Instead after the paper is returned, the tutor may set up conferences with each student to discuss their work.The curriculum includes 4 years of math where students discuss the various theories of Euclid and Ptolemy, their thinking behind their theories and how math built upon itself.  Students also study two years of Greek and French, 3 years of laboratory science, 1 year of music and 4 years of Great Books seminars.  

The experience is intense.  Many students take the year between Sophomore and Junior year off and its not unusual to take 6 years to graduate.  When students have completed the program, their degree is viewed as a double major in Philosophy and the History of Math  & Science with a minor in Literature and Classical Studies.  Because the academic experience is so unique transfer students must start out as freshmen regardless of how many years they completed at other institutions.  Similarly,  the school does not recognize other  academic abroad experiences.  Instead, Johnies may switch their campus for a year to get that “other experience.”    In Annapolis students spend their time partaking of intramural sports and living a more urban life in Annapolis.  Santa Fe’s student life tends to include a more “outdoorsie” experience.

Not surprisingly, the students attracted to this unique academic experience tend to be unique themselves.  They are highly intellectual, sometimes nerdy.  Some are social.  Some are anti-social but they all tend to dance to the beat of their own drum.  Having such an intense stringent academic experience some may think would lead to intense competition.  In fact, it’s just the opposite.  St John’s provides a close knit community that accepts all.  

The Naval Academy

First and foremost, you don’t apply to the naval academy because you are considering it as one of many colleges.  You apply to the naval academy because you want to join the military and you see the best path for yourself as one that would provide a high quality four year education which will train you to be an officer.  You choose the Naval Academy over West Point or other post secondary military institutions or vice versa not based on the military academy but rather because that is the branch of the military you wish to join.  All that having been said, the Naval Academy is an amazing opportunity for the right individual.

The naval academy draws highly motivated, talented, and disciplined students from all over the country.  All agree that the academics are the hardest part of the Naval Academy but these students enter an institution that strives to train and strengthen the whole person.   In addition to academics, students are expected to participate in 2 hours of physical activity daily.  They are also evaluated on their integrity and their ability to work as a team.  All of these aspects are considered in determining a cadets ranking within their class which then determines where they are in line in choosing their final placement after the academy.

The Naval Academy offers 23 majors.  2/3’s of the students pursue technology majors and 1/3 pursue the humanities.  The school is ranked 5th best engineering program in the country.  In particular, aerospace, electrical and mechanical are also ranked 5th in the country. The school maintains a stringent core curriculum. 3/4 of the classes a student takes are core classes, 1/4 pertain to the students major.  The strict nature of the school not surprisingly also extends to student life.  Students are woken up at 6:30. Breakfast is at 7:00. Classes begin at 8:00.  Lunch is at 12 and so on.  Co-ed within floors.  No tv’s, refrigerators, microwaves or foods in dorms.  

University of Richmond

The University of Richmond is nestled amongst trees and surrounds the lake, a little oasis in more ways that one.  A small liberal arts college serving almost 3,000 undergraduates, 550 law school students and 550 graduate students.  The school is also home to one of the most prestigious undergraduate business schools in the country (ranked 12th by Business Week) and the first school of Leadership in the country.  The school of Leadership focuses on what traits foster leadership more than on training leaders.  Of course both happening simultaneously is possible.  The program looks at leadership through the study of psychology, sociology, music, politics and more.  Other schools include Arts and Sciences, Law and Continuing Studies.  Approximately 70% of the students are enrolled in the school of Arts and Science.U Richmond has a very strong pre-professional aspect to their curriculum thanks to the business school but all undergraduate must fulfill requirements in communication including writing and foreign language, literature, history, natural sciences, social analysis, symbolic reasoning and visual and performing arts.

Like its geographic cousin UVA, the University of Richmond maintains a that southern style with students dressing in jackets and ties and dresses for football games, a strong greek system and a culture steeped with traditions.  All freshman partake in a ceremony where they sign the honor code and write a letter to themselves which is not opened until Senior year.  During their Junior year, students attend the Ring Dance, an elegant ball, where women wear white gowns and receive their class rings from their fathers.  Life at the University of Richmond really centers around the campus.  The state capital is close by but Richmond does not provide the greatest public transportation.

Richmond students are not the most diverse bunch (6% African American, 4% Asian American and 3% Hispanic) but they are a friendly and happy lot.  The addage work hard play hard fits here.  2/3’s of the students also volunteer donating over 100,000 hours a year. 

University of Virginia

What makes UVA so special? Answer: Thomas Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence, our country's third president and the founder of UVA.  He may have lived 200 years ago but his philosophy and vision live on today in Charlottesville. Jefferson’s belief in democracy, a government by the people and for the people has translated into a university in many ways led by the students.  The student government sets the priorities of the school through student led meetings where the general student population is invited to voice their concerns and desires for the school.  The students are also responsible for defining and enforcing the very stringent honor code which is at the heart of the school culture. The idea that all persons are created equal is even imbedded in the vocabulary.  At UVA, they don't use the terms freshman, sophomore, junior and senior but rather 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th year to suggest that no one is superior to another but rather that some students have merely been at the school longer.

Also impacting life at UVA is the fact that the school is one of the most competitive public universities in the country.  The kids here are smart and they work hard.  On the other hand, life is also balanced. Students tend to be physically active and service minded.  UVA is the largest contributor to  the Peace Corps of mid-sized schools in the nation.  The school has also maintained a little of that southern flavor.  It's not unusual to see male students attend football games in jackets and ties and female student to be wearing dresses.  The school also has a lot of fraternities and sororities.  Approximately 30% of the students are members but the parties can seem to dominate the social life on campus on the weekends.  The school is also the home to a few secret societies.  Can't tell you much about that.  They're a secret.

Since UVA is a state school approximately 2/3's of the students are from VA.  The university houses colleges of arts and science, engineering, architecture and nursing.  Their are also upper level schools where students can start participating their third year.  These include, business, public policy and education.

Goucher

For the eclectic, artistic, eccentric and more Goucher provides a charming 287 acre home nestled in the woods but just outside Baltimore.  Historically Goucher was an all women’s college.  It turned co-ed in 1986 but still has some of the strengths previously found in an all women’s college, a strong performing and creative arts program, some say the best non-conservatory dance program in the country, a wonderful writing program and something not historically female, a great science and pre-med program.  It’s student body also reflects the schools history with a 33/67 male/female ratio.  

 Moreover, the school also distinguishes itself by having the only study abroad requirement.  To offset this financial commitment, the school provides each student with a $1,200 voucher for their travels.  All say this adds so much to the educational experience.  So much so that 20% of the students go on more than one abroad experience.

All this serves to only enhance the intellectual and academic aspect of university.  Goucher ranks among the top 50 universities in sending their students to PhD science programs.  All students must take a first-year colloquium (frontiers) that introduces them to college seminar level work.  In addition, students are required to participate in a connections class that focus on transitioning to college life.  Distribution requirements also include one class in humanities, social science, math, natural sciences, computer science, writing, an intermediate level foreign language and 2 physical education courses.  Goucher is test optional.

Loyola College, MD

Loyola Is a beautiful nurturing jesuit college nestled right outside of Baltimore, that strives to develop the whole person intellectually, socially, emotionally and spiritually.  Students rave about the knowledge, ability and generosity of the professors.  They also point to great opportunities for research and work-study. The most popular majors are business and education.The administration also gets rave reviews for their efforts to openness and desire to provide the best for its students. 

Life is described as balanced even though the preponderance of time is spent on academics.  Students seem to successfully juggle, social life, academic responsibilities, community service, athletics and more.  Loyola students are well rounded and outgoing.  Given its location, most students come from the east coast, particularly, NY, NJ and Philly though the goal and trend to to broaden.  On the whole students tend to appear preppy and come from middle to upper class backgrounds.

One final bit of insight, grades appear more important than test scores and the more recent the grades the more important they are.  Also the school pays attention to who visits and the extent of communication with perspective students.