Because It's Not All About the HYP

BecauseitactuallyisntjustaboutHarvard,Yale,Princeton,Columbia,UChicago,Stanford,MIT,

Penn,Dartmouth,Cornell,andBrown.

1. BarnardCollege 20122013AcceptanceRate:20.5%

StudenttoFacultyRatio:10:1

IfirstlearnedaboutBarnardthroughthetypicalcollegesearchduringjunioryear.Attendinga

women'scollegehadbeenathoughtinmymind,butIwasn'tsureifIwouldfit

insuchanenvironment.Whilesearchingthewebsiteformoreinformation

abouttheschool,IranacrossaflyincalledBarnardBound.Theapplication

wasshortandIwantedtolearnmoreaboutBarnard,soIdecidedtoapply.

DuringOctober2012IwasnotifiedthatIwaschosentoattend

BarnardBoundwithatravelgrant!IwasecstaticbecauseIdnevereven

beentoNYCbefore.WhileatBarnardBound,theentireexperiencewasenchanting.Barnardprovedto

betheperfectplaceforme.Thecampuswasbeautifulandtheoverallcommunitywasamazing.

WhileBarnardisanallwomenscollege,becauseofColumbia,thereareplentyofguysaround.

ThecommunityofBarnardandColumbiaisrichincultureandcontainssomanybrightstudents.

MorningsideheightsfeltsafeandIcouldimagineitbeingmynewhome.Not

onlythat,butasaBarnardstudent,yourenotonlyabletocrossregisterfor

classesatColumbiabuttheresourcesandextracurricularactivitiesthatare

availabletoColumbiastudentsareavailabletoyou!Evenresearch,soif

youreaprospectivesciencemajor,Barnardisagreatoption!

FollowingBB,IrealizedBarnardwasperfectandIhadtogothere.Thevast

amountofsupportforstudentsandthesenseofwomenempowermentwere

strongfactorsinmydecisiontoapply.Iappliedearlydecisionandtotomy

surprise,wasaccepted!LivinginNewYorkCityhasalwaysbeenadreamof

mineandthechancetoattendBarnardwastheperfectopportunityformetofulfillmydreams.

Barnardwillalsomeet100%demonstratedneed,andwillbeoneofthecheapestoptionsyoull

receive!Overall,BarnardCollegeisabeautifulschoolwithagreatrelationshipwithColumbia,andI

encourageyoutoapply!Ifyoureevenabitinterested,IencourageyoutoapplytoBarnardBound!

http://barnard.edu/admissions/barnardbound

2. BatesCollege 20112012AcceptanceRate:26%


Bates,althoughnotaQuestBridgepartner,isanamazingschool

withgreatfinancialaid.2/3ofstudentsparticipateinstudyabroad,soif

that'ssomethingyou'reinterestedin,Batesisaschoolyoushouldstrongly

considersincetheirprogramsarephenomenal.AtBates,youshouldexpect

alotofinteractionwithfacultybecausetheyplaceanemphasisonseminar

classes,research,servicelearning,andseniorthesiswork.

AnotheruniqueaspectofBatesisitscalendar.ThefiveweekspringShortTermenablesstudents

tofocusonasinglecourse,oftenoneyouwouldnotbeabletotakeotherwise.AtBates,thereisa

numberofpeopleveryinterestedintheenvironment.Notonlyisthereanactiveclub,butBateshasbeen

promotingawarenesstowardsenvironmentalissues,andtheyrealsostrivingtobecomeamore

sustainableschool.

Bates'ssenseofcommunityissostrongthatthereisonlyonedining

hall.Bateshasalargevegetarianandveganpopulation,andDining

Servicescertainlycaterstothem.Thereisaveganbarthatishalf

thedininghallinlength,andatleastonevegandessertisofferedat

everymeal.Thereisabrickovenstationwherepizzaisserved

almostdaily.Studentscanselectfromtwohotfoodslines:thegrillandtheeurostation.Thesaladbarand

deliareopenforlunchanddinner.Batesisalsoverygoodaboutinformingthepublicwheretheygettheir

foodfromandwhatingredientsareineachdish,avoidingcomplicationswithallergies.

Ifyoureinterestedinengineering,after3or4yearsoffulltimestudyat

Bates,youmayenrollina2yearengineeringprogramatColumbia,Dartmouth,

RPI,CaseWestern,orWashingtonUniversity,whereyouwillearnbothan

undergraduatedegreeinengineeringfromBatesandaBachelorofSciencefrom

theengineeringschoolaffiliate.

Batesalsooffersgreatfinancialaid,promisingtomeet100%demonstrated

need,sowhileitcurrentlyisntaQuestBridgeschool,itisquitegeneroustolowincomestudents.Batesis

anamazingschool,andIstronglyencourageyoutoapply!Ifyoureinterestedatall,applytotheirflyin!

http://asti.alamedausd.ca.schoolloop.com/calendar/view?id=1313210873247

3. BostonCollege 20112012AcceptanceRate:29%


BostonCollegeisaRomanCatholiccollege,anditslocatedinChestnutHill,Massachusetts(just

outsideofBoston).Thecampusareaisverybeautiful,notreallywhatone

wouldimagineinBoston,anditsrelaxedwithsomemagnificentscenery.

AcademicadvisingisacrucialelementofaBCeducation.Boston

Collegepairsstudentswithfacultyadvisorsintheirmajorfieldwhoare

availableforconsultationregardingcurriculum,researchopportunities,and

otheracademicissues,whichisawesomesupport,especiallysincewere

alllowincomestudents.Toensureawelldevelopededucation,studentsmeetwiththeirfacultyadvisors

beforeregisteringeachsemester.

BCisaprivateresearchuniversitywithitsmainemphasisbeingin

education,law,andthearts.Theirmostpopularprogramsarefunded

byAndrewCarnegiesCarnegieFoundationfortheAdvancementof

Teaching.Ifyouwanttobeateacher,thisisthecollegetoapplyto!

Theyarenotjustaliberalartscollegethoughtheyhaveeverything!

TheCoreCurriculumisthebackboneofJesuiteducationatBostonCollege.The"core"is

designedtogivestudentsanunderstandingofthesignificantforcesthathaveshapedworldcultureand

historyandtheabilitytoconnectthemesandideasacrossawidespectrum

ofdisciplines.Thiswillensureyougetawellroundededucation,whichis

extremelyimportantforyoutohave.

Financialaidwise,BostonCollegeisjustasgoodasmanyofthe

QuestBridgepartners.They'reneedblind,andtheywillmeet100%ofwhat

theythinkyourneedis!BostonCollegeisagreatoptiontopursueyour

education,soapplytherebecausewhoknows...Theymaybetheperfect

matchforyou!

4. BowdoinCollege 20122013AcceptanceRate:14.5%


Fromvisiting,I'verealizedthatthequalityofacademicsattopcollegesarealmostindiscernible.If

youwanttoknowabouttheschool'sprestige,placement,etc.,justGoogleit.In

thislittlepassage,Iwanttotellyouthelittleunmentioneddetailsthatmake

Bowdointhespecialplaceitisinmyheart.

BowdoinCollegeisnotforeveryone.ItissituatedinBrunswick,Maine,a

small,sixstreettowninbeautifulNewEnglandwheretheCivilWarbeganand

ended.Itisalso30minutesfromPortlandandhasadirecttrainroutetoBoston,so

youwon'tfeelsoisolatedfromcitiesifyouneedachangeofscenery.However,themediumsizedtown,

fewpeoplesettinggrantsBowdoinsomethingsospecial:theimpulsetoownandbecomeandimproveits

community.Itisn'tanunfamiliarsightwalkingdownthestreettoseeBowdoinstudentsplayingwiththe

townkidsorhearingstoryaboutaBowdoinupperclassmanbuyinggroceriesfortheelderlyladynextdoor.

Thisbringsmetothesecondpoint:Thefocusonimproving

communitymakesBowdoinawelcomingcultureforfuture

gamechangers.Studentsbuildrapportwitheachotherthroughcivilly

discussingsocialissueswithintheirclassandschoolcontextover

dinnerorintheirrooms.Thepresident,BarryMills,isalwaysaround

campusandprovidesadvicetoundergraduates.Professorsare

availableandencourageseveryonetocometotheiroffice.Iwasa

prospie,andIhadsomanyfunconversationswiththeBowdoinfacultyandstaff(includingareallycute

officelady)justbecauseIsimplyknockedontheirdoors.Itisn'tanoverstatementtosaythatBowdoin

facultyexpectstudentstoaskforhelp.Theyarementorswhofosterandsupportdreams.Itwasn't

surprisingtomehowmanyBowdoinkidsendupgovernors,judges,scientists,teachers,orlawyers.The

cultureofBowdoinencouragesstudentstogivebackandthat'swhattheydo.

TherearemanymorethingsaboutBowdointhatwordscannotdescribe.Youneedto

experienceBowdoininpersontounderstandthewarmatmospherethere.Therefore,applyto

ExploreBowdoininthesummerofyourjunioryearandcometotheFallvisits.MeetClaudia.

Youwon'tregretit.Btw,Bowdoinmeetsfulldemonstratedneedandhasanoloanpolicy!

http://www.bowdoin.edu/admissions/explore/

5. BrandeisUniversity 20092010AcceptanceRate:40%


BrandeisUniversityisoneofthetoprankedUniversitiesinUnitedStates.Itislocatedin

Waltham,Massachusetts,afewmilesfromBoston.Brandeishasa

beautifulandbreathtakingcampus.Generally,you'llsensethevibrant,

diverseandfreethinkingintellectualatmosphere.Brandeisprovides

tremendouslypersonaleducationwithacombinationofsmallliberal

artscollegeandtheintellectualpowerofalargeresearchuniversity.

Thebestpartis,althoughthestudentbodyisquitecompetitive,the

classesaresmallandtaughtbyprofessorswhoholdthehighestdegreeintheirfields.

Fortheadmission,interviewsarehighlyrecommended.Standardizedtests,althoughnotabig

factor,matter.Theadmissioncounselorsputalotofemphasisonthe

essaysbecausetheydonotonlywantpeoplewhoareacademically

inclinedbutthosewhoattainaninterestingpersonalityaswell.

SinceIwillbestudyingEngineering,IknowthatBrandeishasanup

growingengineeringprogramthatisreallyamazing.Studentsgetto

studyatBrandeisfortwoyearsandtheothertwoyearstheytransfer

toColumbiaUniversitytofinishtheirdegree.Withthatsaidwhenanengineerstudentgraduates,he/she

willgraduatefromColumbiaandBrandeis.

Ican'tstressenoughonhowimportantitistopayvisitstotheschoolsyouareinterestedin.I

highlyrecommendapplyingtotheflyinprogramavailablefortheseniors.Itiscalled"Seeds.Thiswill

helpyouexposetothedifferentdepartmentsthattheyhaveavailable,undergraduateandgraduate.Along

withthesenseofacademicsthatyouwillreceivethroughexperiencinginclasses,you'llgettoexplorethe

environmentwhichwillhelpyouunderstandwhetheryoubelongthereornot.

Nowfinancialaidisaveryimportantfactorthatdetermines

whereoneshouldsetouttheirfuture.Fortunately,Brandeisfinancial

aidisneedbasedwhichalwayshelpsifyouareabrilliant,lowincome

student.

6. BrynMawrCollege 20122013AcceptanceRate:39%


BrynMawr,althoughnotaQuestBridgepartner,isawomen'scollegeyouladiesshoulddefinitely

considerforitsgreatacademicsANDgoodfinancialaid.Professorsare

typicallycharacterizedashelpful,encouraging,andenthusiastic,andare

consistentlyrankedassomeofthebestinthecountry.

About50percentofjuniorsstudyabroadforayearora

semester.BrynMawrsponsorsacademicyearprogramsinRussia,as

wellassummerprogramsinFlorenceandAvignon.Studentscanalso

choosetogoonover60approvedprogramsorhaveanewprogramapproved,soifstudyingabroadis

somethingyoufeelparticularlypassionateaboutdoing,BrynMawrisagreatoptionforyou.

BrynMawrispartoftheTriCollegeCommunity,afeaturethatallowsstudentstotakeclasses

andevenmajorsatHaverfordandSwarthmore,andviceversa.Thisallowsforanextraordinaryamount

ofresources,whichisyetanotherreasontoapplytoBrynMawr.Also

somethingremarkableistheoptiontocompletebothabachelor'sand

master'sdegreewithinfiveyearsthroughtheircombineddegree

program,whichisalsoofferedatHaverford.

OnethingparticularlyuniqueaboutBrynMawrareits360course

clusters.These360courseclustersareanewinterdisciplinary

experiencethatengagesseveralaspectsofatopicortheme,givingstudentsanopportunitytoinvestigate

thoroughlyandthoughtfullyarangeofperspectives.Acohortofstudentstakesaclusterofclassesover

thecourseofasemester,focusingonthehistory,economicconcerns,

culturalintersectionsandpoliticalimpactofanera,decision,event,

policy,orimportantscientificinnovation.360participantshonetheir

argumentsandinsightsthroughwritingandresearch,develop

strategiesforteamworkthatpushthelimitsoftheirtalentsand

creativity,andworkwithprofessorsandscholarstopromote

bigpicturethinking.

Lastly,althoughBrynMawrisnotaQuestBridgepartner,theirfinancialaidisgreat.They

promisetomeetfulldemonstratedneed,sothere'snoneedtoconcernyourselfwithbeingabletoaffordit!

7. CarletonCollege 20122013AcceptanceRate:20.98%


CarletonCollege,thelatestandgreatestQuestBridgeschooltomakethelist.Carletonislocated

inNorthfield,Minnesota.Yes,Minnesota.Butdon'tletthat

seeminglyemptyregionscareyouawayfromthisincredibleLiberal

Artsschool!

Thisvideo,courtesyofCarletonCollegeYouTubechannel,will

makeyoufallinlovewiththisQBschool:

http://youtu.be/jDiBHUIEXdM

Still,wanttoknowwhyyoushouldconsiderCarleton?Well...

1.PROFS:Carleton'steachingfacultyistopnotch.Notonlyaretheypassionateand

knowledgeableintheclassroom,butthey'renotoriousformeetingwithstudentsafter

classhasbeendismissed.It'sallaboutindividualattentionatthisinstitution.

2.SUMMERTIME:Unlikemostcolleges,Carletonhasthree10weekterms

peracademicyear:Fall,Winter,andSpring.Thisallowsyoutofocusmoreonyour

classesandhavemoretimetopursueotherinterests.

3.ACADEMICS:Carleton's"EssentialHabitsofMind"requirementsinclude

aheavyemphasisinwriting,research,quantitativereasoning,globalunderstanding,etc.

4.INCREDIBLECAMPUS:The880acreCowlingArboretumisagame

refugeofprairie,forest,water,andwetlandsbycampus.TheArbisaunique

resourcethatservesasanoutdoorclassroom,invaluableresearchsite,andtreasured

landforreflectivewalksorruns,accordingtotheirwebsite.

THELISTGOESON!Literally,formoreinfoonhishiddengem,visit

http://apps.carleton.edu/academics/liberalarts/

Lastly,CarletonCollegehasgreatfinancialaid!Theymeetfull

demonstratedneed,sonotonlywillyoureceiveaphenomenaleducation

fromCarleton,butyoullalsoreceiveanamazingfinancialaidpackage.

IfyoureevenalittlebitinterestedinCarletonCollege,applytotheir

flyinprogram,TasteofCarleton!

http://apps.carleton.edu/admissions/visit/TOC/

8. ClaremontMcKennaCollege 20122013AcceptanceRate:12.4%


ClaremontMcKennaCollegeisoneofthecollegesapartofthe

ClaremontCollegeConsortium.Likeitsconsortiumcounterparts,CMCislocated

insunnySoCal.Claremontisabitofaquirky,smallcollegetownthathasavery

suburbanfeel.Thesurroundingareahasatonofentertainmentpossibilities.

Academicsismixedintodailylifeandwovenintoeachindividual's

interests.Classestrytomaintainabalancebetweenintellectualismandpragmatism.The5College

Consortiummakesahugenumberofclassesavailable,farmorethanthetypical1,000studentschool.As

astudentoftheClaremontConsortium,youcanenrollinclassesattheotherschools,soifaclassthatyou

seekisnotofferedatCMC,youcanlikelyfinditsomewhereelse.

CMCssmallsizecreatesamoreintimatecampusexperience

wherenearlyeveryonewillknowyourname.Theprofessorsat

CMCarephenomenaltheyarefriendly,accessible,andintelligent.

Theyarefocusedonteachingfirstandresearchsecond.Ifyou

takeadvantageofofficehours,theyofferincredibleresearch

opportunitiesandinternshipsthatyouwouldseeatanyotheruniversity.

CMCpridesitselfongroomingfutureleadersinarangeofdisciplines.Theschoolisamongthe

eliteprivateliberalartscollegesintheUS.ClaremontMcKennahasstrongtiesandemphasizesitscore

focusingovernmentandeconomics,butitsresourcesanddiligentfocusonabroaderliberalartseducation

hasresultedinhighqualitydepartmentsacrosstheschool.Ifyoureaprospectiveeconomics,political

science,orinternationalrelationsmajor,CMCisaGREAToptionforyou,for

theyareliterallythebestamongLACsforthoseareas.

Notonlyallofthat,butCMCscampusisabsolutelystunning,asyou

cantellfromthepictures.Plus,ClaremontMcKennaisknownforalsohaving

fantasticdiningandoncampushousingoptions,sonotonlywillyoureceivea

greateducation,youllalsoreceiveagreatlivingenvironment!

Lastly,financialaid.CMC,whilenotcurrentlyaQuestbridgepartner,

actuallyusedtobeone,whichindicatestoyoutheirfinancialaidisphenomenal!Theymeet100%

demonstratedneed,soifyoudliketogotoCMC,theresnoneedtoworryaboutpayingforit.

9. ColbyCollege 20112012AcceptanceRate:29%


ColbyCollegeisabeautifulliberalartscollegeintheawesomestateofMaine!Professorsand

studentsatColbyshareacommitmenttolearningthatstretches

beyondgradesandnumbers.Professorswantstudentstocomeout

ofaclasswitharichunderstandingofthematerial,andstudents

strivetolearnalltheycan.Moreover,sinceColbyisaliberalarts

collegethroughandthrough,professorsemphasizecriticalthought,

writingskills,andspeaking,regardlessofthesubject.

AtColbyyoullbechallengedchallengedtotrysomethingnew,toredefineyourboundaries,and

tothinkdifferentlyabouttheworld.Whiletheworkloaddoesvarywitheachdepartment,everyclass

offersuniquechallengestohelpstudentsacquiredifferentskills.And,studentsfindpleasureinsharing

theseskillswiththeirpeers.Professorsencouragecollaborativework,andColbystudentslackan

intracompetitiveedge.StudentsatColbyworkhardbutremain

inspiredandmotivatedbythestrongintellectualcommunityfostered

byacloserelationshipbetweenstudentsandprofessors.

DiningisintegraltotheColbysociallife,andtheindividual

characteristicsofthethreedininghallspartlydefinecampuspolitics.

Tablesinthedininghallsarebig,astheyaremeantforlargegroups

offriendssothatlotsofsocialinteractionhappenoverdininghall

food.ThefoodatColbyisgreat,thedessertsarephenomenal,andthedininghallsprovideagreatsocial

outlet,especiallysincemealplansarerequired,soyou'dbeverysatisfiedwithColby!

Lastly,Colby'sfinancialaidisphenomenal!Notonlydotheymeet

fulldemonstratedneed,buttheyalsohaveanoloanpolicyforallstudents,

soyoucouldgraduatedebtfreewithagreateducationandexperience

fromColby!

Ifyou'reevenabitinterestedinapplyingtoColby,Ihighly

recommendyouapplytotheirflyinprogram!There'snothingbetterthan

visitingacollegetoseewhetheryoucouldseeyourselfthere.:)

http://www.colby.edu/admissions_cs/visit/ec/

10. ColgateUniversity 20122013AcceptanceRate:26%


Colgateisthebestcombinationofasmallliberalartscollegeanda

majoruniversityithasthestrongsenseofcommunityandwarmthofasmall

college,buttheimpressivefacultyandstaffofamajoruniversity.Students

haveavarietyofactivitiestochoosefrom,suchasstudentrunorganizations

andpublications,clubs,andathleticteams.Whatevertheirinterest,Colgate

studentsfindtheirnicheandflourish.TheUniversityfostersgrowthand

maturity,butmostimportantistheamazinggroupofindividualslivinginthedormsandonstaff.

FellowstudentsandtheprofessorsarewhatmakeColgatesuchagreatschool.TheUniversity

workshardtokeepclasssizessmallandtoprovideprofessorswithfundingtogoonfieldtripsand

immersetheirstudentsinthesubject.OnthesubjectofColgateasa"university,"youdontneedtoworry

aboutgettinglostintheseaofgraduatestudents.Thefocusreallyis

ontheundergraduatesideofeducation,asonlyahandfulof

graduatestudentsmatriculatefromthesolegraduateprogrameach

year.Thatdoesntmeanstudentsdontreaptherewardsassociated

withlargerresearchinstitutions,however.About150studentsstay

oncampuseachsummertoconductgraduatelevel,cuttingedge

researchinthesciences,humanities,andsocialsciences,andmany

continuethatresearchwithprofessorsduringtheschoolyear,andthefacilitiesaretopnotch.

ThereareahandfulofrequiredcoursesatColgatewithinthecorecurriculum,butmoststudents

agreethatthesecoursesareagreatwaytocomplementfieldsofstudyortodiscoveroneofinterestand

creategreatdiscussionsbothinsideandoutsideoftheclassroom.AnotherwayColgatelookstoimprove

classroomdiscussionsisthroughthecommitmenttooffcampusstudyabout

twothirdsofthestudentbodytravelsabroadthroughoneoftheUniversity's

programsorthroughanaffiliate,anditistheonlyinstitutionwithapartnershipwith

theNationalInstitutesofHealth(NID)inBethesda,Md.Theresmuchmoreto

Colgatethanacademics,butthisisdefinitelywheretheUniversityshines.

Colgateiscommittedtomeeting100percentofthedemonstratedneedof

acceptedstudents,soevenifyouneedaLOTofaid,youshouldntbeworriedaboutapplying!

11. ColoradoCollege 20122013AcceptanceRate:22%


ColoradoCollege,whichbecameaQuestBridgepartnerthisyear,

is.locatedinthestunninglybeautifulmountainsofColoradoSprings,itis

withoutadoubtthemostuniquecollegeyouwillevercomeacross.

TheBlockPlanisauniqueapproachtolearning.Insteadoftaking

fourclassesatonce,youtakeoneclassfor31/2weeks,endingina4day

BlockBreakbeforestartingthenextclass.Thefactthatyouonlyhave

toworryaboutoneclassopensmanydoors.ClassesatCCareknownforgoingontripsveryfrequently,

toplacesalloverthecountryandeventherestoftheworld.Thesetripsarefreetheyreintegratedinto

theclassscurriculum.Iftheressomewhereinparticularyoudliketoconductresearchat,applyfora

VentureGrantwhichfundsyourresearchforanentireblockperiod.

TheothergreatthingabouttheBlockPlanisthatallclassesrunfrom

9am12pmeveryweekday(withsomeclasses,likelabs,meetingagain

laterintheday).Thismeansthatby12pmalmosteveryoneisfreeat

thesametime,sotheresneveramomentwhenthecampusisdead.

AcademicsarenottheonlyhighlightofCCthough.WhenIvisitedfor

theMulticulturalOpenHouse,thefirstthingInoticedwhenIgotoffthe

buswasagroupofkidstightropewalkingbetweentrees.Thesportsgameswerewellattendedstudents

wereplayingonthesoccerfieldinthemiddleofcampus,andrightbythedormIstayedatwasabeach

volleyballcourt.ItsanunderstatementtosayCCisanactivecampus.Thebestactivitiesarethe

mountainones,likehikingandskiing.CCissituatedrightnexttoPikesPeak,andmanystudentstakefull

advantageofthatfact.

Overall,CCisawonderfulschool.Allthestudentsareextremelyfriendly,

spirited,andintellectualthesearethekindofstudentswhothrivewiththeblock

plan.Whiletheyrenotneedblindanddonotmeetfullneed(thoughtheaverage

percentmetis98%),thefactthatitbecameaQuestBridgeschoolprovesits

committedtobecomingmoreeconomicallydiverse.

IfyoureinterestedinColoradoCollegeatall,applytotheirflyinprogram!!

http://www.coloradocollege.edu/admission/introduceyourself/visit/multiculturalopenhouse/

12. ConnecticutCollege 20122013AcceptanceRate:35%


ConnecticutCollegeisatinyliberalartscollegeinConnecticutthatsoftenoverlooked,especially

bylowincomestudentslikeourselveshowever,ConnecticutCollegeis

actuallyagreatcollegewithgoodfinancialaid,whichiswhyyoushould

considerapplyingthere.Tostartoffinencouragingyoutoapplythere,

ConnecticutCollegeshonorcodemeansstudentshaveselfscheduled

finals,whichmeansifyougothere,youcanchoosefromalistof

availabletimesandthentaketheirfinalexamsunproctored!

ConnecticutCollegehasstrongandinnovativeacademicprograms.Ratherthanfollowa

predeterminedlistofclasses,studentsareencouragedtoactivelyplanouttheireducationatConn.Some

ofthespecialoptionsincludedesigningamajor,developingaconcentration,participatinginacertificate

program,orwritinganhonorsthesis.Manystudentstakeadvantageoftheseopportunities,andthevariety

ofindividualprojectshappeningoncampusmakeacademicsexciting.

AnotherimportantaspectofConnecticutCollegeisthattheprofessorstherearephenomenal.

Professorsaredevotedandhelpfulbothinsideandoutsidetheclassroom,andbecauseofConnssmall

size,therearentmanyhugelecturehallstyleclasses.Studentsusuallygettoknowtheprofessorsintheir

majorsverywell,whichmakesiteasytoseekouthelpafterclass,orfallintoresearchandintern

positions.Professorsareclearlyexuberantaboutthesubjectstheyteach,buttheyshyawayfrom

monotonouslecturesinordertogetstudentstoparticipateinclass.

Researchisaprioritytotheirfaculty,andstudentscollaboratewiththeir

professorsonresearchprojectsandcoauthorpapers.Theressuchanemphasis

onresearchthatConnecticutCollegeisespeciallyknownforhavingmany,many

summerresearchopportunitiestoo!Soevenifyouwanttodoresearchduring

yourundergraduateyears,ConnecticutCollegeisstillagreatoptionforyou.

BeforeIgetontothedetailsoffinancialaid,Imustmentionthatonceyoureach

yoursophomoreyear,asingledormroomisbasicallyguaranteed!Lastly,

financialaid.ConnecticutCollegemakesitagoaloftheirstosupport

outstandingstudentswhocouldnototherwiseaffordtoattendConnecticutCollege,whichiswhythey

offergreatfinancialaid,andyoucertainlyshouldnotbescaredtoapply!

13. DavidsonCollege 20112012AcceptanceRate:25%


Despiteitsgreatacademicsandfinancialaid,Davidsonisacollegethatsoverlookedallthetime,

unfortunately,butyoushouldstillconsideritstrongly!!Davidsonisa

workhard/playhardcommunity,andtheresnoquestionthatyoullput

insomesubstantialhoursatthelibrary,butyoucanalsoexpecttolet

looseontheweekends.Ifyourelookingforanenvironmentlikethat,

Davidsonmightbeagreatoptionforyou.Now,thatsnottosayyou

shouldexpectanendlessbeerfestlikeatlargerstateschoolsthough.

Davidsonisacollegethatpersonallycaterseverythingtotheneedsofits1,700students.Youcan

expectanoutstandingcommunityofstudentswhorespectandtrusteachother.Youcanexpectalake

andasprawlinggreencampusdisproportionatelyhugeincomparisontothesizeofthestudentbody.

YoullfindaDIathleticprogram,completewithaDIcalibersportscomplexthatmostsmallliberalarts

collegesdonthave.Youllfindyourselffacetofacewitheventhemostcelebratedathletesona

daytodaybasis,andtheyllbeheadedtothelibraryjustlikeyou.Youllsoonrecognizethefacesaround

you,andyoullfindthatafteralittlewhile,fewpeoplearestrangers.Youcanexpectsomegoodlooking

guysandsomegoodlookinggirls,withintelligencetoboot.Mostofall,youcanexpecttopnotch

academics,taughtbytopnotchprofessorsintopnotchfacilities,whichallcontributetoaninteractiveand

personallearningexperiencethatssimplyunparalleled.

Becauseabout95percentofDavidsonstudentsliveoncampusallfouryears,dormandfood

qualityisprettyawesomeatDavidson.ManyofDavidsonsdormshavebeenrenovatedwithinthelast

severalyears.BecauseDavidsonhasdonesuchagreatjobkeepingthe

dormsupdated,thesmallestroomsarelargeincomparisontothoseof

manyschools,andthedormsaregenerallywellmaintained.Davidson,

despiteitstinystudent,offersawidevarietyoffoodsintheirdininghalls,

sonomatterwhatyourelookingfor,youreboundtofinditatDavidson.

Davidsonsfinancialaid,asmentionedbefore,isexcellent.Notonlydo

theymeetfullneed,buttheyreoneofthefewcollegesthathasanoloanpolicyinsteadofhavingloans

inyourfinancialaidpackage,theygiveyouDavidsongrants,whichisanamazingoffer.Applyto

Davidson!Ifyouendupasastudentthere,youllbehappybothacademicallyANDfinancially!

14. EmoryUniversity 20112012AcceptanceRate:27%


EmoryisafantasticschoolyouallshouldstronglyconsiderEmoryhasgreatprofessors,classes,

ANDafun,livelycitytoexplore.

Emoryisconsistentlyrankedoneofthetopschools

forareason.Emoryalsoconsistentlyranksinthetopfive

nationwideformostAcademicAllAmericansandmost

postgraduatescholars.Theschoolisfullofnationally,even

globally,acclaimedprofessorswhoareexpertsintheirfields.Manyhaveevenauthoredtextbooks,which

theyhumblyuseintheirclasses.Otherthanintroductoryclasses,classsizesaretypicallysmallerthan20

orso,allowingforstudentstomakelastingconnectionswiththeirprofessors.TheEmoryemailsoftware,

LearnLink,allowsforeasycommunicationsbetweenprofessorsand

students,aswellasstudentsandtheirpeers.

Ifyou'resomeoneinterestedinmedicineresearch,orboth,Emoryis

probablytheperfectplaceforyou.Emoryisparticularlydistinctivein

theresearchopportunitiestheyoffertheirstudents,makingthemone

oftheleadinguniversitiesforsuchfields.

Emoryisprivilegedtohaveoneofthelargestuniversityendowments

inthenation,andthisalsoallowsfortheUniversitytoimproveuponandexpanditsacademics.Emory's

publichealthandbusinessschoolsarebothrankedintheTop5

nationally,andAtlantahasplentyofopportunitiesforgraduating

students.Emorytakesfulladvantageofthisbyholdingvarious

networkingeventsthroughouttheschoolyear.

TheirhugeendowmentalsoallowsforEmorytohavetheloan

replacementgapandtomeetfulldemonstratedneed!Ifyourfamily

makeslessthan$50,000,thenyoushouldexpecttoreceive0loansinyourfinancialaidpackage!Overall,

Emoryisafantasticuniversity,withamazingresources,andyoushouldstronglyconsiderapplying.

15. GrinnellCollege 20112012AcceptanceRate:32%


IappliedtoGrinnellsflyinbecauseIknewIreallywantedtogotoanLACwithagoodlanguage

programwithveryfriendlycommunity,allofwhichGrinnellCollegehave.Grinnellissuperuniqueand

interestingandmostpeopledontgiveitathoughtbecauseitsintherural

Midwest,butGrinnells$1.5billiondollarendowmentrivalsothertopLACs

likeWilliams,PomonaandAmherst.

GrinnellCollegeisoneofafewdozenUScollegesthatmaintainneedblind

admissionsandmeetsthefulldemonstratedfinancialneedofallU.S.

residentswhoareadmittedtothecollege.Grinnellishometosometruly

differentandintelligentpeople.Grinnellhasanopencurriculumwhichencourages

studentstotakeinitiativeandassumeresponsibilityfortheircourseofstudy.Nearly

allofGrinnellsteachingstaffhasaPh.DandtheacademiccommunityofGrinnell

alsoputsastrongemphasisnotonlyonrigorbutusingyourknowledgetodowellso

muchofGrinnellissociallyactive(suchaspolitics,education,etcetc.).One

GrinnellianIhadtheprivilegeoftalkingtoldmethis:Theonethingthatmakes

Grinnelliansalike,however,ifthattheyaretrulydriven,passionate,hardworkingpeople.

Grinnellsopencurriculumstressesitsliberalartseducationbyonlyrequiringafirstyeartutorial

(whichisafunanddifferentkindofclass)andrequirementswithinyourmajor.Usuallyamajorrequires

32credits124arerequiredtograduate.Grinnell'sarguablyproudestproductistheconceptofself

government,whichdictatesthatthegovernmentisinthestudents'hands.It'susuallycommonsense,but

basicallyauthorityfiguresstayoutofmostlyeverythingbecauseweareadults.AtGrinnellyouonlyneed

twopeopletostartaclub.

There'snoGreeklifesoIguessthatcanbeaprooracon

dependingontheperson.Ohandstudentgovernmenthasabudget

of$450ksoyeahGOBIGASSENDOWMENTS.After

graduating,Grinnellianssuccessfullyenterprofessionsrangingfrom

investmentbankingtoteachingtoPeaceCorpsvolunteeringtomedicineeveryoneatGrinnellisso

differentandquirky.Grinnellisareallygreatplacetonotonlyjustspecializeinonethingbuttogetyour

feetwetinatonofsubjectsandinterests.Plusyoumeetsomereallyamazingpeople.

16. HamiltonCollege 20122013AcceptanceRate:27.1%


HamiltonCollegeoffersitsstudentsanincredibleopportunitytotakeadvantageofanintellectual

facultyandstudentbodythroughsmallclassrooms,supportivecomputer

networks,andfairlymagnificentcampusfacilities.Hamiltonstudentshave

greathousingoptions,greatoffcampusdining,andhavesnowballfights

together!Unlikealmosteveryothercollege,Hamiltonoffersa21mealplan

andstudentscancomeandgoastheypleasebetweenclasses,youcangrab

acupofcoffeeandstillbeabletocomebackanhourlaterforlunch.

Theprofessorsarethebestreasonstudentslovethisschool.Professorswillgooutoftheirwayto

helpastudentsaslongastheyaren'tafraidtoask.Classesarehard,andthegreatestprofessorsareoften

themostdemanding.Theychallengestudentstothinkindependentlyin

theclassroom,anditisveryrareforaprofessortoonlylecture.

Discussionscarryalotofweight,eveninmathandscienceclasses.

Professorsareaccessibleoutsideoftheclassroomaswell,and

happilytalktotheirstudentsaboutwhatishappeningintheirlives

beyondacademics.Advisorscalltheirstudentstotalkabouteverything.Professorstakeinterestin

students'livesandareexceedinglyhelpfulforamultitudeofworries.

HamiltonCollege'smissionstatementisthatthey'recommittedtotheintellectualandpersonal

developmentofstudentstheyseektonourishaloveoflearning,acreativespirit,andaninformedand

responsibleengagementwithaneverchangingworld.AtHamilton,besidesthethreerequired

writingintensivecourses,therearenodistributionrequirementsthey

believethatthatstudentsshouldtakecoursesbecausethey'reinterested

inthem,notbecausetheyhavetotakethecoursetograduate.

Ifyou'reinterestedinresearch,Hamiltonisstillagreatoption

foryou.Throughindependentprojects,theSeniorProgram,andsummer

internshipswithfacultymembers,Hamiltonprovidesanlargenumberof

opportunitiesforstudentstoengagein,oftenpublishable,researchattheundergraduatelevel.

Hamiltoniscommittedtoitsreputationasaschoolofopportunity,soifyouneedasignificant

amountoffinancialaid,noneedtoworrybecauseHamiltonmeetsfulldemonstratedneed!

17. HarveyMuddCollege 20112012AcceptanceRate:17.9%


Unlikemosttopengineeringschoolsinthecountry,HarveyMuddCollegeisfocusedentirelyon

undergraduateeducation,andthecollegefrequentlyranks#1or#2

amongtopundergraduateengineeringcolleges.HarveyMuddgraduates

havesomeofthehighestaveragesalariesofanycollegeinthecountry.

LocatedinClaremont,California,HarveyMuddisamemberof

theClaremontCollegeswithScrippsCollege,PitzerCollege,Claremont

McKennaCollege,andPomonaCollege.Studentsatanyofthesefive

highlyselectivecollegescaneasilycrossregisterforcoursesontheothercampuses,andtheschools

sharemanyresources.Becauseofthiscollaboration,HarveyMuddisasmallcollegewiththeresources

ofamuchlargerone.

HMCistinyliberalartscollegewithunder800undergradstotalwhichdefinitelycreatesasmall

communitythatisverytightknit.HMCresearchisnotascuttingedgelikearesearchuniversitysuchas

CaltechorMIT,buthereundergraduatestudentsactuallygettoparticipatemeaningfullyinresearch.That

makesHMCexceptionallygoodaspreparingfutureacademicorindustryresearchersinmyopinion,

betterthanresearchuniversitiesthemselves.HMChasagood

location(dependingonyourinclination)nottoofarfromLos

Angelesandbothanhourawayfromthebeachandthemountains.

OffcampusClaremontisnotveryexcitingbutstudentsspendmost

oftheirtimeatthe5Csanyway.LAhaslotsofculturetoexplore

onweekendsandthenearbymountainsaregoodforoutdoortype

people.

Lastly,HarveyMuddhasAMAZINGfinancialaid.Theypromisetomeet100%demonstrated

need,soyoudonthavetoworryaboutdiggingyourselfinalotofdebttogohere.Whatsevenmore

impressiveisthat83%ofallHarveyMuddstudentsreceivesomesortoffinancialaid,whichjustfurther

proveshowcommittedtheyaretomakingtheirschoolaffordable.Istronglyencourageyoutoapplyitsa

greatschoolwithbrilliantstudents!

IfyoureinterestedinHarveyMuddatall,applytotheirflyinprogram,FAST!

http://newwww.hmc.edu/admission/fast/

18. HaverfordCollege 20112012AcceptanceRate:23.26%

FacultytoStudentRatio:8:1

Whilenotverywellknown,likesomeoftheIvies,HaverforddoesrankverywellonUSNews

liberalartslist!Currently,itslistedas#9,butwhocaresaboutrank?Itssmallsize(UNDER1200for

entirestudentbody)andlocationmakeitacloseknitcommunity,

andatthesametimeitsNOTcutofffromamazingopportunities

oftheamazingcityofPhiladelphia.

Thereisalsothetricollegeconsortiumwherestudentsof

HaverfordcancrossenrollatBrynMawrandSwarthmore.Ifthe

classyourelookingforisntatanyofthosethreeschools,youcan

eventakeclassesatPenn(yes,evenWharton).Sothiscreatesresearchuniversityresourceswitha

lovelyliberalartsfeel.Bestofbothworlds!

ThehonorcodeisaHUGEpartofHaverford.Andyes,thissupplementisgoingtobedifficult(the

supplementhasntchangedinthelasttwoyearsatleast),butifyoutrulywanttoattend,youcanpullitout

(or,insomepeoplescase,haveoverenthusiasticHaverfordadmitshelp,coughcough).Thehonorcodeis

amazing,itcreatesamorerelaxedatmosphere.Inthedininghall,theresamoundofbackpacksnearthe

entrance,theyhavesomuchtrust,theykindofjustleaveitallthere,awesome!

Also,ifyouresomeoneinterestedinengineering,Haverfordnotonlyhasa3/2programwith

Caltech,buttheyalsohaveanawesome4+1programwithPenn,whereyouearnyourbachelorsat

HaverfordandanengineeringmastersatPenn.

FinancialAidwise,thisschoolisgold!100%fullneedAND

NOLOANSINTHEPACKAGE!!!Thatmeans,ifyour

determinedneedis59,000,that59,000willcompriseofgrants,

nothingyouhavetopayback.Haverfordalsohasawesome

studentsattending,likethisreallyawesomegirlnamedAlexis

Schafsnitz.Ifyouhaveanyotherquestions,youcanjustmessageAlexisSchafsnitz,thatawesome

Haverfordgirl.

19. KenyonCollege 20122013AcceptanceRate:38%


Kenyonprovidesatopnotcheducationinanidyllicsetting.Theclasssizesaresmall,usuallyno

morethan15students,allowingformorediscussion.Studentsmustparticipatein

classdailyandcomeinpreparedtowork.Professorshaveopenofficepolicies

andarewillingtomeetwithstudentsanytimeoftheday.Thelearningcommunity

allowsforgreaterinteractionbetweenfacultyandstudents.Oftenpresentonthe

syllabusisahomephonenumber,tobeusedwheneveraquestioncomesup.

ThoughKenyondoesattractsomehighprofileprofessors,theseinstructorsare

requiredtointeractwithstudentsinthesamemannerasanyotherprofessoratanyothercollege.

Kenyonsdininghallisuniqueinthatyoucanwalkrightinandeatyourmeal.Thereisnoswipe

cardsystem,nonumberofbreakfastitemsthatyoucaneat.ThisisbecauseKenyonhasnomealplan.

StudentspayastandardfeeforallyoucaneatfoodwheneverPeirceHallisopen,whichisreally

awesomeifyouknowyou'reabigeater.:3

Generally,studentsflocktoKenyonforitsexcellentEnglish

literatureprogram.ThesmalltownofGambierishometoThe

KenyonReview,oneofthenation'spremierliteraryjournals,and

readingssponsoredbythejournalareheldthroughouttheyear,and

creativewritingclassesarealsoabigdraw.Othermajorsat

Kenyonareontherise,withanewlybuiltsciencefacilitydrawingthoseinterestedinpremed.Anew

studioartbuildingiscurrentlyintheworksandisexpectedtoenhancethenumberofartmajors,too.

Kenyonhasalotofuniquefactsabouttheircollegethatyoushouldseriouslyconsider,andthelist

theygatheredhereissomethingyoushoulddefinitelylookthrough:http://www.kenyon.edu/x714.xml

KenyonalsohasaLOTofnotablealumni.JohnGreen?Kenyonalumni!Kenyon'sjob

shadowingnetworkhelpsstudentstryacareeronforsizebyspendingtimewithalumni

orparentprofessionals.TheKenyonCareerNetworkconnectsstudentswithmorethan

8,000Kenyonalumniandparentswhohavevolunteeredtoprovidecareeradvice.

Lastly,Kenyonfinancialaidisdefinitelygreat!Theypromisetomeet100%

demonstratedneed!Ifyou'reinterestedinKenyonatall,applytotheirflyinprogram!

http://www.kenyon.edu/x1697.xml

20. LafayetteCollege 20112012AcceptanceRate:34%


OneofthebestqualitiesofLafayetteisitscommunityatmosphere.Students

supportoneanother,andspendalmosteverywakingmomenttogether,and

thisclosecomfortisahugebenetfit.LafayetteCollegestudentsknowhowto

workhard.Theyallknowwhattheyaregettingintowiththeintensecourse

load,buttheyalsolovetohavefunwiththeirfriendsanditshows.TheGreek

systemandnightlifearepopularandsocialorganizationsarethriving.

LafayetteCollegeislaudedforanumberofthings:itsstrongliberalartsprogram,stellar

engineeringdepartment,andsmallstudenttoteacherratio.EngineeringisoneoftheCollegestopfive

majors,alongwithEnglish,psychology,andsocialsciences.Mosthumanitiesclassesdonotexceed1520

students,withengineering/scienceclassesrunning2530students.

Curriculumdependslargelyontheindividualstudentsdegree.

BachelorofSciencedegreesaregenerallymorestructured,with

certaincoursesthatneedtobetakenatcertainpointsofthe

academicyear.Engineeringmajors,forexample,haveasetagenda

forthefouryearsoftheircollegecareer.Liberalartsmajors,on

theotherhand,havemorewiggleroomintermsofwhatclassestheywanttotake.MostBachelorofArts

majorsrequirenineto11coursesinagivenspecialty.Itisnotunusualtofindliberalartsstudentswhoare

doublemajors,soifthatsinyourplans,considerLafayette!

LafayetteCollegescampusisalsobeautiful.Thequad,fullofgrassandtrees,isbreathtaking.

Treeslinethestreetsthatlooparoundthebuildings,andthestatueoftheMarquis

deLafayetteoverlooksthebeautifulfountainofColtonChapel.Thebasementof

thestudentcenteralsohastheLimburgTheater,wheremonthlyscreeningsof

recentlyreleasedfilmsplaythroughouttheweek.TheKirbySportsCenterisalso

prettyremarkabletheresarockclimbingwall,twoindoorswimmingpools,the

indoortrack,squashandracquetballcourts,andtheKaminegym.

Lastly,financialaid.Lafayetteiscommittedtohelpingstudentsofallfinancialbackgroundsafford

ouractive,globallyconnectededucation,soevenifyouneedalotoffinancialaid,Lafayettewillgiveitto

you!Theresnoneedtoworry,sogoonandapply!

21. LehighUniversity 20112012AcceptanceRate:33%


Ladiesandgentz,IpresenttoyouLehighUniversity!LocatedinbeautifulBethlehem,

Pennsylvania,Lehighissituatedinasmalltownenvironmentwith

acresoffieldsandhills.Itconsistentlyranksamongthetop30

universitiesinthenation,andisaDivision1athleticschool!

Lehighisgreatforitsengineeringandbusiness/finance

programsandplacesgreatemphasisongraduatingstudentswhoare

wellrounded(i.e.theirbusinessprogramnotonlyfocusesonthe

abstractsofeconomics,butalsothepracticalskillsneededforpropermanagementandapplication).

TherearegreattravelservicesofferedbytheschoolnamelytheMountaintopbusandTRACS.

Theyoffertransportationtothehikingtrailsonthenearbymountains

andstudentsraveabouttheviewoverlookingLehighValleyatthe

summit.Thecampusisbeautifulduringallfourseasonsandthereis

plentyofvitaminDtosoakupduringthesummer.Bigcitieslike

PhiladelphiaandNewYorkCityarelessthan90milesaway,and

studentsdotrekoutwardsforthecitylife.

Unfortunately,Lehighsstudentbodyhasthereputationoflackingdiversityandbeinghometo

rich,white,straightmaleshowever,manyprogramslikeDlifeandLGBTgroupshavesprungupto

increasediversityandacceptanceacrosscampus!Thesocialsceneisgreatfraternitiesandsororities

(Greeklife)aboundinLehigh,andtheathleticstudentbodyisnoeyesore.Everyyearthebiggameis

LehighvLafayette(theircollegerival).

Additionally,Lehighsalumninetworkdoesagreatjobintakingcareof

theirstudentstheschooladvisorsareefficientinlandingnearbyinternshipsand

opportunitiesforthecurrentstudentswithinBethlehem.Definitelylookintothis

school,andgiveitashot!

Oh,andincaseyou'reworriedaboutpayingtogohere,don't.Lehigh

meetsdemonstratedaid!

22. MacalesterCollege 20122013AcceptanceRate:34%


MacalesterCollegeisoneofthemostunderratedcollegesoutthere!Itllbehardtofindastudent

atMacalesterwhodoesn'twanttobethere.Theintimacyofthesmall

campusgivesstudentsasenseofcommunityandsupport,yettheliberal

spiritoftheCollegegivesstudentsthespaceandindependencethey

needtomaketheirowndecisionsandexperiences.Theprofessorsand

theCollegestaffatMacarenottheretodrawconclusionsforstudents

ortotellthemwhattothinkrather,theyaretheretohelpundergrads

maketheirownchoices.Ifyou'reinterestedingettingafantasticeducationandmeetingsomevery

amiableandinterestingindividualsalongtheway,Macalesteristherightschoolforyou.

StudentsoftenpraisethesenseofbalancetheygetbygoingtocollegeatMacalester.Most

studentsdon'thavetospendeveryweekendcoopedupdoinghomework,yettheworkloadischallenging

enoughthatstudentscan'taffordtomakeeverydayaparty.

Macalesterstudentsknowhowtousetheirtimewell,andprofessors

assignprojectsandpapersinadvanceanddon'twastetimewith

busywork.Studentsalsofindbalancebygoingtoaschoolthatfeelslike

asmallvillage,butislocatedinthemetropolitanTwinCitiesarea,

whichoffersplentyofworkandrecreationalopportunities.Aboveall,thevarietyofintelligent,friendly,

andgoodnaturedpeoplewhomyoufindatMacalesteristrulyoneofthemostimpressiveandcelebrated

aspectsthatMacalesteroffers.Studentsdosometimesgrumbleabouttheweather,thefood,andthe

smallnessofthecampus,butmostagreethatthosecomplaintsaretrivialinthegrandschemeofthings.

Besidesthefactthatitslocationisawesome,herearesomequickfacts:Lastyear,Macalester

facultywere#3amongpeersforNationalScienceFoundationGrants!72%ofstudentshadaninternship

thattheyreportthatithelpedthemmakefutureplans.17istheaverageclasssize,wherestudentsengage

inapowerfuldynamicwithgreatresults.60%ofstudentsstudyabroadinover45countries!

Lastly,Macalester,althoughnotaQuestBridgepartner,meets

100%need,soyou'dreceiveagreateducationforavery,very

reasonableprice.Macalesterisagreatliberalartsschool,andyou

should,attheveryleast,considerapplyingthere!:)

23. MiddleburyCollege 20122013AcceptanceRate:19.2%


MiddleburyCollegeisaprestigiousliberalartscollegelocatedin

Vermont.AlthoughitsnotaQuestBridgepartnercollege,Iencourage

youtoapply!Itsacademicreputation,alongwithitsamazingfinancial

aid,putsitinthesameleagueasQuestBridgepartnercolleges.

First,Middleburyhasgreatfinancialaid.Studentswithfamilies

earning

24. OberlinCollege 20112012AcceptanceRate:30%

StudenttoFaculty:11:1

FreedomistheonewordthatepitomizesOberlinCollege.Itputsthe

liberalinliberalartscolleges.Infact,thereisastudentrundepartmentcalled

theExperimentalCollege.ThecoursestaughtintheExperimentalCollegeare

taughtbythestudentsthemselvesforalimitednumberofcredits.

Foralongtimenow,Oberlinhashadthereputationforbeingahavenfor

liberals/progressives.Oberlinhasalwaysbeenatthevanguardofprogressive

movementsineducation.Itshistoryisproofofthis.IntheDecemberof1833,Oberlinbecamethefirst

coeducationalinstitutioninthecountry.Twoyearslater,Oberlinbecamethefirstpredominantlywhite

campustoacceptAfroAmericanstudents.Again,freedomistheonewordthatepitomizesOberlin.

Obies(Oberlinstudents)areoftenthoughtofasthestudentsthatneveractuallyfittedinatschool.Thus,

thesenseofacceptanceatOberlinisverygreat.Thestudentsexpressthemselveshowevertheyplease

andarenotjudgedforit.

Oberlin,ofcourse,providesagreatacademicexperience.Thisis

mainlyasaresultoftheveryclosebondsbetweenprofessorsand

students.ItisnotuncommonforanOberlinprofessortoinvitehis/her

studentstoacookoutattheirhome.Theprofessorsareinsanely

passionateaboutteachingandoftenleaddiscussionintensiveclasses.

Theseclassesmayseemintimidating,buttheyareactuallywhatmaketheacademicexperiencesogreat.

Theyallowformanyofthestudentstogetaccustomedtobeingspeakinginfrontoftheirpeers.

AlthoughOberlinisanacademicpowerhouse,Oberlinisalsoacenterforart.Itishometothe

veryprestigiousOberlinConservatoryofMusic.TheOberlinconservatoryhasareputationforproducing

alonglistofveryaccomplishedalumnisuchasSiminGanatraandSibbi

BernhardssonofthePacificaQuartet,MattHubbard,BrianChase,andthelistgoes

on.AsamemberoftheOberlinConservatory,youwillhavetheopportunityto

travelthroughoutthecountryandperformatmagnificentconcerthalls.

Inregardstofinancialaid,Oberlinisdefinitelyagreatchoice.Withsucha

hugeendowment,Oberlinmeets100%demonstratedneed.Thus,Oberlinwould

definitelybeagreatchoiceforthosethatarelookingforatrulyliberalacademicexperience.

25. OccidentalCollege 20112012AcceptanceRate:42%

StudenttoFacultyratio:10:1

OccidentalCollege,oftenreferredtoas"Oxy,"isacoeducationalliberalartsschoollocatedin

LosAngeles,California.PresidentBarackObamadescribes

Occidentalasa"wonderful,smallliberalartscollege"andcallsthe

professors"diverseandinspiring."Everyotherstudentas

Occidentalwouldsurelyagree.

OccidentalisnestedintheEagleRockneighborhoodof

LosAngeles,providingthesmall,tightknitfeelofaliberalartscollegewhilebeinglocatedinoneofthe

largestcitiesintheUnitedStates.Thisisappealingformanystudentswhowantastrongconnectionwith

theirpeersandprofessors,butwhoalsowanttoexplorealloftheopportunitiesLosAngeleshastooffer.

TheprofessorsandfacultyatOccidentalhavedevelopedwhatmostattheschoolcallthe

"StrategicPlan"whichsolidifiesthekeyvaluesoftheschool:

academiccommons,thearts,civicengagement,aninterdisciplinary

corecurriculum,diversityequityandexcellence,environmental

stewardship,policyandscience,globalcitizenship,theresidential

collegeanddevelopingthewholestudent,teaching,and

undergraduateresearch.Occidentalplacesafocusonresearchthat

isunmatchedbymostliberalartscolleges.Eachstudentisassignedanadvisorintheschool'sCollege

AdvisingCenter,butalsotoanotherfacultymemberforpersonalacademicadvisingandresearch.

OccidentalCollegealsooffersjointdegreeprogramswithColumbia,KeckGraduateInstitute,andthe

CaliforniaInstituteofTechnology.

OccidentalCollegeshoulddefinitelybeconsideredbythose

seekingatightknit,diverse,academicallydrivenstudentbodywiththe

perksofalargecitywithinarmsreach.Occidental'sfinancialaidstrivesto

makethispossibleforeveryadmittedstudent,andonaverage,Occidental

meets100%ofdemonstratedfinancialneedforstudentswhoapply.

Lastly,ifyoureinterestedinOccidentalatall,applytotheirflyin

program!

https://oxyadmission.wufoo.com/forms/q7x0a7/

26. PomonaCollege 20122013AcceptanceRate:12.89%


WidelyconsideredthebestliberalartscollegeintheWestCoast,

andaworthycontenderforthebestofthebest,Pomonaisaliberalarts

collegethatpridesitselfonbalance.

Pomonaisasmallschool,butithasthebestdesignedconsortium

systeminthecountry.Insteadofrelyingonpublictransportation,Pomona

studentsneedtowalknomorethan10minutestogettofiveamazingliberal

artcolleges:HarveyMudd,Pitzer,ClaremontMcKenna,andScripps.Withtheconsortiumcome7dining

halls,2500classes,alimitlessnumberofevents,andover7000peopletomeet.Nonetheless,Pomona

studentsenjoyallthebenefitsofaliberalartsschool:anurturingcommunity,smallseminarstyledclasses,

andgreatprofessors.I'dcheckoutallofthesecollegesbecausethey

meet100%ofapplicantneed!

Thebestwaytocharacterizethestudentshereisthattheyrenot

reallyabletobecharacterized.Youmightbeclosefriendswitha

partyragingjockwholovesfootballandphysicsandaquietloner

whoexcelsinballroomdancingandcreativewriting.Everyoneis

howeverdrivenandsmart.

PomonahasthemostsciencemajorsofanyQuestbridgeliberalartscollege(40%)andanequalnumber

ofhumanitymajors.Pomonaenjoysagreatlocation.Locatedinsafe,

sunny,andbeautifulClaremont,Pomonaislessthananhourawayfrom

snowcappedmountains,thedesert,thePacificOcean,LosAngeles,

Disneyland,andnationalforests.JustastepawayfromtheClaremont

Villageandatrainstation,Pomonastudentsenjoythebestofbothworlds.

Lastly,Pomona'sfinancialaidisphenomenal!Notonlyarethey

needblind,buttheypromisetomeet100%need,sothere'snoneedtoworryabouthavingtopayifyougo

toPomona!Oh,andapplytoPomonasflyin!Admissioniscompetitive,butsoworthit!

http://www.pomona.edu/admissions/diversity/msapfallweekend.aspx

27. PitzerCollege 20122013AcceptanceRate:14.6%


PitzerCollegeisyetanotherexampleofanonQuestBridgepartnerwithgreatfinancialaid.Pitzer

isoneofthefiveClaremontColleges,whichisagreatresource

foritsstudentsbecauseofthesharedresourceswithinthe

claremontcollegesystem.AtPitzer,it'salsopossibletocross

registerattheotherfourcolleges.Pitzerhasroughly1,000

studentsonits35acrecampus,butthecollaborationsbetween

theClaremontCollegesgivesittheresourcesofamuchlarger

university.

Pitzerhaseducationalobjectivesinsteadofcorerequirements,andthecurriculumishighly

interdisciplinarywithanemphasisonsocialjustice,interculturalunderstandingandenvironmental

sensitivity.Ifyourelookingforaschoolwithaflexiblecurriculum,Pitzeristheperfectplaceforyou.

Pitzerencouragesitsstudentstodeveloptheirownmajorandcourseofstudyiftheyfeelsoinclined,

whichiswhytheyoftendoublemajororcombinetheirmajorsinordertocompleteaconcentrationthat

intereststhemortofocusonanareaofspecialty.Pitzerisnotonlynumberoneinmostflexibleworkloads

butalsoinmostmanageableworkloads.Combined,thesetwofactorsmakeforaveryrelaxedcollege

environment.

ThePitzerCollegecommunityisespeciallyknownforitsinvolvementoutsideoftheclassroom.Its

studentsdonateover100,000hourstocommunityservice

annually,soifcommunityserviceissomethingyou'repassionate,

seriouslyconsiderPitzer!Ifyoureinterestedinresearch,Pitzer

isalsoagreatoptionbecausePitzerstudentshaveresearch

opportunitiesasearlyastheirfirstyear.AsaPitzerstudent,you

mayapplyforgrantmoneyanddoindependentstudiesand

researchforcredit.Asmentionedbefore,Pitzerhasgreat

financialaid.They'recommittedtomeeting100%demonstratedneed,soaslowincomestudents,Pitzeris

agreatoptionwithphenomenalresources.

28. ReedCollege 20112012AcceptanceRate:34%


DontbefooledbyReedsrankingitsoneofthemostprestigiousliberalartscollegesinthe

nation,evenoncebeingrankedinthetop10.Reedisasprestigious

asanyothertop10liberalartscollege.Whathappened?Reednever

agreedwiththerankingmethodologyusedbyUSNew,thus,Reed

stoppedsupplyingUSNewswiththeinformationthattheyrequest

and,asaresult,theirrankinghadadrasticdrop.

Anyway,likeSwarthmoreandOberlin,Reedisalsoa

havenforthosehardcoreliberalsandprogressives.Althoughitmaylackindiversity,Reedisavery

acceptingcommunity.YoudefinitelydonothavetoworryaboutfittinginatReed.Everythereisweird

andquirky,soyouarefreetobeyourweirdandquirkyself.ReedhasincrediblesupportfortheLGBTQ

community.Coincidentally,Reedisalsolocatedintheweirdest

cityofthemallPortland,Oregon.

Academically,Reedalsohasalongreputationforhavingoneof

themostintensecourseloads.However,donotletthisscare.This

iswhatmakesReedsuchanacademicpowerhouse.Inthelife

sciencesfield,Reedhasthe2ndhighestpercentageofgraduates

thatearnPhDs.Inthehumanitiesfield,Reedhasthe2ndhighestpercentageofgraduatesthatearnPhDs.

Inthephysicalsciencesfield,Reedhasthe3rdhighestpercentageofgraduatesthatearnPhDs.Inthe

psychologyfield,Reedhasthe11thhighestpercentageofgraduatesthatearnPhDs.Intheothersocial

sciencesfield,Reedhasthe2ndhighestpercentageofgraduatesthatearnPhDs.

Reedalsoprovidesgreatfinancialaidpackagesandmeets100%ofastudentsdemonstrated

need.OveronethirdofReediesdonotreceivefinancialaid,sothereisplentytogoaround.Also,the

averageReediegraduateswithaloandebtof$16,910,whereas,theaverageAmericanstudentgraduates

withaloandebtof$27,000.Clearly,Reedprovidesyou

withnotonlyagreatacademicexperience,butalsogreat

financialaid.Thus,youshoulddefinitelyconsiderReed

Collegebecauseitsunlimitedfreedomandintensecourse

loadprovideanidealplacetohoneyouracademicskills.

29. ScrippsCollege 20112012AcceptanceRate:36%


Withanenrollmentofapproximately950students,Scrippsisacommunityofscholarlywomenall

workingindependentlyandtogethertocontributetosocietythroughleadership,service,integrity,and

creativity.AlthoughScrippsisanintimatecollege,studentshaveaccesstoallofthe

resourcesofalargeruniversity,sinceScrippsisafaithfulmemberofthe5

undergraduatecollegesintheClaremontConsortium:PitzerCollege(see#29onthislist),

HarveyMuddCollege(#18),PomonaCollege(#28),andClaremontMcKenna(#8).

Studentsmaytakeclassesatanyoftheotherconsortiumcollegesallwhileremaininga

proudScrippsie.(Thisisuseful,especiallyifyoudidntgetacceptedtoPomona/Harvey

Mudd/etc.youcanstilltakeclassesthere!)Scrippsiesalsohaveaccesstotheother

schoolsinternships,researchopportunities,events,parties,etc.The5Cs(whatthe

undergradcollegesoftheClaremontConsortiumarelovinglycalled)offerthe

encouragingfoundationofasmallliberalartscollegeallwhileprovidingthebreadthofprofessional

opportunities(andsize)auniversityoffers.Thismakesforasupportiveyetchallengingenvironment.

Now,IcanttellyoueverythingaboutScrippsina~300wordblurbhowever,Icangiveyoua

fewpointers.Gotoscrippscollege.edu(orjustWiki)andreadupabouttheschool.ReadabouttheCore

Curriculum,thecoursesofstudytheyoffer,theamazingnetwork

ofalumnae.Thencomeandaskmeaboutthesocialprosandcons:

theamazingdormstheevenmoreamazingfoodFamily,the

GayStraightAllianceoftheconsortiumtheprobodyimage

actionsScrippsistakingforitsfightformentalhealththeir

prosafetyapproachtoalcoholandsexthetypeofstudentsthe

collegeattractsthelackofalackofmen(yes,thereareindeed

menallovercampus)thesomewhatlackofdiversityoncampusbuttheyreworkingonitandanything

andeverythingelse.Also,Scrippshasfantasticaidtoo!Notonlydotheymeetfulldemonstratedneed,but

theyhavemeritscholarshipstopayforotherneedsaswell,sodontworryaboutaffordingScrippseither!

IfyouhaveevenabitofinterestinScripps,applytoDiscoverScripps,andcontactme,JasmineRussell.

Imhorribleatwritingconcisely(andthisneededtobeshort),butIloveScripps.Letmerambletoyou.

http://admission.scrippscollege.edu/discoverscrippsnomination

30. SmithCollege 20122013AcceptanceRate:42%


ATTENTIONLADIES!ApplytoSmithCollege,awomenscollegeinthequirkytownof

Northampton,Massachusetts.Goingtoawomenscollegeisaboutbeing

surroundedbyequallyambitiousyetamazingsupportivediversegroupof

women.ThismeansSmithhasoneofthelargeststudentbodiesamongwomens

colleges.However,thesearenottheonlystudentsyouwillbeinteractingwith.

Smithispartofthe5CollegeConsortium,consistingofAmherst,Hampshire

College,MountHolyoke,andUMassAmherst.Smithstudentscantakeclasses

andparticipateineventsinanyofthesefourcolleges,soyes!therearechancestomeetguysifyouwish,

byafreeshuttlebus.Intheend,atyourfingertipsisanopencurriculum,liberalartsenvironment(small

classesandcloseinteractionswithyourprofessorsandpeers)withabundantuniversityresources.

Bonus:Smithhasanartmuseumoncampus,itssculptureclassesinclude

bronzecasting,andover50%ofjuniorschoosetostudyabroadatSmiths

ownprogramsinFlorence,Geneva,HamburgandParisorotherprogramsall

acrosstheworld.

Mostliberalartscollegesoffera32programinEngineering.Well,atSmith

youcancompleteyourengineeringdegreeoncampusandin4years,rightintimetograduatewiththerest

ofyourpeers.Itisoneofthehandfulofcollegesinthiscountrythatoffersthisopportunity.Plus,the

PickerEngineeringProgramisexcellent.Thatwasoneofthefirstthingsthatattractedmetothiscollege.

Smithisuniqueinitshousing.Insteadofdormsandsororities,thereare36selfgoverninghouses

locatedin6differentpartofcampusinwhichyoucanlivein.Eachof

thesehouseshasanetworkofstudentsworkingtohelpyoutransition

fromhighschooltocollegeanditprovidesanexcellentchancetomake

friendsfromallfouryears.Eachhousealsohasitsowntraditionsand

parties.Someevenhavetheirownlibrariesormagnificentdiningrooms.

Lastly,ifIhavenotconvincedyouenough,Smith,whileNOTaQuestBridgepartner,meetsfull

demonstratedneedsoyouwillgetthemoneyyouneedtoattendthisincrediblecollege.

Don'tforgettoapplytoitsflyin,WomenofDistinction,toexperienceSmithforyourself!

https://www.smith.edu/admission/wod/apply/login.php

31. SwarthmoreCollege 20122013AcceptanceRate:14.05%


WedenystereotypesiswhatoneSwarthmorestudentoncesaidinaninterview.Afterwatching

thissceneinSwarthmoreUnscripted,Ibecameenamoredwiththe

institution.Swarthmoreisaninstitutionwhereyoucantrulybewhat

youwanttobe.AtSwarthmore,youcanbeyourselfandforgetwhat

othersoncethoughtofyou.AtSwarthmore,youwillbeacceptedby

everyone.ThisiswhyIbelievethatSwarthmoretrulyepitomizesthe

senseofcommunitythatliberalcollegesaimtohave.Swarthmores

senseofcommunityisalsobackedupbyits8to1studentfacultyratioanditshonorcode.

Thesmalloftheinstitutionnotonlyaffectsyouonasociallevel,butalsoonanacademiclevel.In

college,youwillcomeacrossdifferentareasofstudy,butyoumaynotfindtheopportunitytostudythat

topicatyourschool.AtSwarthmore,however,youmayrequestthe

courseandhaveoneononesessionswithyourprofessors.This,I

believe,helpslowerthebarrierbetweenstudentandprofessor.At

Swarthmore,theprofessorsaremorethanjustyourmentorsyour

professorsareyourfriends.Swarthmoreprofessorsactuallywant

youtosucceedandaretheretohelpyouasmuchastheycan.

Forallyouengineeringmajorsoutthere,heresthegreatthingaboutSwarthmore:THEYHAVE

ENGINEERING!Thatsright,theyrealiberalartscollegewithanactualABETaccreditedengineering

department!Soevenifengineeringisoneofyourinterests,yououghttostronglyconsiderSwarthmore,

becausenotonlyaretheyoneofthefewLACsthatdoestheyhaveengineeringbuttheirengineering

departmentisactuallyprettydamngood,too.

Swarthmorescostofattendanceisabout60k.Soundsscary,right?Fearnot.Amongstliberalarts

colleges,Swarthmorehasthefourthhighestendowment.Itisvaluedatover1.4billiondollars.

Swarthmorealsomeets100%ofeachstudentsdemonstratedneed.Whatdoes

thismean?ItmeansthatSwarthmoreiswillingtodoasmuchasittakestoget

youtobeapartoftheircommunity.Thus,youshouldapplytoSwarthmore

becauseitfostersacommunityoflearnedindividualsthatarenotthereto

competewitheachotherbuttoactuallylearn.

32. TrinityCollege 20122013AcceptanceRate:31%


MostofyouwillprobablylookdownatTrinityCollegejustbecauseitsnotwellknown,butitisa

topnotchschoolthatiscomparabletoeventhetopLACs.

HeressomekickassfactsaboutTrinity:

TheFirstYearProgramatTrinityCollegeisdesignedto

integratetheacademicandcommunitylifeoffirstyear

students.Theprogramincludesfirstyearseminarswhichare

designedtotrainstudentstowrite,discuss,andthinkcritically.

TrinityisamongthefewselectiveliberalartscollegesthatofferanABETaccreditedengineering

program.TrinityalsooffersaFiveYearEngineeringprogramwithRensselaerPolytechnicInstitute.

StudentschoosingthisprogramreceivetheB.S.degreeinengineeringfromTrinityafterfouryearsand

theM.S.degreefromRensselaerafterthefifthyear.

Approximately70%ofTrinityundergraduatesstudyabroadorinanotherU.S.citybeforegraduating,

mostforasemesteroracademicyear.

Trinitysfinancial,likemostoftheotherQuestBridgepartners,meets100%demonstratedneed,sodonot

beconcernedaboutmoneybecausetheyhaveitforyou.

TrinityCollegewillofferyouavarietyofopportunities,

alongwithanintelligentstudentbody,andyoushould

definitelyconsiderapplying!

Oh,andifyoureinterestedinvisitingthisawesomeschool,

applyfortheirflyinprogram!Itsfree!:)

http://www.trincoll.edu/StudentLife/Diversity/Pages/Preview.aspx

33. TuftsUniversity 20122013AcceptanceRate:18.7%


TuftsisSUCHagreatschool,andyoushouldreally

considerapplyinghere!Notonlyistheircampusbeautifulandina

greatlocation,buttheacademicsandfinancialaidarephenomenal.

Tobemorespecificthough,Tuftshasanawesomecourse

variety!Theresclassesforso,somanythings,frombugsto

massagetherapy,ANDyougetcreditforthem.Additionally,Tuftshasmany,manyresearchand

internshipopportunities,soifthatssomethingyoureparticularlyinterestedin,Tuftsisagreatoptionfor

you.BecauseofTuftslocation,youdalsohaveaccesstothegreatcityofBoston,whichisliterallyonly

sixmilesaway.Atthesametimethough,Tuftscampusisstillisolatedenoughtogiveyouthetruefeeling

ofbeingonacollegecampus.

Ifyouresomeonewhosinterestedinengineering,Tuftsisalsoaplaceyoushouldconsider

applyingto.TuftsoffersABETaccrediteddegreesineightareas,

ASWELLassevenuniqueadditionalmajors,including

EngineeringPhysics,EngineeringPsychology,andEnvironmental

Health.LikeTuftssCollegeofArtsandSciences,youllalsohad

aridiculouslylargenumberofopportunitiestoparticipatein

researchandinternshipsasanengineeringmajor.Tuftsisa

phenomenalchoiceforyourundergraduatestudies,regardlessofwhatyouwanttostudy!

Besidesgreatacademics,Tuftsalsohasanamazingcommunity.Tuftssstudentbodyis

consistentlyrankedasoneofthehappieststudentbodies,andthisisprobably

duetothefactthatTuftsisanincredibleschool.NotonlyareTuftsstudents

awesome,butTuftsdiningfoodisgloriousANDhealthy!Whilethisfactmay

seemirrelevant,butyouregoingtospendfouryearshere!

Lastly,Tuftshasamazingfinancialaid.Ifyourparentsmakeless

than60Kayear,Tuftswontevenincludeanyloansinyourfinancialaid

package!ApplytoTufts,guys!Theresnoreasonnotto!

AndifyouwanttovisitTuftsthisfall,forfree,applytoVoicesofTufts!Itsagreatexperience!

http://admissions.tufts.edu/voices

34. UnionCollege 20112012AcceptanceRate:38%


So,whatmakesUniondifferent?1)Incredibleacademics.Theclassroomsizesareverysmalland

incrediblydevotedprofessorswithlongofficehours.Furthermore,itseasytohave

aninterdisciplinarymajorortodesignyourownmajor.2)Funding.Although

studentsareintodoingtheirownthing,fundingisavailableforjustaboutanything.

Wanttostartaclub?Get10peopleandwriteabudget.Wanttoorganizeaprotest

inDC?GetanIEG(IntellectualEnrichmentGrant)and/oraSEG(Social

EnrichmentGrant)orfindfundingfromaparticulardepartment.3)TheMinervaSystem.Nooneknows

whereexactlythehousesystemwilltakeUnion,butithasthepotentialtoaddalottothecampus.

Theacademicsherearechallenging,whichissomethingUnionisveryfondof.Sinceitsfounding

in1795,Unionsacademicshavebeensomeofthestrongestinthecountry.Itsevidentfromthestudents

opinionsthatacademicsarethepriorityofthecollegeandoftheprofessors.Collegeismeanttobe

challenging,andtheprofessorsatUnionreallypushyoutonotonlyto

performwellontestsandtosucceedintheclassroom,butalsototrulyto

understandthematerial.Theprofessorsmakethemselvesavailable,dayor

night,oftengivingouthomephonenumbersandemailaddresses,andthey

areveryhelpfulwhenstudentsmeetwiththem.Beforefinals,professors

willusuallyhaveafewlatenightstudysessionsfortheirstudentsand

extensiveofficehours.Thiscomesinhandyduringsomeofthoselatenightcrammingsessionsorjust

whenyourefreakingoutbeforefinals.Classsizesaresmall,whichissomethingthatenhancesthe

classroomexperienceandoffersstudentstheopportunitytobecomemorethanjustanumber.

UnionCollegewasthefirstcollegetobecharteredbytheNewYorkBoardofRegents,andwas

alsothefirstliberalartscollegetoofferengineeringin1845.Evenifyourplansinvolveengineering,

considerUnionbecausetheyhaveprettysolidengineeringprogramsthey'reevenABETaccredited!

Lastly,Union'sfinancialaidisalsoprettyspectacular!They

promisetomeetfulldemonstratedneed,soifyougotoUnion,youwill

receiveaworldclasseducationforalowcost!Oh,andifyou're

worriedaboutyourtestscoresnotbeinguptofarforUnion,don'tbe.

They'reatestoptionalschool!

35. UniversityofVirginia 20122013AcceptanceRate:29.4%


Hello!ImgoingtotalktoyouabouttheUniversityofVirginia.Itwasmydreamschoolforfour

years.Everysingleyear,itseitherrankedasnumberoneortwofor

thepublicschools.AccordingtoWikipedia(andIknow,Iknowits

notareliablesource,butImusingitfortherestofmahlife),UVAis a

publicivy.Ifyouwantthewholecollegeexperience,gothere!There

aretonsofpartiesovertheweekends,itssizeisapproximately21,000

students,andtheclassesarereallyheartwarming.Iwenttoa

psychologyclassthereonce,andtheprofessorthattaughttheclasshadaoneononeconversationwithall

200+studentsonthefirstfewdaysofclassandaskedthemhowtheywouldvetaughttheclassandwhat

theyhopedtocontributetopsych.Ithoughtthatwasreallycoolbecause

apparently,duetothestudents,thatclassisdifferenteveryyear,and

whatintrotoanythingteacherwillsitdownandtalktoyouaboutwhat

youexpectoutofaclass?

Ialsowanttotalkabouttheview.Ohmahgod.Itskindaonahill,well

notreally.Themaincampgroundisonthehillandtherearebuildings

thatareontheslopesofthehills.Whenyouwakeupinthemorning,youcansmellthispinegreen,likethe

smellfromalogcabinresort.Also,ifyoulikevintage,theshopsarounditrepresentColonialWilliamsburg

andthefoodthereisawesome!

Last,butdefinitelynotleast,Iwannatalkaboutfinancialaid.First,UVAisoneoftheonlypublic

schoolsthatisneedblindandwillmeet100%ofyourneed.However,Ido

havetowarnyou,therecanbeloans(somepeoplegetthem,othersdontfor

somereason).Theirendowmentisntaslargeastheivies(familyincomeunder

40,000)buttheydotrytogiveyouscholarships.So,maybethisisntyourtop

choice,butitsdefinitelyaschoolyoushouldconsiderincaseyourother

schoolsdontworkoutasplanned.TheyLOVEquesties,sodefinitelyconsider

UVa!Ifyouhaveanyquestionsabouttheschool,oranythingingeneral,please

donthesitatetocontactKerryorme,JennyLi.Althoughifyouwanttoknowmoreabouttheclasses,

contactKerrybecauseshesgoingtherenextfall!Goodluckonyourcollegesearch!

36. VassarCollege 20122013AcceptanceRate:23.1%


Vassarisabeautifulliberalartscollege.WhenIvisited,studentsweregreat!Thecommunityisn't

competitiveit'sverynurturing.Studentsarentafraidtobethemselves,andthe

studentfacultyrelationshipisamazing.Sinceit'saLAC,studentsandprofessors

havetheopportunityknoweachother.Eachstudentisassignedanadvisoras

soonastheyarrive,andtheadvisoractsasamentor,guidingandadvisingeach

studenttomakesure(s)hesucceeds.Evenifyoudislikeyouradvisor,youcan

alwaysaskforadifferentoneyoucanevenrequestaprofessorinyourareaofstudy,gettoknow

him/herandfindresearchopportunitiesthatwaysincemostprofessorsareinvolvedinresearchatVassar.

Ifyoureinterestedinresearch,thereareplentyofopportunitiesoncampus!ApartfromwhatI've

mentioned,studentsalsohavetheopportunitytotakescienceresearchclassesbeginningtheirfirstyear,

wheretheyllbeassignedanadvisortohelpthemwiththeirresearch.

It'sanentireclassesdedicatedtoresearchsoyoudon'tevenhaveto

competeforit!Vassaralsohasresearch/internshipopportunities

duringthesummer.IntheUndergraduateResearchInstitute(USRI),

eachyear,over50studentsspend10weeksduringthesummerworkingwithfacultymembersfrom

anthropology,astronomy,biology,physics,psychology,etc.onresearchprojectsatVassar.Considering

therearentmanySTEMstudentsatVassar,beingoneofthe50isnotimpossibleatall!

Additionally,ifyouareinterestedinapreprofessionalstudies(premed,prelaw,etc),youwillalso

beassignedacareeradvisortoguideyouinchoosingclasses,andtoensurethatyougraduatein4years.

SinceVassarhasanopencurriculum,itisfairlyeasytocompletemajorrequirementsandprerequisitesfor

gradschool.HOWEVER,Vassarrequiresstudentstotake1/3oftheirclasses

outsideoftheirareaofstudy,whichhelpsstudentsbecomemorewellrounded

withoutforcingthemtotakespecificclassestocompleteasetcurriculum.

Vassarhasexcellentfinancialaid!Theyhaveanoloanpolicyfor

incomesof

37. Washington&LeeUniversity 20112012AcceptanceRate:18%


Notalotofpeopleknowmuchaboutthisschool,butinreality,Washington&Leeisawonderful

school:itscozy,itsliberalarts,anditsinLexington,Virginia.ItwasfoundedbyGeorgeWashingtonand

RobertE.Lee(hencethename)afterthecivilwar,soapparentlythereareghostslikeNearlyHeadless

Nick(sorry,HarryPotterfan)floatingaround.

OnethingthatreallymadeWashingtonandLeestandoutformewastheatmosphere.Everyone

wassofriendly!WhenIwaswalkingaroundcampusduringtheJohnsonWeekend,

peopleactuallysmiledatmeasIwalkedalong,saidgoodmorning,andevenaskedif

Iwaslost.Anotherplusaboutthisschoolisthatitissmall.Somemayseethatwasa

turnoff,butevenbasicfreshmenclasseslikeChem101orBio101havenomore

than20studentsinit,whichmeansisthatyouhavetheprofessorsattentionatall

times.Italsomakessecuringresearchsupereasy.W&Lhasmoreopportunitiesthanstudents!Italsohas

anamazingpremedadvisingandmorethan95%ofstudentsgetintomedschool.Anotherthing,thougha

lotofyoumaybeputoffthetermfraternityorsorority,80%ofkidsatW&Lareinone.Whatthis

meansisthatitisnotsomethingthatisexclusiveitssimplythenormandsoyoudonthavethattypical

elitisthierarchy.Asforthosewhoarentswornin,theysaytheydontfeelthedifferenceatall!

OneofthemostdefiningfactorsofW&Lisitshonorsystem.StudentsREALLYvalueit.Noone

lockstheirdormsbecausetheyknownothingwillbestolen.Ifyouleavealaptopinthelibraryandwalk

away,youknowitllbethere.Ifyoutellyourprofessoryouvebeensickduringexamweek,theyllallow

youtotaketheEXAMINYOURROOM.Yes,THEYTRUSTYOUENOUGHtoknowyouwont

cheat.Allschoolexamsarealsoselfproctoredbystudents!

HonestyisabigthingatW&L.

Financialaidwise,theyareamazing.IwenttotheJohnson

Weekend,theyflewmeoutthereforfree,andfedmewith

theiramazingfood.Ifyoureinvitedtotheweekendyou

knowyouareadmittedandthatyouwillgetclosetoafullride.Theweekenditselfisgreatforlearning

moreabouttheschoolandtheinterviewprocessisintwoparts:oneatnightyou+3/4facultymembers

orcurrentstudentsquizzingyouandonethenextmorning4ofyouguys+oneofthemseeinghowwell

youworkinagroup.Overall,itisagreatschoolandseriouslyunderrated!Apply!

38. WashingtonUniversityinSt.Louis 20112012AcceptanceRate:18%


ThisisWashingtonUniversityinSt.Louis!Althoughit'snotaswellknownasotherinstitutionsin

America(probablybecauseit'snotaspublicized),WUSTLisan

amazingtop15university!

WUSTL'sSchoolofMedicineisoutofthisworld.They

haveaguaranteedmedicalprogram(likeBrownand

Northwestern)calledtheUniversityScholarsProgram,andtomy

knowledge,thisisthehighestrankedmedicalschooltobe

affiliatedinaguaranteedmedicalprogram!Allyoupremedsoontobeseniorsshoulddefinitelyconsider

applyingtothisprogram.Mybiggestregretaboutthewholecollegeadmissionsprocessisnotgiving

myselfthechanceinapplyingtotheseguaranteedmedprograms!

Thinkabouthowsetyouwouldbeifyouknowyou'llbegettingyour

M.D.8yearsinadvance!

WUSTLalsohaspossiblythebestdormsinthenation.Theyhave

actualmaidservicelikeyou'relivinginahotel.Soareyoumessy?

NOPROBLEM.Someonewillactuallybetheretocleanyourroom

foryou!!

Inaddition,WUSTLalsohasagreatalumninetworkandoutofthisworldpostcollegeadvising

programwheretheyhelpyoufindjobs.Myregionaldirectortoldmethatsomeridiculouslyhigh

percentageofWUSTLSeniorsusethisadvisingprogramanditworkswonders.Unemploymentisnotan

option.>:)

Lastly,WUSTLhasgreatfinancialaid.Notonlydothey

meetfulldemonstratedbuttheyalsohaveanoloanpolicyfor

lowincomestudents.Together,thismakesWashingtonUniversity

inSt.Louisoneofthemostaffordableschoolsyoucouldapplyto,

soIwouldstronglyurgeyoutoapply!

39. WellesleyCollege 20122013AcceptanceRate:28.16%


Evenifyouthinkyouwouldntwanttoattendawomenscollege,Isuggestyoustillapplybecause

theyreactuallyprettyawesome,especiallyWellesley!Remember,applying

doesntmeancommitting!Ifyoureaccepted,theyhaveSpringOpenCampus

andtheypayforyourtraveling,soyoucanseewhetherWellesleyis

somewhereyoucouldspendfouryearsat.:)

Now,forspecificsonwhyyoushouldapply.Firstoff,Wellesleys

campusisnotonlybreathtakingbutalsoatagreatlocation!Theyrelocatedin

asuburbofBoston,whichmeansyouhaveaccesstosomanyresourcesbut

atthesametime,youhavethisquietandwonderfulcampustogetawayfromthecrazinessofBoston.

Wellesleywillofferyouamazingresources,especiallywithitsstrongnetworkofwomen.

InternshipsarearemarkablepartoftheWellesleyexperience,especiallywiththeScienceCenter!

Wellesleysacademicsarephenomenal.AsMITssisterschool,Wellesleywomenareallowedto

crossregistertherewithasmanycoursesastheywant,whichnotonlyopensuptheopportunityof

meetingevenmorephenomenalprofessorsbutalsosomeoftheresearchopportunitiesavailabletoMIT.

WellesleywomencanalsocrossregisteratBabson,Olin,andBrandeis!Classesareincrediblysmall

evenintroclasses,whichareusually200students,arenomore

than35studentsatWellesley,whichwillgiveyoutheopportunity

togettoknowyourprofessorsbetter,whom,bytheway,arealso

recognizedforbeingsomeofthebestprofessorsinthenation.

WhatIbelieveismostdistinctaboutWellesley,however,arethe

studentbodyandlearningenvironment.Wellesleyemphasizesapassionforlearning,sotheychoose

womeneagertolearn,whichisoneofthereasonsIapplied.Notonlythat,buttheWellesleystudentbody

isincrediblypassionateanddiverse.EveryoneIknowwhohasbeenacceptedtherehadapassionfor

somethingbeyondthemselves,andIbelievethatiswhyWellesleyhassuchadistinctstudentbody.

Inshort,ItrulyrecommendapplyingtoWellesley!Itsagreatschoolwithgreatresources,andI

trulyencourageyoutogiveWellesleyashot!Oh,andHillaryClintonwentthere!

Lastly,ifyouwanttovisitthismagnificentschoolforfree,applyfortheirtravelgrant!

http://new.wellesley.edu/admission/falltravelgrant

http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fnew.wellesley.edu%2Fadmission%2Ffalltravelgrant&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHleO4FoXeIuIYxPQhsEBOMPvnYhw

40. WesleyanUniversity 20122013AcceptanceRate:19.37%


WesleyanUniversityisaliberalartscollegeinMiddletown,Connecticut,andweencourageyouto

apply!WesleyanistheonlyCollegeinthenationthat

emphasizesundergraduateinstructionintheartsandsciences,

alsoprovidesgraduateresearchinmanyacademicdisciplines,

andgrantsPhDdegreesprimarilyinthesciencesandmath.

Wesleyanischaracterizedbythesimultaneousfreedomandseriousnessassociatedwithits

academics.Whilestudentscertainlyliketohaveagoodtime,theyputacademicsfirstnotbecausethey

areobsessedwithgrades,butbecausetheyaretrulyinterestedinwhattheyarestudying.Wesleyan

studentspursueaselfdirectedcurriculumandhaveremarkableopportunitiestoconductresearchwith

professorswhoareleadersintheirfields.Thisconducesavibrant,intellectualenvironmentwherestudents

arecollaboratingwitheachotherratherthancompeting.

Professorsareverypresentandavailabletostudents,andmostaresuperfriendlyitwouldnotbe

unusualforaprofessortoinvitehisorherstudentstohavelunchwithhim/hertocontinueadiscussion

fromclass.Wesleyanhasaveryextensivestudyabroadprogram.What'ssoawesomeaboutthestudy

abroadprogramisthatistravelingabroadiscoveredbytuition.HousingatWesleyanisamongthebestin

thecountry,anditgetsbetterandbettereveryyear.

ManystudentsparticipateintheTwelveCollegeExchange

program,whichallowsforstudyforasemesterorayearat

anotherofthetwelvecollegecampuses:Amherst,Bowdoin,

ConnecticutCollege,Dartmouth,MountHolyoke,Smith,Trinity,

Vassar,Wellesley,Wheaton,andWilliams.Evenifyoure

interestedinengineering,Wesleyanoffers32programsin

engineeringwiththeCaliforniaInstituteofTechnologyand

ColumbiaUniversity'sSchoolofEngineering.Theseprogramsallowundergraduatestoreceivedegreesin

fiveyearsfrombothWesleyanandCaltechorColumbia.Lastly,Wesleyanpromisestomeet100%

demonstratedneed,sodontworryaboutnotbeingabletopayforyourwonderfuleducationthere!

Also,ifyouwanttovisitWesleyan,forfree,applytotheirtravelgrantprogram!!!

http://www.wesleyan.edu/admission/visiting_campus/transportation_assistance.html

Because It's Not All About the HYP

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