Ohio Wesleyan University

Ohio Wesleyan University is a private institution that was founded in 1842. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 1,734, its setting is suburban, and the campus size is 200 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Ohio Wesleyan University's ranking in the 2016 edition of Best Colleges is National Liberal Arts Colleges, 108. Its tuition and fees are $43,230 (2015-16).

Ohio Wesleyan University is a small liberal arts school located in the city of Delaware, about 20 minutes north of the state capital, Columbus. Students at Ohio Wesleyan can choose from more than 90 majors in the fields of arts, humanities, natural sciences and social sciences. Freshmen have the opportunity to make friends through the Fresh X program, in which they go on an organized retreat with their classmates the summer before their first semester of classes. More than 80 percent of Ohio Wesleyan University students volunteer by building houses with Habitat for Humanity, tutoring children through Buckeye Valley Reads or participating in other programs.

The university, often called OWU, also offers about 100 student organizations, Greek life and intramural sports teams for students to join. More serious athletes can try out for the Ohio Wesleyan Battling Bishops varsity teams, which compete in the NCAA Division III North Coast Athletic Conference. The OWU basketball teams play in an arena named after alumnus Branch Rickey, who took one of the first steps in integrating baseball by signing Jackie Robinson, the first African-American to play in Major League Baseball.

Ohio Wesleyan University is a national liberal arts university with a philosophy and curriculum that directly connect traditional liberal arts with international and practical experience. The OWU Connection, Ohio Wesleyan's unique curricular approach, melds interdisciplinary classroom and laboratory learning with travel and field experience to provide students with a rich learning experience that prepares them for their next step, whether that is a career or graduate school. Founded in 1842, Ohio Wesleyan is remarkable for the depth of its academic and pre-professional programs, the international dimension of its curriculum, its focus on community through leadership and service, and its unwavering commitment to linking theory and practice in a global context and in every field of study. The university's commitment to uniting theory and practice is exemplified by its program of competitive grants, which allow students to propose and conduct original research, complete internships, participate in service, or experience cultural immersion throughout the world. Additionally, travel-learning courses invite students to travel internationally with classmates and professors as part of the course curriculum, giving students an up-close look at the issues they are studying in the classroom. Travel-learning courses have visited locales as disparate as Bangladesh and Brazil, studying topics ranging from economics to tectonics. Ohio Wesleyan also provides a large offering of traditional study-abroad options. Students can arrange individual projects, and formal programs are offered in more than 20 countries. The OWU Connection also features interdisciplinary classes and programs that enable students to explore important topics in depth from a variety of perspectives. The university offers 86 majors, with additional minors and concentrations, far more than most institutions of its size. Honors study offers unusual opportunities to talented students, while all students are encouraged to pursue internships and research. Classes are small, and nearly all full-time tenure track-professors hold a Ph.D. or equivalent. Ohio Wesleyan has no teaching assistants; all classes are taught by professors. Ohio Wesleyan is located on a beautiful 200-acre campus, connected to Delaware's lively downtown. Students come from more than 40 states and nearly 40 countries. Housing options include six large residence halls, a number of smaller special-interest living units, and seven fraternity houses. Sorority houses are nonresidential. Located only 20 miles from Columbus, Ohio's capital and the nation's 15th-largest city, Ohio Wesleyan offers the best of small-town living with the abundant opportunities for learning, internships, and cultural opportunities found in a major urban center. Students can participate in nearly 100 campus organizations as well as 23 NCAA Division III men's and women's athletic teams. In 2011, the men's soccer team won its second Division III national championship, and the team's coach, Jay Martin, became the winningest coach in men's collegiate soccer across all NCAA divisions. OWU has won the North Coast Athletic Conference All-Sports Trophy nine times and boasts more conference championships and Academic All-America scholar-athletes than any other school in the conference. Ohio Wesleyan also has an active intramural and club sports scene. Ohio Wesleyan has been on the President's Honor Roll for Community Service, with Distinction, for the last four consecutive years, and in 2009 was one of only three colleges in the United States to win the President's Award for Excellence in General Community Service.

Lake Forest College

Lake Forest College is a private institution that was founded in 1857. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 1,607, its setting is suburban, and the campus size is 107 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Lake Forest College's ranking in the 2016 edition of Best Colleges is National Liberal Arts Colleges, 108. Its tuition and fees are $42,644 (2015-16).

The beautiful 107-acre campus is ideally located on Chicagos North Shore near Lake Michigan. Lake Forest College gives every student direct access to superb faculty and a powerful network of alumni who help graduates begin careers. This access provides every student with a valuable edge on a bright future. The flexible curriculum supports double majors and minors, and students have access to unparalleled internships in Chicago, great research experiences, championship athletics, and off-campus and study-abroad opportunities. Students learn in a rigorous academic environment in small class settings where professors do all of the teaching and advising. Career-building internships are plentiful in the Chicago area, and students can pursue up to three for credit. Study abroad is encouraged, and students can also spend a semester living and interning in Chicago. The student body is comprised of 1600 students from nearly every state and seventy-three countries around the world and together they form a diverse learning community that prepares them to succeed in todays global society. Developing career goals and a plan of action to achieve them is a fundamental goal of the Career Advancement Center and the College community as a whole. Students have continuous access to programs, resources, career advisors, and a powerful network of alumni throughout their four years. Students learn how to choose a major, build and activate a professional network, and develop a plan to position themselves for success after college. The outcomes are hard to match: More than 90 percent of graduates had jobs, graduate school, or other opportunities secured within six months of graduation, well above the national average. Just an hour's train ride to Chicago, the College is located in the town of Lake Forest, Illinois, 30 miles north of the city. The 107-acre residential campus is a safe academic home in a beautiful wooded suburban setting within walking distance to the train to downtown Chicago, historic Lake Forest, and the beaches of Lake Michigan. The College is only 25 miles from O'Hare International Airport and is also served by Midway Airport and Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee. Located in one of the safest cities in Illinois, the campus is surrounded by lush wooded neighborhoods, deep ravines, and an extensive network of bike and running trails. Nearby Chicago boasts nearly 70 world-class museums, more than 200 theaters, seven major league sports teams, and more than 4,700 restaurants. The Center for Chicago Programs, located on campus, provides information on city events as well as outings organized by professors and students. Nearly half of all students double major giving them a competitive edge in pursuing a variety of career fields. In addition to majors in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences, the College features programs of study in entrepreneurship and innovation, neuroscience, communication, finance, business, and still other practical areas. Dual-degree programs are available in law, international studies, pharmacy, and engineering. The Honors Fellows Program and the Richter Apprentice Scholar Program offer select opportunities for high-achieving students.    

Hollins University

Hollins University is a private institution that was founded in 1842. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 596, its setting is suburban, and the campus size is 475 acres. It utilizes a 4-1-4-based academic calendar. Hollins University's ranking in the 2016 edition of Best Colleges is National Liberal Arts Colleges, 108. Its tuition and fees are $35,635 (2015-16).

Founded in 1842, Hollins was the first chartered women's college in Virginia. Today it is a small university with an undergraduate liberal arts program for women and an array of graduate programs for men and women. Some of Hollins' distinctions include a nationally ranked creative writing program, one of the oldest study abroad programs in the country, and extensive opportunities for internships and faculty/student research. Through the university's Batten Leadership Institute, students can earn a certificate in leadership studies through an innovative program that combines classes, skills-building groups, and leadership projects on and off campus. Hollins' program of seminars for first-year students is designed to encourage creative problem solving and to introduce students to the university's collaborative learning environment.    

Hampden-Sydney College

Hampden-Sydney College is a private institution that was founded in 1775. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 1,105, its setting is rural, and the campus size is 1,340 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Hampden-Sydney College's ranking in the 2016 edition of Best Colleges is National Liberal Arts Colleges, 108. Its tuition and fees are $41,730 (2015-16). 

The spirit of Hampden-Sydney lies in its sense of community and its preservation of tradition. HSC is all about seeking "to form good men and good citizens in an atmosphere of sound learning". Honor and civility form the life of the College. Challenged by the curriculum and guided by the professors, students can get help when they need it because classes are small. The greatest advantage of small-college life is that everyone can be involved. Athletics, debating, publications, fraternity life -- all are part of the education process. Many students enjoy the outdoors: hunting, fishing, camping, and hiking. Public service, leadership, and volunteerism are developed through opportunities to participate in the HSC Volunteer Fire Department, The Wilson Center for Leadership, community service projects with the local community, and "Beyond the Hill" community service trips to Belize, Honduras, and other service oriented trips abroad. In addition to the College's own study abroad programs, HSC students are eligible to participate and earn academic credit in approved foreign-study programs in Europe, Central and South America, South and East Asia, the Middle East, and the Virginia program at Oxford. In addition, the HSC faculty develop May Term Abroad programs in special topics in their discipline. Past programs have included European Union Studies in France, Economics/Political Science/Culture studies in Eastern Europe, Tropical Biology in Mexico, Theater in Scotland, Language Immersion in Spain, and Area Studies in Egypt. The total experience at the College produces a man well-suited for the challenges of a job, the demands of social service, and the pleasure of personal endeavors.

St. Michael's College

St. Michael's College is a private institution that was founded in 1904. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 2,123, its setting is suburban, and the campus size is 440 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. St. Michael's College's ranking in the 2016 edition of Best Colleges is National Liberal Arts Colleges, 105. Its tuition and fees are $40,750 (2015-16).

At Saint Michael's, you'll learn what matters. We're an academically challenging, competitive institution of just approximately 2,000 students, with over 30 majors and minors and three masters programs. Saint Michael's students are committed to service, the environment and exploring the world through internships, faculty-student research and world travel. Housing is guaranteed for all four years on our scenic 440-acre campus overlooking the Green Mountains, located just minutes from downtown Burlington, Vermont. An elite Phi Beta Kappa institution with an Honors program, a 12:1 faculty-student ratio and an average class size of 19, Saint Michael's also hosts 21 NCAA Division II varsity athletic teams. Saint Michael's students grow into impressive leaders through challenging academic research, studying abroad, engagement with the Wilderness Leadership Program, service through the Fire & Rescue Squads and MOVE, and student government and media. Saint Michael's 2,000 undergraduate students come from 35 states and 22 countries. The college's highly credentialed faculty teach every class and are teacher-scholars who provide students individualized research opportunities in and out of the classroom. Internships and other experiential learning opportunities are embedded in a Saint Michael's education and result in satisfying careers in fields ranging from medicine to law to education to journalism, and high rates of graduate school acceptance. Recently, students and faculty have been named Rhodes Scholars, Woodrow Wilson Fellows, Goldwater Scholars, Pickering Fellows and Fulbright Scholars, among other honors.    

Juniata College

Juniata College is a private institution that was founded in 1876. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 1,615, its setting is rural, and the campus size is 800 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Juniata College's ranking in the 2016 edition of Best Colleges is National Liberal Arts Colleges, 105. Its tuition and fees are $40,600 (2015-16).

Juniata College is a small, private liberal arts institution located in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, about midway between Pittsburgh and the state capital of Harrisburg. Students at Juniata College can choose from about 100 undergraduate academic programs, and about 30 percent of them design their own major. Through the Program of Emphasis system, students can combine specific interests into a specialized area of study. For example, a student could earn a degree combining studies in mathematics and theater.

Students at Juniata College participate in many school traditions, such as the Mr. Juniata Pageant and the All Class Night talent show. Another tradition is Mountain Day, when classes are canceled and the student body heads to a state park for outdoor fun. Part of the Mountain Day excitement is that no one knows in advance which day it will happen. There are no fraternities or sororities at Juniata College, but students can join more than 90 organizations and play club sports. The Juniata Eagles varsity teams compete in the NCAA Division III in various conferences.

Juniata College students are challenged to think, encouraged to evolve, and empowered to act in a global world. No matter what their career field and passions in life, our graduates lead fulfilling lives of service and ethical leadership. The Program of Emphasis (POE), Juniata's distinctive and flexible alternative to the traditional major/minor system, encourages you to design your own plan of study or choose a designated plan, working with the guidance of two academic advisers. Because Juniata is a liberal arts college, all students take courses across a range of disciplines. In fact, our interdisciplinary, innovative research programs have been supported by grants from the National Science Foundation, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and the U.S. Department of Education. Students build their resumes inside the classroom thanks to discussion-based classes and projects that provide experience. They then go on to intern locally, in cities across the U.S., and while studying abroad. More than 95 percent of Juniata seniors participate in distinctive hands-on learning including study abroad, internships, student teaching, research, and community outreach. On campus, life is driven by students who create and run a wide variety of clubs. Some make use of Juniata's rural setting whose scenic surroundings provide relief from the stresses associated with academic rigor and our global community, which includes students from 44 countries and 36 states. Through in-class or out-of-class exploration, Juniata students transcend their own expectations, developing their identity and finding their place in society. As alumni, they gain entry in to the most selective graduate programs and are employed by Fortune 500 companies and other successful organizations. In fact, 90 percent of graduates are employed or in graduate school six months after graduation.

Augustana College

Augustana College is a private institution that was founded in 1860. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 2,497, its setting is suburban, and the campus size is 115 acres. It utilizes a trimester-based academic calendar. Augustana College's ranking in the 2016 edition of Best Colleges is National Liberal Arts Colleges, 105. Its tuition and fees are $38,466 (2015-16).

Augustana College is a private school that sits just across the Mississippi River from Iowa, in the city of Rock Island, Illinois. Known for its picturesque, wooded campus, Augustana offers more than 50 undergraduate majors and pre-professional degrees. On campus, students can get involved in a wide variety of student clubs, more than 10 Greek-letter organizations or recreational sports. Augustana students can also try out for one of the more than 20 Vikings varsity sports teams, which compete in the NCAA Division III College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin.

Other campus activities include River Readings by visiting literary artists, gallery openings at the art museum and productions by the theater and music programs. Students are also just a short drive from the pedestrian Davenport Skybridge, a botanical garden and a zoo. Notable alumni include actor Dave Allen, who has often played hippie characters in TV shows such as "Freaks and Geeks" and "Gilmore Girls."

Augustana's mission statement is: "Augustana College, rooted in the liberal arts and sciences and a Lutheran expression of the Christian faith, is committed to offering a challenging education that develops qualities of mind, spirit and body necessary for a rewarding life of leadership and service in a diverse and changing world." In equal measure, the words of Augustana's mission statement honor tradition and a future-focused aim to educate citizens and leaders for a complex, changing world. Founded by Swedish Lutheran settlers in Chicago in 1860, Augustana has grown into a selective college of the liberal arts and sciences, affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Students from diverse backgrounds comprise a student body of 2,500. The curriculum offers major fields in the traditional humanities and fine arts, strong natural and social sciences, and pre-professional fields ranging from engineering to law to medicine. The college's newest major is public health; other new programs include neuroscience, engineering physics, multimedia journalism, graphic design, applied math, creative writing, music composition and international business. Today, the most populated majors are biology, pre-medicine, business, accounting, psychology and education. Popular second majors and minors range from classics to ethics; women's and gender studies; Asian or Latin American studies; and world languages, literatures and cultures, including the Chinese and Japanese languages. In 2012, the faculty approved college-wide student learning outcomes that emphasize the broad range of knowledge and 21st-century skills students need to be successful on campus and after graduation. Every Augustana graduate is expected to have demonstrated abilities in disciplinary knowledge, information and quantitative literacy, critical and creative thinking, communication, collaborative leadership, ethical citizenship, intercultural knowledge and intellectual curiosity. Working with a first-year advisor, followed by an advisor in the major field(s), every student realizes learning in these broad categories, and can articulate their import to future success. Special academic programs include an interdisciplinary honors program; a first-year liberal studies sequence that develops communication skills and knowledge of the liberal arts; and Augie Choice, providing each student $2,000 to support research with a professor, an internship or study abroad. Nearly every student completes a research-based or creative Senior Inquiry capstone project, demonstrating skills in a major field, broad knowledge across the liberal arts, and benefit to a community. Augustana's three-term calendar system makes it comparatively easy for students to major in more than one field, participate in off-campus internships and study programs, and graduate within four years. Students also benefit from resources supporting co-curricular involvement on a residential campus, with living-learning communities to ensure they build important life skills as they transition from campus to off-campus housing. Augustana has a strong tradition of Academic All-Americans: currently #1 in Illinois, #2 in Division III and #6 in the nation for the number of student-athletes who perform as exceptionally in their sport as they do in their scholarship. The college is home to several internationally recognized academic centers, focused on the study of the polar regions, the artist James McNeill Whistler, immigration history, Scandinavian genealogy, peace studies, and upper Mississippi River sustainability. Features are a geology museum, a teaching art museum, research boats for the Mississippi River, an on-campus center serving clients with speech and hearing disabilities, a human cadaver laboratory, environmental field laboratories, a new Center for Student Life, and the new Austin E. Knowlton Outdoor Athletic Complex - all part of one of the most beautiful campuses in the Midwest.

Washington College

Washington College is a private institution that was founded in 1782. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 1,467, its setting is rural, and the campus size is 112 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Washington College's ranking in the 2016 edition of Best Colleges is National Liberal Arts Colleges, 100. Its tuition and fees are $43,850 (2015-16).

In 1782, Washington College became the first college chartered after American independence from the British, under the patronage of President George Washington. Today, the small liberal arts school in Chestertown, Maryland, offers small class sizes and more than 40 bachelor's degree programs. Outside the classroom, Washington College students are in a prime location to take in the excitement of Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, which are each about 90 minutes away. If they want to stay closer to campus, students can explore the shops and restaurants of Chestertown, which started as a colonial port about three centuries ago.

On campus, Washington College students can get involved in about 60 clubs, several Greek-letter organizations and sports. Student athletes can play intramural and club sports or try out for the Washington College varsity teams, which compete in the NCAA Division III in various conferences. The intercollegiate teams are named the Shoremen and Shorewomen, which is particularly appropriate for the varsity rowing and sailing teams that compete in the nearby Chester River. Notable Washington College alumni include John Emory, for whom Emory University was named.

Founded under the patronage of George Washington as the first college chartered in the new nation, Washington College takes seriously its mission to "challenge and inspire emerging citizen leaders to discover lives of purpose and passion." Our small size and dedicated faculty enable us to deliver a truly personal and interactive education with abundant opportunities for research, internships, creative projects, and study abroad. Our flagship academic enrichment program, the Cater Society, rewards creativity, initiative and intellectual curiosity with competitive grants to support research and scholarship anywhere in the world. Known for a strong literary culture centered around the Rose O'Neill Literary House, the College brings internationally known writers to campus and each May awards the world's largest undergraduate literary prize, the Sophie Kerr Prize, to a graduating senior. Good writing is not just for English majors: The ability to think critically and write clearly and persuasively is integral throughout the curriculum. WC's setting in the Chesapeake Bay watershed enriches studies in history, archeology, biology, chemistry, and environmental studies. The Center for Environment & Society helps students integrate ecological and social values through programs that promote learning, research and stewardship. Each fall its Chesapeake Semester engages students in the study of the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem, exploring how science, policy, and residents' lives intersect. Throughout the year, the Chester River Field Research Center at nearby Chino Farms offers research and study in areas such as bird migration, sustainable agriculture, and habitat restoration. CES also boasts a Geospatial Information Systems Lab where students use the latest computer software to map crime statistics for the state of Maryland, map the Chester River for environmentalists and create 3D renderings for town planners and preservationists. The arrival in 2010 of Ambassador Mitchell Reiss, a former State Department policy advisor and special envoy to Northern Ireland, as our 27th president raised our profile in international studies. Investment executive Jack S. Griswold was named interim president after Dr. Reiss stepped down to become president and CEO of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation in Virginia. Study abroad opportunities abound. Signature programs include travel to Tanzania, Rome and Oxford as well as biology fieldwork in Bermuda, Ecuador and Mount Desert Island. History students enjoy the Colonial setting of Chestertown and gravitate to the impressive programming and research opportunities at the C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience. Housed in the colonial-era Custom House on the Chester River, the Center brings accomplished historians to campus as fellows-in-residence and hosts a wide array of lectures and special events focused on American history and identity. Typical of our hands-on learning approach, students make all the decisions for the Alex. Brown Investment Fund, learning how to manage nearly $500,000. New initiatives of the career-counseling office include the "Washington College to Wall Street" program, in which an alumni network helps students interested in business and finance boost their skills and connections. With ample opportunity for leadership through clubs and student groups, close relationships with professors, and a well-honed sense of citizenship and community, Washington College graduates enter the "real world" with a can-do attitude, prepared to lead in the community and the workplace. The 2013-14 academic year saw three students earn Fulbright teaching awards for assignments in Brazil, Nepal and Mexico.

Washington and Jefferson College

Washington and Jefferson College is a private institution that was founded in 1781. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 1,362, its setting is suburban, and the campus size is 60 acres. It utilizes a 4-1-4-based academic calendar. Washington and Jefferson College's ranking in the 2016 edition of Best Colleges is National Liberal Arts Colleges, 100. Its tuition and fees are $43,226 (2015-16).

Washington & Jefferson College offers an exceptional liberal arts and sciences education, having been ranked first in the country per capita for producing attorneys and third in the country for producing physicians and medical researchers. Routinely, 90 percent of our applicants to medical and law schools are admitted. More than 90 percent of seniors seeking employment find work or admission to graduate school before graduation.

With an 10:1 student-to-faculty ratio, professors help students develop advanced research agendas, and attend athletic events to cheer for teams. In addition, alumni around the world offer students networking opportunities in nearly every discipline.

Our students land research internships at The Pasteur Institute, The Mayo Clinic, Los Alamos Labs, and most recently, Harvard Medical School, to name a few. W&J challenges its students by sending them to national meetings where their research is presented alongside that of professional researchers, graduate students, and faculty from other institutions.

More than half of our students take advantage of more than 40 study abroad programs in countries such as Australia, China, France, Germany, Spain, and South Africa. W&Js nationally recognized Magellan Project won the prestigious Andrew Heiskell Award for innovation in study abroad. W&J is also one of just three institutions nationwide selected to receive the 2012 Senator Paul Simon Spotlight Award from NAFSA: the Association of International Educators, for an initiative that contributes to comprehensive campus internationalization. Named for the late Senator Paul Simon (D-Ill.), the award recognizes outstanding and innovative achievements in campus internationalization.

The Intersession term, a distinctive feature of our 4-1-4 academic calendar, allows students to take one course, intensively, during the month of January. They may travel to London to study theatre, camp out in Africa to watch animals migrate, or stay on campus to design robots or study with a prize-winning journalist.

Nearly 42 percent of students belong to Greek organizations. With close proximity to Pittsburgh, W&J students can easily travel into the city on college-run vans to see professional sports events, shop, eat in fine restaurants, attend theatre or ballet performances, or listen to renowned speakers.

W&J has been honored numerous times with the President's Honor Roll for Community Service with Distinction; students volunteer more than 15,000 hours a year in service to our community.

W&J also has a strong tradition of producing student athletes. The College fields 24 intercollegiate sports and is still the smallest college ever to compete in the Rose Bowl, battling California to a scoreless tie in the 1922 game. Student athletes from W&J include Dan Towler, Dr. Charles Pruner West (the first African-American quarterback in the Rose Bowl game) and legendary coaches such as John Heisman.

With about 12,000 living alumni, W&J has graduated leaders in almost every field, from architecture to zoology. The College boasts civic leaders like James G. Blaine (1847), who served as secretary of state and ran for president three times; as well as pioneers such as Joseph Walker, who made the first NASA x-15 flight and was the first to pilot the Lunar Landing Research Vehicle; and Jesse Lazear, who studied yellow fever in Cuba with Walter Reed. W&J also educated NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell '81 and former Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl '03, who at the time of his election was the youngest mayor of a major U.S. city.    

St. John's College is a private institution that was founded in 1964. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 340, its setting is urban, and the campus size is 250 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. St. John's College's ranking in the 2016 edition of Best Colleges is National Liberal Arts Colleges, 100. Its tuition and fees are $49,194 (2015-16).

St. John's commitment to collaborative inquiry and to the study of original texts fosters intellectual courage, a continuing readiness to learn, and the self-knowledge that arises from exploring fundamental issues in community with others. All classes at St. John's are small, student-driven discussions devoted to the examination of seminal works of philosophy, literature, mathematics, science, and music. The college's highly respected undergraduate curriculum and educational practices have long given St. John's a distinguished place among American colleges and universities. Through close engagement with the writings of authors such as Homer, Plato, Euclid, Dante, Shakespeare, Descartes, Cervantes, Newton, Kant, Austen, Darwin, Dostoyevsky, Einstein, Woolf, and Joyce, to name only a few, students at St. John's learn to ask penetrating questions, hone their ability to tackle complex problems, develop imaginative vision, and cultivate enduring habits of thoughtful reflection. The faculty shares the college's dedication to an education that emphasizes the essential over the simply technical, literacy over mere proficiency, and intellectual engagement over rigid expertise. This emphasis has made St. John's a vibrant community of learning, where discussions begun in class continue naturally on the placita or in the coffee shop. Because all students are immersed in a common, four-year curriculum and most live on campus, students in all years form lasting friendships. Students share their interests and discover new ones by participating in student-initiated study groups, in student-directed theatre performances, in the active musical life on campus, and in diverse athletic and recreational activities, which include hiking and biking on the mountain trails surrounding the campus, skiing in the Santa Fe Ski Basin, just minutes away, whitewater rafting, and a wide range of intra-mural athletics and martial arts offerings. Santa Fe, the oldest capital city in the United States, is considered the cultural capital of the Southwest and is home to a rich and eclectic artistic, musical, and culinary scene. The college attracts a diverse student body from across the United States and from around the world. Students may also opt to spend a year or more at the college's sister campus in Annapolis, Maryland.    

Hope College

Hope College is a private institution that was founded in 1866. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 3,432, its setting is urban, and the campus size is 120 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Hope College's ranking in the 2016 edition of Best Colleges is National Liberal Arts Colleges, 100. Its tuition and fees are $30,550 (2015-16).

Hope College is a private liberal arts school in Holland, Michigan, about five miles from Lake Michigan. Students at Hope College can choose from more than 90 academic majors and minors. Outside the classroom, Hope students can get involved by exploring more than 60 organizations and participating in campus events such as comedy shows, dodgeball tournaments and hoedown dances.

Student athletes can get involved at the intramural, club and intercollegiate levels. The blue and orange Hope College Flying Dutchmen (men’s) and Flying Dutch (women’s) varsity teams compete in the NCAA Division III Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association. The team nickname reflects the school’s history: Hope College was founded by settlers from the Netherlands in 1866, and its current mascot, named "Dutch," sports a Hope T-shirt and wooden shoes. Notable Hope College alumni include musician Sufjan Stevens, former U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra and Rob Malda, creator of the Slashdot technology news website.

The mission of Hope College is to educate students for lives of leadership and service in a global society through academic and co-curricular programs of recognized excellence in the liberal arts and in the context of the historic Christian faith. Hope is recognized nationally for its emphasis on active learning through collaborative research and creative performance; for its strength in the stem fields and production of future PhD's and MD's; for the scholarly production of its faculty; for its solid liberal arts core curriculum; for its ten accredited programs including music, dance, theatre and art; for its senior seminar program; and for its outstanding athletic programs.

Albion College

Albion College is a private institution that was founded in 1835. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 1,268, its setting is suburban, and the campus size is 574 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Albion College's ranking in the 2016 edition of Best Colleges is National Liberal Arts Colleges, 100. Its tuition and fees are $39,128 (2015-16).

An Albion education takes students beyond the classroom, beyond our campus, and beyond conventional thinking. Through our hands-on approach to learning, students get the practical knowledge that will fully equip them to succeed. They identify their goals through a four-year individualized career plan and build a strong foundation in the liberal arts. They sharpen their career focus and develop professional skills through the internships and other real-world experiences offered in these specialized programs: Carl A. Gerstacker Institute for Business and Management, the Gerald R. Ford Institute for Leadership in Public Policy and Service, the Institute for Healthcare Professions, the Center for Sustainability and the Environment, and the Fritz Shurmur Center for Teacher Development. And they unleash their creativity and curiosity through the multitude of research experiences available in our Foundation for Undergraduate Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity and Prentiss M. Brown Honors Program. On our residential campus, more than 100 student organizations cater to a wide range of interests. Our athletic teams regularly head to NCAA Division III postseason play, and our equestrian team members compete regionally and nationally. Albion students are prepared to make an impact. They go on to the nation's top graduate and professional schools and to leadership roles in the sciences and medicine, business, law, education, the arts, and social services.