Chestnut Hill, MA

Enrollment:  9,040 undergraduate students                Calendar:  Semester

Private, 4-year, Coed                                                               Jesuit, Catholic School

Boston College undergraduates study on one of the most beautiful college campuses in the country featuring Gothic architecture, expansive green space, and state-of-the-art technology. Academic majors are organized in four schools: College of Arts and Sciences 65%, Carroll School of Management 25%, Lynch School of Education 6%, and the School of Nursing 3%. BC does not have fraternities or sororities so students build life-long friendships through clubs and service learning opportunities. With a T-station just steps away from the campus entrance, students enjoy easy access to all that the city of Boston has to offer.

Washington, DC

Enrollment:  9,760 undergraduate students                Calendar:  Semester

Private, 4-year, Coed

The Foggy Bottom campus is situated in the heart of Washington, DC, and provides students with unique opportunities to study and intern with leaders in U.S. government, policy and law. Widely known for its program in international affairs, GW also offers excellent academics in the areas of business, journalism, medicine and health sciences, engineering, forensic science, and public policy. The GW University has two additional campuses: the Mount Vernon Campus and the GW Virginia Science and Technology Campus.

Boston, MA

Enrollment:  17,107 undergraduate students             Calendar:  Semester

Private, 4-year, Coed

Northeastern University classroom academics are enhanced by experiential learning opportunities such as NU’s highly acclaimed cooperative education program. Students gain hands-on work experience in their field of study; making Northeastern graduates well prepared to dive into rewarding careers. Standout programs at NU include, business, computer and information science, engineering, and health sciences.

Student Union

Dorm Complex

Medford, MA

Enrollment:  5,300 undergraduate students                Calendar:  Semester

Private, 4-year, Coed

Tufts University is situated in a small city with easy access to Boston, MA that is home to more than 250,000 college students. Approximately 90 percent of Tufts undergraduates study in the School of Arts and Sciences and 10 percent pursue degrees in the School of Engineering. According to the Tufts website: “The university strives to foster personal relationships between students and faculty, encouraging individual attention in both the classroom and research settings.”

College Park, MD

Enrollment:  26,660 undergraduate students             Calendar:  Semester

Public, 4-year, Coed

Located approximately 30 minutes from Washington, DC via the Metro public transportation system. Maryland boasts strong academic programs in business, engineering, public health and more. Professors teach all classes.

Student Union

Jim Henson
Creator of the Muppets and alumnus of the University of Maryland.

Food Court

Testudo, the official mascot of the University of Maryland.

Washington, DC

Enrollment: 7,340 undergraduate students                 Calendar: Semester

Private, 4-year, Coed

Located in the nation’s capital. This institution is recognized for its excellent programs in political science, international relations and language studies.

Washington, DC

Enrollment: 7,630 undergraduate students Private, 4-year, Coed                                                         Calendar:  Semester Residential campus in an urban setting Jesuit Education – Roman Catholic Church

Knoxville, TN

Enrollment:  21,000 undergraduates

Public, 4-year, Coed                          Calendar:  Semester

Residential campus in a large city of approximately 433,000 people (2010)

Location – The Knoxville McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS) is a short 16-minute drive from campus. The city of Knoxville is offers a “blend of small-town charm and big-city opportunities” with student-friendly and upscale dining and entertainment. The Tennessee River runs along the southeast side of campus, perfect for “sailgating” before football games.  The Knoxville area has four seasons with fall temperatures typically around 80 degrees and winter lows close to 30 degrees. Students are able to visit the Great Smoky Mountains situated approximately 60 miles from campus, and Nashville is only a three-hour drive.

Campus – Big Orange.  Big Ideas.  Rich traditions abound on this large campus that is currently undergoing a major campus beautification program.  Featuring 560 acres of buildings and green space, UT has a bus system that runs along the perimeter of campus transporting students from one end to the other.  However, walking to classes and amenities is very doable and helps students avoid the “freshman fifteen pounds.”

Buildings are constructed mainly of red brick and the interiors are being updated with the latest technology to support classroom learning.  The stunning Hodges Main library is filled with computer stations for research, small rooms for meetings to collaborate on projects and huge comfortable chairs for studying.  New buildings include:  John D. Tickle Engineering Building and Min Kao Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Building.

The Neyland Football Stadium and the Thompson-Boling Basketball Arena sit prominently on the campus grounds and students fill both venues to support their beloved Volunteers.

Academic Strengths

•     Business

•     Engineering

•     Forensics

•     Communications – Journalism, Advertising and Public Relations

•     Architecture

•     Nursing

•     Veterinary Medicine

•     All freshmen are required to take the First Year Studies and Academic Support class designed to teach students how to be successful in college.

•     70% of classes have less than 30 students

•     The Student to Faculty Ratio is 15 to 1, impressive for a large public institution

 New Sorority Village – Large, beautiful sorority houses are being built on one street, creating a village of Greek life absent fraternities that are strategically located on the other side of campus.  A bus stop sits conveniently at the top of the sorority circle to transport young women to the heart of campus.

Student Life – Students can request the type of residential hall they would like to live in.  Turn in your housing agreement quickly.

Admissions

•     UT does consider legacy as a factor for admission

•     To be considered for one of the largest merit based scholarships; an additional Competitive Scholarship Essay is required (looks for leadership experience).

•     Academic Common Market – Students can check the academic common market website for majors that are offered at UT, but not available in their home state and then be eligible for Tennessee instate tuition.

MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY                                                         Cambridge, MA

Enrollment:  4,500 undergraduates

Private, 4-year, Coed             Calendar:  4 – 1 – 4

Residential campus in urban setting

Location – MIT is located in beautiful Cambridge, MA with the edge of campus running along the Charles River, and only one mile from bustling Boston.  The campus is a fifteen minute drive from Logan International Airport and easily accessible by public transportation.  Students walk a half-mile to the impressive campus from the Kendal/MIT station on the “T.”

 Campus

All buildings are connected to each other through a maze of tunnels, and each building is designated by a number rather than named after a famous alumnus.  Majors of study are also listed by a “code” number.  MIT continues to incorporate modern architecture into its collection of traditional grand structures on campus.

Academic Strengths – MIT is recognized internationally as a leader in engineering, science, and math.  The Electrical engineering and computer science programs are ranked as some of the best in the nation.  Students in these fields can earn a five-year-degree that includes a professional master’s degree.  MIT also boasts an excellent biology program that is a leader in medical technology and the search for designer genes.

Noteworthy Academic Programs

•     Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP):  a year-round program for student/faculty research projects.  Students can earn course credit or stipends for conducting research.  Most students at MIT do research.  They can participate in research freshman year and take advantage of research opportunities offered through study abroad.

•     MIT offers a general engineering degree.

•     Features the oldest school of architecture in the country.

•     Provides cross registration with Harvard and Wellesley.

•     Special facilities:  Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies, Institute for Learning and Memory.

•     Pass/No Record grades in your first semester.  Students can find out their grades, but they never go on their transcript.

Student Life

The best and the brightest apply to MIT, which is known as a hotbed for the intellectually brilliant student. According to the Admissions Officer at the Information Session, “MIT looks for students who want to take what they learn in the classroom and apply it to solve a problem in the world.” The school has a strong emphasis on collaboration and working together.  “If you are doing homework alone, you are doing it wrong.”

More than 95% of students live on campus all four years in one of 12 residence halls. Students from all grade levels live together in each dorm, with the option of staying in the same dorm all four years if desired.  Studious as they may be, MIT undergraduates enjoy participating in Greek Life too.  Fraternity and sorority houses are located close to campus, as well as across the Charles River.  And MIT students show their lighter side through performing clever pranks called “Hacks” on MIT’s signature Dome which has been transformed into R2-D2, featured a police car perched on its top, and sported other ingenious decorations.

Admission to MIT is need blind.  Aid is need based.  MIT does not offer merit scholarships. Students should submit both the FAFSA and CSS Profile.

Orange, CA

Enrollment:  5,300 undergraduates with approximately 1,900 graduate students

Private, 4-year, Coed  Calendar:  4 – 1 – 4

Residential campus in city of 138,409 people (2011)

Location

Chapman University is located in the sunny city of Orange, CA approximately 40 minutes south of Los Angeles and two hours north of San Diego.  The beach is 17 miles away and John Wayne Airport – Orange County is only 15 minutes from campus.

Campus  

The Chapman campus has the feel of a traditional college campus with updated academic buildings, a student union, residence halls and athletic facilities, all conveniently within a 15 minute walk from one end of campus to the other.  Buildings reflect both historical and modern architectural styles. The campus is very clean and sits tucked in a safe residential neighborhood.  Upperclassmen often rent houses adjacent to campus.

Academic Strengths

Chapman undergraduates must complete the university’s core subject requirements, but students are able to choose from an extensive list of courses within the general education program.  Professors teach all classes.

Chapman’s January Inter-term offers students the opportunity to take one class on campus, study abroad, or head home for a break between academic terms.  Completing a class during the inter-term helps students achieve the university’s goal for Chapman students to successfully graduate on a four-year track. The cost of the inter-term is covered in Chapman’s tuition.

If you aspire to have a career as a film director, film producer, screenwriter, digital artist, creative producer, screen actor, television or broadcast journalist, public relations director or advertising executive, then checkout Chapman’s Dodge College of Film and Television.  Students begin hands-on experience in their craft beginning freshman year.  With state-of-the-art production facilities and equipment, industry professionals on faculty and plans for the construction of its own multi-million dollar backlot for making movies, the opportunities for students are endless.  A campus spotlight dedicated to the Dodge College of Film and Television will be posted on the Kent College Search website in the future.

Chapman University is committed to arts education, with strong programs in both the visual and performing arts.  During their junior and senior years, Graphic Design students display samples of their work at a showcase open to leaders in the industry; making valuable connections to potential employers. Chapman’s theater and dance programs are highly regarded.

The Conservatory of Music provides expert musical training in a liberal arts context. Graduates of the Music Education Major benefit from a 100% job placement rate.

Chapman boasts excellent programs in creative writing, journalism, literature, rhetoric and composition.  Students who want to pursue careers in medicine take pre-health courses.  The Business Administration major introduces students to the principles of accounting, economics, finance, management, marketing, technology and quantitative methods.

Student Life

Students attending the admissions presentation were from various West Coast states.  They seemed to be well-rounded, friendly students interested in taking advantage of the wealth of internship opportunities available through Chapman’s alumni and professional network. The student representatives were extremely articulate, friendly, and knowledgeable about the value of an education at Chapman.  Approximately 32% of the student body goes Greek, however there aren’t any houses. Approximately 50% of students study abroad.

Facilities

NEW!!  The Student Union, the Argyros Forum, recently underwent a major renovation and reopened ready for Fall 2012.  Students can study or relax between classes in oversized comfortable couches or chairs.  Healthy food options are also onsite.  The Office of Admissions is located on the second floor of the Argyros Forum.

A new Center for the Arts is projected to break ground in 2012.  The 1,100-seat theatre will expand Chapman’s rehearsal and performance space, as well as host performances by major touring theater companies.  In addition, a major retrofit of an existing 30,000-square-foot building will become the new home of the Schmid College of Science.  The cutting-edge facility will include physics and wet labs, computer labs, high-tech classrooms, and research space that should attract top scientists around the globe.

 Campus Entrance

State-of-the-art classroom

Interfaith Center

The Argyros Forum – Student Union

Interior of Student Union

Courtyard for a study break!Aquatics Stadium

New Dorms

Beach Volleyball Court at Dorm Complex