I presume some folks here could reel off the names of all 4,000+ schools in the U.S. But for those of us who are just waking up to the wide array of colleges out there, I’d love to hear your vote for the most underappreciated or lesser known colleges (and what you think makes them unique or special)?
I’ll start:
Soka University in Aliso Viejo, CA
Beautiful (in a well-groomed, sparse way), peaceful, sprawling campus. Average class size: 12 students. Popular major: Peace Studies. Definitely not the place for students looking for a big, bustling uni (only sports teams are swimming, diving, track, xc, soccer and golf). Backs up to a large nature park with many miles of hiking trails. Twenty minute drive to beautiful Laguna Beach. (I’d never choose this one myself, but thought I’d mention it for the solitude-seeking introverts out there!) http://www.soka.edu/about_soka/default.aspx
http://www.soka.edu/academics/academic-faqs.aspx says that “There is only one major at Soka University of America, a BA in Liberal Arts with concentrations in Environmental Studies, Humanities, International Studies or Social and Behavioral Sciences.”
I like St. Mary’s College of Maryland. A public university with the look and feel of a LAC. It is on a large river and feels sort of like a summer camp. Remote – so not for the student who needs a lot to do off campus – but I thought it was charming. It is a little lower priced than a lot of LACs, too.
Grinnell College in Iowa is underappreciated. The academics are first rate, the school has a huge endowment, they just built a fantastic new science center. They don’t charge an application fee.
If Soka is an example of what interests you, then also check out College of the Atlantic in beautiful Bar Harbor, ME. All ~350 students there major in Human Ecology.
Earlham – 800 acre campus, egalitarian, great record for producing Ph.D. candidates and other grad school students
Agnes Scott–small, gorgeous, cross reg with Emory, great mascot, astrophysics for women.
Sweet Briar – equestrian sports, gorgeous, ABET-accredited engineering for women, safety school for all
Mills – Just lowered tuition to $28K, cross reg with Berkeley
Sewanee–13,000 acre campus, Harry Potter robes
Marlboro – tiny, has a big scholarship available one for each of the 50 states
Centre – amazing LAC with arts glass blowing
Alfred University’s Glass Engineering program – maybe the only one in the country – https://engineering.alfred.edu/undergrad/ges/
SUNY’s Nanotechnology undergrad program – https://sunypoly.edu/research/albany-nanotech-complex.html
Unity College, in Maine–LAC with an environmental thrust – https://www.unity.edu/
Green Mountain College – has a first in sustainability full scholarship – http://www.greenmtn.edu/sustainabilityscholarship/
CUNY–a university system called The Harvard of the Proletariat for a reason. It’s amazing how many Nobel Prize winners, fashion designers, Pullitzer winning authors and writers, etc. have come out of that university system–and so cheap!
SUNY FIT–one of the top fashion schools in the world, at rock bottom prices, located in the heart of one of the world’s fashion capitals.
@Dustyfeathers wow, I did not know of nearly half of these, thanks!
@Lindagaf our neighbor’s son graduated from Whitman and loved it. p.s. he’s a professional Ultimate Frisbee player now.
Re: Soka, I just figured I’d mention it because it seems to be off the radar for a lot of people. I’d say, of U.S. colleges, it’s the closest to a Zen !
New England College in Henniker, NH. In my travels I have met a handful of alumni and I couldn’t help but notice every single one absolutely loved their college and college experience. It’s a love like no other I’ve seen. The college has a beautiful covered bridge on campus and is located in “the only Henniker on earth.” Students have told me that their professors know their name and many are true teachers who were outstanding in their field but chose to retire (or relocate) to the picturesque areas of New Hampshire.
I’ve been impressed with Susquehanna University in Pennsylvania. Engaged professors, beautiful campus, and friendly students. My daughter is a sophomore there and loves it. She’s in the honors program and writing a sophomore essay with the help of a mentor. She has a job in the student art gallery and plays piano in the jazz band. Every parent and student I’ve spoken with loves the school.
Learned about Lawrence University in Wisconsin on CC and now my D goes there. It has a lovely campus that overlooks the Fox River, Architecture on campus takes advantage of the beautiful views over the river. Has a music conservatory so lots of great performing arts opportunities. Appleton is a cute town with a fun downtown district that borders campus. My D has gotten to know lots of professors during her time there and had great research opportunities.
Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, CA. Applied there ED. Very prestigious among those in the know in California and engineers across the country, but otherwise, not many have heard of it. In fact, one of the school’s sayings is “the greatest college you’ve never heard of”.
Amazing STEM program, tight-knit student body, brilliant professors, all in beautiful Southern California. Its curriculum is rigorous, but rewarding. Boasts one of the best job placement rates out of any college in the US, and its grads have the highest average starting salary. A true gem.
Adding St Olaf College in Minnesota, less than an hour south of Minneapolis - very strong music and choral programs, well integrated into a liberal arts setting. Excellent programs in math and the sciences as well.
