Emerson College – Boston, Massachusetts

Within the “purple curtain” of Boylston and Tremont streets in Boston, Emerson College makes its home with 4 residence halls and a 5th one under construction. It’s in the heart of Boston with the Commons as its “quad,” complete with the swan boats (a ride in one is on my bucket list). Communications and the arts are what the 3,700 undergraduates and 830 grad students do.

New majors include Comedic Arts (look out Lorne Michaels and SNL!) and the Business of Creative Enterprise – think entrepreneurs and incubators. They’ve always been known for Journalism, Visual & Media Arts, Creative Writing and Theatre, but did you know about the Communication Sciences and Disorders major offered through the Robbins Center?

It wasn’t enough to procure the old Steinway piano factory for Piano Row Residence Hall and the Max Mutchnik Campus Center, but they went ahead and bought the Cutler Majestic Theatre, a 1200-seat proscenium house with the most beautiful gilt walls and special lights, perfect for performances. They also now have the Paramount Center, the largest installation of film, video and audio post-production facilities of any college in the country.

Don’t forget you are in Boston, the college town with over 200,000 students. Emerson is unique with a Los Angeles campus on Hollywood Boulevard. What better for those in the film, media, entertainment and communications world!

Wheaton College – Norton, Massachusetts

I have loved Wheaton College since my eldest son, Patrick, looked at it in 2001 in the pouring rain and said, “This is my very favorite school.” I recently had the pleasure of re-visiting the campus and seeing the “dimple” with the spectacular fall foliage. It is the idyllic New England campus! Nothing can compare with their non-Barnes and Noble Bookstore with the winding staircase and featured professorial authors – all dark wood and cozy nooks. The dining hall is totally remodeled but still overlooks the pond. There is a new Mars Center for Science and Technology – state of the art but so perfect, as Wheaton has always embraced the arts and the sciences, working in tandem. I love that every student gets a “funded internship” through the Filene Center for Internships and Careers. You cannot beat that.

New majors which impressed me were the Film and New Media Studies chaired by the English Department, but encompassing the English, Sociology, Studio Art and Computer Science Departments – with a wide range of critical thinking skills. These students will study in Prague, Copenhagen and Austria at the finest film programs. I was incredibly impressed by Professor Josh Stenger.

The new Business and Management Major will graduate its first cohort in 2016. It features an integration of business and the liberal arts, something being touted all over the business world. There will be concentrations in areas like globalization, social responsibility, non-profits, the arts, and new media.

I was especially touched by the story of a female student who was very homesick and having trouble finding her niche at Wheaton. A professor told her to get involved with the Roosevelt Project, a think tank, and also museum work. Now as a senior, she is the president of student government and continues to be an active member of the Roosevelt Project, even attending national conferences. She’s also done internships at the New Bedford Whaling Institute, and Trinity College Dublin. She is poised to pursue significant museum work in New York upon graduation. A great success story precipitated by her professors who encouraged her to get involved with these organizations, and gave her the opportunity to become a leader at Wheaton.

Catholic University of America – Washington, DC

I needed to see Catholic University since I put it on so many lists. I’m glad I did. It’s beautiful. Not only is it home to the National Basilica, the largest in North America and the 2nd largest in the Western Hemisphere, but it is the only university commissioned by the Vatican. It was founded by Pope Leo XIII in 1889, but is not connected to a religious order.

The School of Architecture and Planning has an interesting joint degree with Civil Engineering. The Benjamin T. Rome School of Music is well known in music circles, and the School of Nursing has 11 simulated labs to offer students an unparalleled experience. Their School of Business and Economics is unusual in that morality and ethics are infused into every course that is taught.

The newly-renovated Father McConnell Hall is the home of Admissions and echoes the theme of renewal across campus. Students enjoy Cornerstone and Monroe Street Market where Busboys and Poets restaurant serves yummy food along with other eateries, a new Barnes and Noble bookstore and apartment-style living for upperclassmen.

Whitman College – Walla Walla, WA

The best description of a good fit Whitman student came from Director of Admission, Adam Miller. He said a Whitman student mirrors Pomona in academics and Pitzer College in activism, so a Whitman student is an “idealistic activist.” Whitman students think it is “cool to be smart” and they are more collaborative than competitive. Every freshman reads the same set of books for their common core courses much like a Great Books School, and a senior Capstone synthesizes the differences well. The sciences, especially Molecular Biology and Biosciences, are extremely strong here but, on balance, the Theatre and Music programs are also highly regarded. Biology, Psychology and Sociology have the largest current enrollments. Spokane is 3 hours away so students stay close to Walla, Walla,”the sweet onion capital of Washington State.” There are quaint eateries in town with art galleries and outdoor music. The majority of students hail from in-state, Oregon, Utah and California. The Whitman College Outdoor Program is highly developed. Over 180 incoming freshmen do the “Scrambles” orientation trip and other offerings include white water kayaking, rock climbing, canoeing, backpacking, and telemark skiing. There is an intense rock climbing wall and some programs are even offered for credit. Tamarack House is the outdoor adventure themed living house on campus. Walla Walla is a town so nice they named it twice, and is recognized as one of the “top 100 small town arts communities” in America.

Reed College – Portland, OR

Steve Jobs began at Reed but never graduated. The Reed student truly is “that kind of student” – one who is a playful intellectual, geeky, and is truly coming to school not for the grade but for the experience of learning…that is a “Reedie,” as they are lovingly called.

Reed’s campus is also beautiful, set in lush Portland with the Crystal Springs Farm, the Rhododendron Farm and a water source that goes all the way to the Pacific Ocean with their own salmon ladder. They have the only nuclear research reactor in the U.S. on an undergraduate campus and they certify 40 students per year to learn how to use it. At the same time, they have their own alpacas. Over 95% of their classes are conference-style, and writing is extremely important. Students earn grades but are never given them unless they are needed for a very good reason, like applying to grad school which they are quite successful at doing. Reed doesn’t recruit for anything except academics. Every major has a very serious thesis. There is a huge celebration when the thesis is completed with rose petals shot out of cannons, and students wearing laurels on their heads and dancing on the quad. These theses are stored in a “tower” in the top of the library. The “Thesis Tower” stores hundreds of thousands of them and graduates of Reed return and proudly find their thesis stored in the tower. The liberal arts as a tradition is timeless for Reed students and this will never change. The student who belongs at Reed is a very specific one, and if you don’t know who you are, you probably don’t belong at Reed!

Lewis & Clark College – Portland, OR
Lewis and Clark is a very unusual small liberal arts school with less than 10% of their students coming from the state of Oregon, so they can claim that their average student travels more than 500 miles to attend the school. They are risk takers whose motto is “Think Globally, Act Locally,” – they are sustainable, green, quirky, and also act in a very collaborative nature with their fellow students. Students come from 60 foreign nations imparting a heavy international feeling and everyone needs to study a second language. The location gives students access to deserts, rivers, mountains and beaches – everything that you could ever want. Lewis and Clark went test-optional in 1991. It offers the “Portfolio Path for Admission” as an alternative to standardized testing that includes two teacher recs, one writing sample and one math or science sample. So all learning styles are accepted. The campus is incredibly beautiful, being set on the old Frank estate of the Meier and Frank department stores in Portland. The main Frank house is the site of Admissions and the formal gardens are still there with Mt. Hood in the background on a clear day. At one point as you traverse the campus, you are crossing a bridge through a heavily wooded area and you almost feel as if you are in a rain forest and the seclusion is overwhelming. It is hard to believe you are in the middle of a city of 603,000 people!

University of Portland – Portland, OR
The University of Portland is not ashamed to say that it is “Oregon’s Catholic University” and this is integral to its identity. UP offers a “value centered educational experience” based on three themes: academic focus, residential community and commitment to service where 80% of the student body is involved in volunteer activities. These cores are at the heart of students who fit best at the University of Portland. They are strong students with an average GPA of 3.64, SAT Math and CR scores of 1190 and a median ACT of 26. UP’s curriculum offers concentrations in Nursing, Education, Business and Engineering with lots of internships close by in the Portland area. The campus consists of 75 beautiful acres on the Willamette River overlooking the port of Portland where many years ago, Lewis and Clark pioneered the Oregon Trail. The giant sequoias that grace the campus lend a serene beauty to the surroundings that cannot be matched.

University of Virginia – Charlottesville, VA

In 1819 in his retirement, Thomas Jefferson wanted to establish a place of learning where education was interspersed with living spaces, where the pursuit of learning was not separated in any way from daily life, and thus the University of Virginia came to be. He designed the “dorms” on the lawn which to this day are coveted housing that look up to the stately Rotunda building (the old library) and have fireplaces in each room. This is where many UVA traditions take place like the “Lighting of the Lawn” – an “a cappella” concert held in December for students, faculty and residents of Charlottesville, and “Purple Shadows,” a celebration of Thomas Jefferson’s birthday. Students at the University of Virginia to this day embody the spirit of Jefferson’s vision and are heavily into self-governance as well as their studies. Admissions is highly selective, especially as they are mandated to take 2/3 of their applicants from the State of Virginia. Applicants enter the university through 5 schools: Arts and Sciences (the largest), Kinesiology, Architecture, Nursing and Engineering. Even though there are 14,500 undergrads, a member of the student panel said “the more involved you are in the school, the smaller it becomes.” There is no limit to the opportunity for involvement on this campus.

James Madison University – Harrisonburg, VA
I have driven through the campus of James Madison on my way to my son’s alma mater, Roanoke College, many a time and finally I got a chance to tour the school. I fell in love with the students and the campus. As our tour group proceeded, a random student would yell “JMU” and we were under pressure to swoop low and say in our best voices “GO DUKES!” We actually got pretty good by the end of the tour, but the enthusiasm of the students we encountered was catching. The campus, which straddles Route 81, is a nice mixture of old and new structures, eclectic buildings and green spaces, and had a pleasant feel to it. With only 28% of their student body coming from out of state, it is a competitive school for our students from the Garden State who love the majors, distance from home and multitude of activities. Most popular majors include undergraduate business, psychology and all of the sciences. Admission is holistic but focuses heavily on A’s and B’s in the core classes of math, lab sciences, social sciences and foreign language. Residential learning communities are very popular, with students grouped according to majors and all freshmen can be accommodated on campus with a number of sophomores. International experiences are very important to JMU and according to the Institute for International Education (IIE), James Madison is #2 among masters level schools for the total number of students who participate in semester-long programs abroad. I was especially impressed by their services for students with Learning Disabilities that were incredibly solid. This summer they will be moving to a 5,000 square-foot facility in the new Health Center allowing for even better delivery of services to students.

University of Richmond – Richmond, VA

When I arrived at the University of Richmond, I was not surprised by the incredible beauty of the campus or the serene feeling that I was in a forest or an arboretum, but I did learn a few secrets. I found out that it once was two separate schools, the Richmond College for men and the Wentworth College for women, and the site they are on now was an old abandoned amusement park. A benefit to this day is that they have separate Academic Deans and their own Student Governments with equal numbers of leadership opportunities for men and women. The two campuses are connected by the Taylor Commons, their Student Union, and a picturesque lake in the middle of campus with living and academic buildings on each side. Another unique opportunity at Richmond is the Jepson School of Leadership, one of the first dedicated schools of leadership in the country. Students combine a major from Jepson with other majors or minors and 240 hours of internships and service learning hours to offer a very unusual experience when one enters the workforce. The Spiders have a great location two hours from Virginia Beach and two hours from the Blue Ridge Mountains, and conveniently located near Richmond with fabulous restaurants, museums, 6 Fortune 500 companies and an Amtrak station with trains to D.C. and New York City.

College of William and Mary – Williamsburg, VA

Located in the shadow of colonial Williamsburg is the historic campus of William and Mary. It is the second oldest college in the United States but is also a cutting-edge research university so it has the best of both worlds. It is also one of the 8 “Public Ivies” in our nation and is quite a selective institution. Thomas Jefferson is the most famous alum and went on to found the University of Virginia after graduating from William and Mary but the school will always lay first claim to “TJ” as they fondly call him. Other famous alums are Jon Stewart, Glenn Close, James Monroe, Mike Tomlin and Robert Gates to name just a few. The Wren Building, one of the oldest college buildings in the US, has been gutted three times due to fire and other devastation. It continues to be used for academic purposes, and the courtyard is the venue for freshman Orientation and Convocation. It is amazing. The Sunken Gardens in the center of campus are occupied by students in the warmer weather for recreation but are also the site for the Kings and Queens Ball where students dress up formally and gather together for a regal dance there. Traditions at William and Mary often involve hot chocolate and scones and are among the many reasons why students love coming to this school.

Washington and Lee University – Lexington, VA

After driving through the stark tan buildings of Virginia Military Institute, all of a sudden up on the hill are the gorgeous colonnades and old red brick of Washington and Lee. The sense of history and old Southern charm are palpable, especially when touring Lee Chapel and Museum, where Robert E. Lee, the first President of the College and Civil War hero is buried with his trusty horse, Traveler. At exam time, students toss coins into the burial area of Lee and his trusty horse for good luck! A truly selective school of 1800 undergraduates, W & L had the first Journalism program in the United States, and boasts of the highly-acclaimed undergraduate Williams School of Commerce and Business. It also houses the Roger Mudd Center for Ethics, named after the well-known CBS journalist who graduated from the school in 1952 and continues to be very involved. Washington and Lee has one of the strongest Honor Codes of any college in the United States and is known for its “one strike and you are out” policy where students have the highest respect for each other. The Trident is the mascot for this school where 88% of their students hail from outside Virginia making it quite unusual. Special traditions include the “Fancy Dress Ball” which is 100 years old and includes themes like “Lost Cities of Gold” and “Alice in Wonderland,” and the Mock Political Convention with world class speakers from the party that is not in control and has had a remarkable track record of being right on with predicting the next to win. Lastly this campus is about 82% Greek which does not speak of exclusivity but includes so many of the student body that virtually very few are left out.