What are 25 Great Colleges that You (Probably) Have Not Considered?

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1 What are 25 Great Colleges that You (Probably) Have Not Considered? As you are on vacation or have a few days off from your work schedule in the summer maybe check out a couple of these schools. Go online and do a virtual tour if you can't see school in person. Remember 80% percent of the students apply to the same 20% of the schools so broaden your horizons when narrowing down your choices to help your chances. 1.Babson College (Babson Park, MA) -- Babson is a school for students with a serious interest in a career-oriented business education. You won t just take tests to show you know about business you ll have to apply that knowledge as well. All students must complete a mandatory entrepreneurship. 2.Bates College (Lewiston, ME) -- Bates College is a small liberal arts college in Maine that follows a calendar. There is a fall and a winter semester, then a Short Term in May which provides students with opportunities to study less traditional topics, or to study or intern off campus. This calendar encourages students to take advantage of the academic freedom often associated with small, private schools. The dormitories, some of which are Victorian houses, are beautiful. 3.Bentley College (Waltham, MA) If you re looking to learn about the intersection of business and technology, consider Bentley. This is a school that recognizes how fast the business world is changing, and they have responded by providing students with a modern and technologically focused business education. Students must complete a core business curriculum that includes accounting, business law, computer information systems, finance, and marketing courses. The college is built on a mountain in Waltham, a Boston suburb, and is only fifteen minutes from Harvard Square. 4.Bucknell University (Lewisburg, PA) Bucknell is a small school that offers many big school benefits. There are a multiplicity of majors and research opportunities, just like those offered by a huge, impersonal state school. Bucknell s students also get a close-knit community and the individualized education offered by a small liberal arts college. The college is somewhat in the middle of nowhere, but the campus and surrounding area is beautiful and deserves a look.

2 5.Carleton College (Northfield, MN) -- It s not unusual for professors at Carleton to host pot-luck dinners for students and to give out their home phone numbers to their classes. Students here are a happy, academically driven bunch. Intramural sports are very popular you can play anything from flag football to ice broomball. 6.Drexel University (Philadelphia, PA) -- Drexel has two huge strengths a nationally-renowned engineering program and a co-op program that gives students hands-on work experience in their chosen major. Students in the co-op program work for six months out of every year, which extends the undergraduate experience to five years. The upside is that students are practically guaranteed a job after graduation. If you know what you want to do for a living, and you want your college to help you get there, give Drexel a look. 7.Gonzaga University (Spokane, WA) -- Gonzaga University is a top-notch Jesuit university that offers a host of degree programs through five different colleges (arts and sciences, business administration, education, engineering, and professional studies). The students are intellectual and pursue a variety of academic interests. They also enjoy small classes and most students praise their dedicated professors who really try to help students. Religion is very prominent on campus, making Gonzaga a popular choice for students who enjoyed their experiences at Catholic High Schools. John Stockton, point guard for the Utah Jazz and the NBA s all time assist leader, is an alum. 8.Grinnell College (Grinnell, IA) It s tough not to like a college where the Disco Ball in March is a time-honored tradition. There is never a shortage of things to do on campus, and intramural sports are very popular. Academics are definitely rigorous, but students report that there is no cut-throat competition at Grinnell. Dedicated professors insure that nobody gets lost in the shuffle. 9.Guilford College (Greensboro, NC) Guilford is what counselors call a sleeper school. That means that Guilford isn t terribly well known and not very hard to get admitted to yet. Watch for Guilford to get more competitive in the next few years as word gets out. Students report that classes are small and the workload is intense. If you like student government, Guilford is a place where the student government has real power and decision-making ability.

3 10.Hampshire College (Amherst, MA) Academic freedom is the name of the game at Hampshire College, a progressive, alternative institution with committed and intellectually mature students and dedicated, caring professors. Hampshire is part of the Five College Consortium (including Amherst, Mount Holyoke, Smith, and UMass-Amherst). This means that, while you are enrolled at a small school, you have four other colleges with which you have academic and social opportunities. 11.Hendrix College (Conway, AR) -- Hendrix is another sleeper school It s been getting more and more national attention and is making lists. Hendrix is a very good bet for students with good grades but less than exceptional test scores. Academics are demanding but the professors are very personable and enthusiastic. Intramural sports are very popular and a social committee plans at least two major campus events per week. 12.Kenyon College (Gambier, OH) -- This liberal arts-filled academic environment is competitive and rigorous, but in a lighthearted, self-motivated kind of way. Students here like to work hard and still have their fun. Visit this campus and you ll see students here seem to really enjoy themselves. 13.Lake Forest College (Lake Forest, IL) -- Students at Lake Forest find an excellent combination of challenging academics, competitive Division III sports, and great financial aid. Lake Forest also boasts a gorgeous campus, good food, and a safe, suburban location on the North Shore of Chicago. 14.Loyola Universitye (Baltimore, MD) Not to be confused with Loyola Marymount University in California, classes are small, professors are genuinely concerned that students succeed, and the students here say they are challenged but satisfied. Novelist Tom Clancy is an alum. 15.Macalester College (St. Paul, MN) -- Macalester is already one of the 25 or so most selective colleges in the country, not far from getting even more national notoriety. The facilities are exceptional and the academics at this college in the Twin Cities are second to none. Students like St. Paul, MN, but the winters are admittedly cold and dreary. Students also report generous financial aid packages.

4 16.Mary Washington College (Fredericksburg, VA) -- If you re looking for a small school education without the usual high price tag, consider Mary Washington. Small, ultra-liberal-arts-oriented and public Mary Washington College provides many of the benefits of the private schools small classes, caring and eager professors at a very affordable price. 17.Oberlin College (Oberlin, OH) Oberlin College is an outstanding liberal arts school connected to a world-renowned conservatory of music that has something to offer pretty much everyone. Oberlin s left-leaning undergrads say they are free-thinkers who prefer political debates, concerts, plays or playing sports. Future lawyers should note that Oberlin s pre-law program has an astonishing success rate at sending its students to their top-choice law schools. 18.Oglethorpe University (Atlanta, GA) Students here say there is something for everyone at this little school outside of Atlanta. Oglethorpe has an excellent placement record for medical, law and business school. It won t be long before its academic strengths draw more national attention. 19.Rhodes College (Memphis, TN) Tiny Rhodes College in Memphis offers its students the best of many worlds: a highly touted academic program, a beautiful campus, and accessibility to a major metropolis. Rhodes also boasts a committed faculty and a strong reputation with graduate schools; the school claims its students' acceptance rate in such programs is over 90 percent. Overall, Rhodes is one of the best-kept secrets in higher education. 20.Simmons College (Boston, MA) -- Students at Simmons College call their allwomen's school a great school where women become leaders. Simmons offers small classes, a low student/teacher ratio, a strong career-oriented emphasis, and an extensive list of requirements. This school is well worth considering if you are looking for an all-women s college. 21.Skidmore College (Saratoga Springs, NY) -- With a beautiful library, great computer resources, and over sixty degree programs, Skidmore College is a competitive liberal arts college that has come a long way and continues to improve. Students report that Saratoga Springs is a great college town, and most students at Skidmore live on campus, because Skidmore s dorms are some of the best.

5 22.Southwestern University (Georgetown, TX) This is one of the best sleepers in the nation. Southwestern University is a well-rounded liberal arts school in a little Texas town with demanding academics, a very writing-intensive core curriculum, and an excellent opportunity to get a fabulous education. During the Brown Symposium, a two-day series of seminars during spring semester, classes are suspended and scholars from around the world deliver lectures and lead discussions. If you think you could really be successful in a small-town, close-knit environment, Southwestern deserves a look. 23.University of Richmond (Richmond, VA) For many students, University of Richmond has it all a good college town, strong athletic facilities, small classes, dedicated professors, and plenty of activities in which to get involved. In fact, there is so much to do on campus that students say sometimes they are unable to take advantage of everything the local town has to offer. 24.Washington University (St. Louis, MO) Not to be confused with University of Washington, Washington University in St. Louis is best known for being underrated despite a great faculty, top caliber students, and all the resources of the Ivies. Many of Wash U s students pursue graduate study, particularly in medicine (15 percent of all Wash U. grads head straight into med programs). 25.Whitman College (Walla Walla, WA) Whitman could best be described as a mega-sleeper. This highly competitive but largely undiscovered gem has almost everything going for it -- a beautiful setting, a rigorous curriculum, an exceptionally willing faculty, and a helpful administration. Whitman also boasts a phenomenal success rate among its graduates. Add to this an admissions process that de-emphasizes SAT scores in favor of essays and extra-curricular activities and you have one of the best-kept secrets west of the Mississippi.