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Colleges of Distinctions owes its origin to parents who accompanied their children through the college-search process, who were surprised by the difficulties they encountered trying to get beyond the “brand-name” institutions to find the colleges that offered the best undergraduate educations, and then—through the next four years and beyond—were pleased to see the growth their children experienced at the “hidden-gem colleges” they had discovered. In collaboration with academic professionals, these parents have created Colleges of Distinction as a way to help students and parents find colleges they might not otherwise have considered, but which might be exactly the right college for them.

 Every featured college is unique, but they all share key characteristics:

 Their students are bright, motivated, and engaged.

 Their classrooms are interesting, exciting places to explore and learn.

 They offer their students vibrant campuses and communities

 And, they turn good students into well rounded, successful citizens with the capacity to contribute to their communities, their nation, and their world.

If this sounds what you are looking for in a college, then you are the student (or parent of a perspective student) for whom we wrote this book.

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Our goal, with Colleges of Distinction, is to help you get beyond the advertisements and the rankings to find the colleges and universities that consistently provide a remarkable undergraduate college experience and produce successful graduates.

These are schools that get praise from high school guidance counselors across the country, as well as from college admissions officers, professors, students, and satisfied alumni. So why haven’t you heard of them?

The truth is, many schools are famous for reasons that have nothing to do with the quality of their education programs. They may have big-time football or basketball programs. They may be known for the path-breaking research conducted by scientists who never actually teach. Or, they may be recognized for the quality of their Ph. D programs and medical schools.

The colleges in this book may not receive that kind of publicity, but employers and graduate schools know that Colleges of Distinction produce real winners.

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How do they do this?

They welcome students who demonstrate both academic promise and community involvement. They keep classes small, so professors get to know their students as individuals, not numbers. They encourage athletics and a wide range of cultural, intellectual, and social activities. But they help students keep it all in balance with their studies. They encourage their students to get involved with their own communities, as well as exposing them to the global community.

Year after year they do a great job, and looking back, their graduates say, “that might not be the right college for everyone but it was exactly right for me.”

You’ll find many small, private, liberal arts colleges in this book. Schools of this kind have long been recognized for their focus on personal attention and student engagement. There are public universities in this guide as well. Proving that these institutions can be just as personalized as their private counterparts. There are also single-gender schools, historically black colleges, engineering schools, Christian colleges, and more.

As different as these colleges may be from each other, among people “in the know” they all have outstanding national reputation. We hope you benefit from finding out more about the best-kept secrets in college education today.

Finding the right college is one of the biggest decisions you’ll ever make. It ranks right up there with choosing a spouse and deciding on a career. Finding the right college change your life: getting stuck at the wrong one can leave you frustrated and unhappy.

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How do students choose? How can parents help?

So, how do high school students select the right college? And, if you are a parent, how do you help your son or daughter make the right choice?

Let’s be realistic. It’s your junior or senior year of high school. You’re busy with your school work, concentrating on the SAT or ACT, fitting in school activities, and trying to have a social life, too. Are you likely to devote a huge number of your hours carefully reading every college’s marketing materials, pouring over piles of guidebooks, studying the characteristics of hundreds of colleges and universities, and eventually making a deliberate, well-considered decision? Of course not.

According to research by the College Board, the most important source of information for deciding which colleges to apply to is word-of-mouth information. They listen to advice from teachers and guidance counselors, parents and other family members, and—often most compellingly from their friends.

College guidebooks are another source of information, and many students and parents make good use of them.

Often, of course, this process will guide you to the right college. Yet there may be excellent schools—maybe the perfect school for you—that no one tells you about, that you haven’t heard of, and that you wont discover by scanning the top 10 colleges in an annual numerical ranking.

That’s where Colleges of Distinctions comes in.

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College Guidebooks

It’s the “best” college—or the second or third or twentieth best. It ranks at “the top of the list” and it has an “excellent reputation.”

Ever wonder what these phrases really mean? Can diverse institutions really be rank-ordered using statistics? How relevant are these measurements and to what is going to be the ideal college experience for you?

The truth is, it’s extremely difficult to quantify and qualify of colleges and universities. For one thing, the very act of measuring colleges is based on the assumption that all students are alike, that they want and need the same things, and that it might be possible to create a single ideal college that would be perfect for everyone. Of course that isn’t true.

Unlike high school, college students spend their time studying vastly different subjects. They enter college with a huge variety of expectations, hopes, and dreams. There are no SAT’s or ACT’s to measure achievement, no national “standards of learning” to compare the quality of one college with that of another. There are no published statistical measures on how happy and satisfied students are at the over 3,000 colleges in the country.

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So how do we judge quality?

The Rankings and Ratings Approach

A number of widely-read guidebooks make a game attempt at comparing schools. US News & World Report’s annual “Best Colleges” uses a statistical approach that considers many different factors, all of which, they claim contribute to the overall quality of a college. Among the factors U.S. News plugs into their statistical formula are:

 The college’s overall faculty:student ratio

 The number of faculty members with Ph.D.s

 The size of the college’s financial endowment

 Faculty salaries

 SAT/ACT scores of incoming students

 Percentage of entering students in the top 10% of their high school class

 Level of alumni giving

 Percentage of applicants rejected

 Student retention and graduation rates

But can you really find the “best” school—especially, the best for you—from statistics alone? For example, selectivity is fairly easy to measure: divide the number of applicants by the number of applicants rejected. But if a school is hard to get into, does that necessarily mean it is a better place to learn, live, and grow? Would it be the best place for you?

And exactly what does “high selectivity” mean, anyway?

Some schools—in the Northeast, especially—receive so many applications just because of the location. Schools in other parts of the country may have equally as tough entrance requirements, but because fewer students choose to apply to them—they appear—statistically—less selective.

When guidebook editors decide which characteristics to measure, they are making value judgments that greatly affect the results—and they don’t necessarily value the same things you do. For example, if ethnic diversity id important to you, does the guidebook use it as one of its statistical criteria? What about the safety on Campus (by Federal law, this information is available in the Campus Safety Office, but you won’t find it in the college’s marketing materials or in a college guidebook)?

And, when guidebook editors decide what to measure, they shy away from the hard-to-quantify intangibles—quality of life, actual classroom experience, friendliness of the campus—that are vitally important in each student’s college experience.

Rankings-based guidebooks provide important information. But, as a smart consumer, you should be aware of their limitations. As you thumb through the rankings, we suggest you ask:

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Other Approaches:

 Is “the best college” really the best college for you? What facts and figures make it “the best”? Are these criteria you value highly?

 Do you value something that can’t be measured by statistics? Are spiritual identity, classroom excitement, and active residence life programs important to you?As a student at this particular college, will you be able to participate in all the activities in which you have an interest? Do you need to be a theatre major in order to audition for a role in a play, or are auditions open to all students? Are all interested athletes welcome to try out for the college’s teams?

 How much learning actually goes on at the college you’re considering? Who actually does the teaching? Are students excited about what goes on in the classroom and lab?

 In addition to college guidebooks based on statistics, there are many kinds of guides, websites, and studies, which may or may not be useful in your college search.

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You Will Find :

The Inside Scoop

Some guidebooks, like The Princeton Insider’s Guide, emphasize surveys of students and faculty members. They usually deliver on what they promise: an “inside look,” an informal and unauthorized view of the campus—things you definitely won’t find in the college’s marketing materials. On the down side, their editors may choose quotes for dramatic effect. One dissatisfied student’s response has been known to give a false impression of an otherwise very fine school.

Expert Advice

Other guides give you “expert opinions” based on a lifetime of working in education or in education-related journalism. Loren Pope’s Colleges That Change Lives and Jay Mathews Harvard Schmarvard are excellent examples of these books. Both of these gentlemen have spent a lifetime as education journalists, and are intimately acquainted with the college admissions process. Interestingly, both writers avoid strict rankings, although both offer lists and comments on colleges they recommend.

Measuring Engagement

On the scholarly end of the scale, a few ongoing research projects attempt to do what U.S. News doesn’t: measure the actual learning that takes place at various colleges. The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). based at Indiana University, collects detailed survey information from students at many colleges and universities. Another is the Cooperative institutional Research Program, an ongoing national study of 11 million students, 250,000 faculty and staff. and 1,600 higher education institutions. NSSE and CIRP provide interesting and valuable data about the experience of students at American colleges and universities. Unfortunately, they do not release for individual schools.

There Must Be a Better Way!

With Colleges of Distinction, we are trying to do something a little different – give you a reliable, journalistic look at schools that may not have the biggest names in highest education, but that consistently do a great job educating undergraduate students.

Every one of these colleges excels in the four areas we have defined as most important in the college experience: attracting and supporting engaged students, promoting and understanding teaching, encouraging a vibrant campus life, and producing successful graduates. But every one of them does so in different ways.

That’s why we don’t rank the schools in this book. We explain how each of them commits itself to achieving the four elements of successful colleges., and we leave it up to you to determine the one that matches your talents and interests, that promises to be the place where you want to live and learn-the one that’s best for you.

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Finding the School That Fits Your Style

Next, we polled high school guidance counselors from across the country, asking them to tell us which schools belonged on our list and which ones did not.

Informally, we talked to parents, students, and professors at a variety of institutions around the country, seeking even more feedback on our list.

From this diverse community, common opinions began to emerge. Some schools came up again and again; others, we found were deserving of the high reputation we had originally assigned them.

Having thoroughly polled the available opinions, we then began our own investigation of the institutions that remained on our list. We visited campuses ourselves, interviewed a cross-section of the campus community, and sat in on classes. We dug into school records and spoke frankly with admissions directors.

The result is a book with colleges that we’re convinced are terrific places to learn. Measured by both quantitative and qualitative data, these schools come out ahead. While we can’t guarantee that you’ll find a school that you like in Colleges of Distinction, chances are you’ll find a number that interest and intrigue you.

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How This Book is Structured

Chapters 2-through-5 talk in depth about the Four Distinction that we believe distinguish those colleges and universities that offer great undergraduate educations. Engaged Students, Great Teaching, Vibrant Communities, and Successful Outcomes. Reading through these chapters will give you a better idea of what these qualities are, why they matter, how we measured them, and how you can judge a school in these areas.

In Chapter 6, high school guidance counselors discuss the “admissions climate” among colleges in their own region of the country. You may want to look at all 6 regions, or you may only be interested in those areas closest to you. Wherever you decide to apply, this discussion should help you make the best possible application.

Later in the book, there is an entry describing each College of Distinction. We’ll describe the campus and fill you in on the general social, cultural, intellectual, and political character of the college.

Throughout this book, you’ll find suggestions on how to use the information we’ve included, as well as questions to ask when visiting a campus, and positive and negative things to consider. While no book can ever substitute for a campus visit, Colleges of Distinction should help you decide which campuses you want to visit.

Good luck with your college search. We hope you find the campus that is truly the best for you!

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Why do we call them Colleges of Distinction?

They may be modest about it, but these schools have just as much history and heritage as the better-known, brand-name colleges. What’s more, they have a proven record in four key areas.

Engaged Students

GPAs and board scores are important, but Colleges of Distinction look for students who will be engaged outside the classroom, as well as inside it. These student compete in sports, do volunteer work, conduct independent research, and study abroad. They are not just thinkers, they are doers.

Great Teaching

Professors who teach in Colleges of Distinction know students by name and are committed to seeing them succeed. They’re experts in their fields and they are dedicated to teaching. Their students learn in environments that encourage lots of reading, writing, research, and personal interaction. Their students learn to analyze problems, think creatively, work in teams, and communicate effectively.

Vibrant Communities

Colleges of Distinction provide a rich, exciting living-and-learning environment, both on and off campus. They offer a variety of residential options, clubs and organization to satisfy every interest, plenty of cultural and social opportunities, and avenues for leadership, character, and spiritual development. Whether they are in rural or urban settings, they provide ways for students to be involved in the life of the surrounding community.

Successful Outcomes

Colleges of Distinction have a long record of graduating satisfied, productive alumni who go on to make their mark in business, medicine, law, education, public service, and other fields. In terms of the return they offer on investment, these schools are outstanding educational values.

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So how did we identify the schools in this book?

First we asked people “in the know” about colleges. We solicited recommendations from heads of admissions at different colleges. We then sifted through this rather large list looking for certain characteristics:

1 Evidence of schools looking for, and keeping engaged students. For the most part, we avoided schools that rejected more than 50% of their applicants, giving preference to those that consider factors beyond SATs and ACTs in admissions. We looked for schools that excelled in scores tabulated by the National Survey of Student Engagement. We considered retention and four-year graduation rates. We also considered each school’s rate of study abroad, internship participation, and other “hands-on” learning opportunities.

2 Evidence of schools that value great teaching. We looked for schools with lots of chances for students to interact with professors and where faculty members are rewarded primarily for teaching, rather than research or publishing. Specifically, we looked for large proportions of full-time faculty, good student-teacher ratios (16:1 and below), small average class-sizes, and programs that encourage student/faculty interaction.

3 Evidence of vibrant campus communities. Although we decided to accept universities with as many as 8,000 undergraduates, we held such institutions up to close scrutiny, looking for evidence that they still managed to build a strong sense of community through their residence halls, campus activities, and opportunities for student involvement.

4 Evidence of successful alumni. We looked for schools with strong records of graduate school and professional school success and good results in employment after graduation. Where possible, we also considered alumni satisfaction, as measured by satisfaction surveys and rates of alumni giving.