Class of 2017 Selections
Auburn University
Location: Auburn, Alabama
Auburn University is a public research university. It is ranked #46 by U.S. News and World Report in the Top Public Schools category and #102 in the National University category. Known for wide program offerings, the school offers 115 undergraduate programs.
Coe College
Location: Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Coe is a private, liberal arts college. It is ranked #116 for National Liberal Arts Schools in the 2016 World News Report. In addition, Coe made the Princeton Review “The Best 380 Colleges” list. Coe requires an internship, research or off-campus study. The school had 12 Fulbright Scholars in 2015.
Columbia College
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Columbia is a liberal arts school that specializes in the fine arts, performing arts and media disciplines. The most popular fields of study are film and video. Columbia offers a “Los Angeles Program” that allows students to see the business of Hollywood and is set-up to foster networking with film industry professionals. Columbia earned #157 on the Forbes List of Midwest Colleges.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Location: Prescott, Arizona
This University is non-profit and independent. The school offers programs in Arts and Sciences including aviation, business, engineering, and security and intelligence. It is the largest and oldest aviation-focused university in the world. It is ranked as Forbe’s #280 America’s Best Value Colleges. Students interested in professional flight training can fly a school-owned aircraft.
Hobart and William Smith
Location: Geneva, New York
HWS is a private, liberal arts school founded in 1822. It is a school rooted in interdisciplinary teaching and research. It made Kiplingers’ Personal Finance list of the “100 Best College Values 2015.” HWS was listed as one of the 50 schools that “launch careers” by Going Beyond the Classroom. In addition, HWS was ranked #61 by U.S. News and World Report in the category of National Liberal Arts.
Kent State University
Location: Kent, Ohio
Kent State is a public university located in Kent, Ohio with a total of 8 Ohio Campuses, 6 additional U.S. locations and 4 world-wide locations. Kent has 190+ active U.S. patents for research and it is ranked 3rd in the U.S. for Fashion Merchandising and 4th in Fashion Design.
Knox College
Location: Galesburg, Illinois
Knox is a small, private, liberal arts school. In 2016, it was ranked 72nd for National Liberal Arts schools by U.S. News and World Report. Seventy-six percent of classes have less than 20 students. Every student pursues an experiential learning project. Washington Monthly considers Knox one of the best schools in the nation for commitment to the public good.
Lawrence University
Location: Appleton, Wisconsin
Lawrence is a private liberal arts school. Lawrence includes an established conservatory of music in which 25% of the students complete a degree. Notable alumni of Lawrence include Tom Oreck, former CEO of Oreck Corp., and Terry Moran, ABC News Chief Foreign Correspondent. The college is ranked #57 in the US News and World Report category National Liberal Arts College.
Quincy University
Location: Quincy, Illinois
Quincy is a private, liberal arts, catholic university. One hundred percent of Quincy students engage in community service across the globe. In 2016, the school ranked #68 in the US World News Report Regional Universities (Midwest).
Smith College
Location: Northampton, Massachusetts
Smith College is an independent, non-denominational women’s college. It is a school of 2,500 undergraduate students. Each year 70% of seniors step from graduation right into a job in their field and 25% of seniors go directly to graduate school. Smith college is ranked 12th for National Liberal Arts Colleges in the 2017 edition of Best Colleges.
Texas A&M University
Location: College Station, Texas
Texas A&M is Division One university located 90 miles northwest of Houston. In the 2016 U.S. News & World Report, it was ranked #2 among Public Universities in the “Best Value Schools” category. The school offers a wide array of programs including 128 undergraduate and 268 graduate programs. An impressive 4,385 Texas A&M students travel abroad each year.
University of North Dakota
Location: Grand Forks, North Dakota
In 2016, UND was ranked in the Top 100 Public Schools and in the Top 200 National Universities by U.S. News and World Report. The school offers over 225 fields of study with an average class size of 22. Notable alumni from the university include Bryan Dorgan, former United States Senator and Congressman, and Sally J. Smith, CEO of Buffalo Wild Wings.
University of St. Thomas
Location: St. Paul, Minnesota
University of St. Thomas is a Catholic, comprehensive urban university. The average class size is 21 students. Fifty-seven percent of students participate in a study abroad program. The University of St. Thomas is ranked #115 in the category of National University by U.S. World News Report.
Vanderbilt University
Location: Nashville, Tennessee
Vanderbilt offers the combination of cutting edge research, liberal arts education, nationally recognized schools of law, business, medicine, nursing, divinity and one of the nation’s top ranked graduate schools in education. Vanderbilt’s total enrollment is 12,587. It was ranked 3rd by Kiplinger (2016) in the Best Values among Private Universities and 2nd by Princeton Review (2017) in the category of Happiest Students.
Whitman College
Location: Walla Walla, Washington
Whitman College was founded in 1883. It is a private, independent liberal arts college. Whitman has an impressive global student body. Students come from 42 states and 31 countries. Seventy percent of Whitman students volunteer. Whitman students live and work on a residential campus that doubles as both an arboretum and outdoor art museum.
