Dean College

Dean College                                                             Visited by Ms. Diozzi, Ms. Minty and Mrs. Cavanaugh         Nov. 11, 2013                                                                                                                                                          Location:  Dean is a small, liberal arts college located in a suburban setting in Franklin, Mass.  It is approximately a 50 minute drive from Boston and a 35 minute drive from Providence, RI.  Dean is known for its academic support services.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

BHS Admissions Statistics:

            Applied            Admitted         Attending

2013          5                  2               0

2012          1                  1               0

2011          8                  6               2

2010          6                  4               1

View of library from quad

Snapshot:   Dean is a small, friendly campus set right in the heart of Franklin, Mass.  Its streets blend right in with streets in town.  The main buildings were impressive, especially the student center, where students gather for activities, such as watching the tally of the last Presidential election, studying and going to dining halls.  Some of the facilities, such as the athletic fields, seemed a bit old and in need of sprucing up, but the feeling on campus was warm and inviting. It seems apparent that all students on campus get a lot of support and attention.  The performing arts department is also well-known, especially the dance program. There were many performing arts events being advertised on campus.

    

Dean College has a great relationship with the Patriots organization. Our college tour included      
tickets for counselors, students and Dean personnel and professors.

Vassar

Entrance to campus

Vassar College

5/9/07
Visited by:  Ms. Diozzi

Location:  A private, selective liberal arts college located in Poughkeepsie, NY (1.5 hrs from NYC.)  Vassar was founded in the early 1860's by brewer, Matthew Vassar as a women's college. It went co-ed in the 1960's.

Population of college: 3800 undergraduates. 

Snapshot:  My first impression of Vassar was that the college campus is gorgeous and the architecture of the buildings is eclectic.  It's located on a side street out of Poughkeepsie and is walled in by a large brick wall.  (There has been much discussion over the years about tearing down the wall to make the college feel more inclusive with the community.)  The students we met were fairly well-dressed, a bit preppy, seemingly privileged and very, very articulate.  Many of them also seemed to be a bit quirky and creative.  There was noticeable ethnic diversity on the campus among both students and professors.

A famous distinction of Vassar is that all of the bathrooms on campus are gender-neutral, and the student body consistently votes to keep it that way.  According to Vassar students, the “type of student who would be most happy at Vassar is unique, passionate about something, eclectic, knows time management well, is not afraid to learn something new from someone different, and is open to intimate discussions.”

Vassar prides itself on being one of the top ten colleges for vegetarians, so at lunch, I asked for the vegetarian entrée. Not only was it vegetarian, it was vegan and amazing! One of the best meals I had on the entire tour, including the dinner at the Culinary Institute of America. 

Famous alumni include Meryl Streep and Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe on Friends).

Dormitory

Tufts University

Date of Visit:  11/4/08

Visited by:  Ms. Diozzi

Building on main quad

College/University Name:  Tufts University

Location:  Medford, MA

Population:  4800 undergraduates

Campus Type:  Suburban campus with urban access

Number of BHS students who applied:

                 Applied   Admitted  Attended

2012            9             2                1

2011           13             2                1

2010           14             1                0

2009           21             6                2           

                    

Most Popular majors:  Humanities, anything international, engineering.  “New” college (00): Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service

Eco-friendly "green" dorm

On Campus Housing Information:  Freshmen and sophomores are required to live on campus.  40-45% of all juniors will be studying abroad.  Most seniors live on campus.  There is one “green” dorm. 10% Greek housing.

Snap Shot:  Founded as a Unitarian Universalist college (though with no ties to it now), Tufts still has a ‘vibe’ of intellectualism, active citizenship and being part of a global community.  When I visited on Election Day, 2008, there was a strong sense of politics on the campus, much of it with a left-leaning bent.  Students are required to take six semesters of a foreign language and to have taken four years of a language in high school (preferably through the AP level).  They are looking for students whose passions cross academic disciplines:  ex. “engineers who love the arts, multilingual business leaders, doctors who relish politics,” etc.

Art studios

Elephant - "Jumbo the Elephant" is Tufts's mascot

Mayer Campus Center

Nichols College

Nichols College Snapshot
Date of BHS Guidance Visit: 12/7/12
Website: www.nichols.edu
Location: Dudley, MA
Population of School: 1300 undergraduates
Campus type: Small town with rolling hills just outside of Worcester

Most Popular Majors
Business majors and Sports Management seem to be most popular. Majors are located either in the School of Business or Liberal Arts. Majors that are part of the business programs are varied, including criminal justice and sports management. Students can choose to complete an MBA in 5 years.

On Campus Housing Information
90% of freshmen live in a co-ed dorm where each double or triple room has its own private bathroom as opposed a bathroom shared by the floor. Other options include suite and apartment style living.

Snapshot
Small, private, comprehensive, coeducational college specializing in career-focused business education. 4 out of 10 graduates go on to become a CEO, president, or business owner. All classes involve lots of presentations and papers as opposed to tests. Professors not only teach, but also have experience in the field and frequently get together with students outside of class. All students participate in the “Professional Development Seminar” system during all four years. They attend seminars on a weekly basis, focused on learning skills that will help them in college and in the transition to life after college.
Freshman year: focus on transition to college, study skills, time management
Sophomore year: exploring choice of major and internship, building a portfolio, creating a resume and cover letter
Junior year: practicing interview skills (including online and phone interviews), doing an internship
Senior year: transitioning to career, financial literacy, salary negotiation, dining etiquette, what to wear to job interviews
The average accepted student has a 2.4-3.4 GPA and 900-1000 on the SAT. Merit scholarships are offered to students with a 2.5 GPA or higher starting at $12,000. The average financial aid package is for $27,000. The average student also seems to be very athletic; ESPN is the channel of choice in most student lounges and many students seem to be involved in varsity sports. Tennis and hockey are especially strong.

Gettysburg College

 Gettysburg College 

Location:  Gettysburg, PA

Visited by:  Ms. Diozzi

on August 20, 2012

Students call this building "Hogwarts"

Located one mile from Gettysburg National Military Park, two hours from Philadelphia and just under 1.5 hours from Washington D.C., this liberal arts college was founded in 1832.

Campus type:  Suburban/rural
Student population:  2700 undergraduates.

Most popular majors:  Political science, Organizational Management

studies, History (always among the top three), Psychology, Biology, English.

Application History

                Applied                      Admitted                    Attended

2011             1                                   0                                0

2010             0

2009             0

2008             1                                   0                                0


Impressions:
The campus is small and intimate and somewhat separate from the rest of the historic town.  As our guide said, "We get all the benefits of being in a tourist town - without the tourists." The oldest building on campus dates from the mid-19th century, and the newest, a state of the art LEED certified athletic center, has just opened.  The college offers a traditional liberal arts education and also has its own conservatory program offering degrees in theater and music.  The college's most famous president was former US President Dwight Eisenhower, who is still very much celebrated on campus. His daughter, Susan, is the chair emeritus for the Eisenhower Institute which promotes public policy and leadership. Athletics are also very popular at Gettysburg and it is a D3 college.

They like Ike.

View of campus from Gettysburg Battlefield.

First building on campus, formerly College of PA

New athletic center