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Spring 2009
In this issue:
Minnesota Private College Week
This free, weeklong event is a terrific way for students and families to familiarize themselves with any of our 17 institutions. Morning and afternoon tours and information sessions are held on each campus during the week of June 22-26. Encourage your rising juniors and seniors and even your sophomores to register; this is a great way to jumpstart their college search.
Why choose us?
We know that cost and value are top of mind this year for students and families making decisions about college. Our 17 institutions offer excellent value for the investment and may be more affordable than you think. Here are some considerations that can make it worth the investment:
- Our institutions have increased their financial aid offerings. Very few students pay the posted price — given need-based aid and merit awards.
- We have the highest four-year graduation rate in the state. This means that most families are done paying tuition after four years.
- Students receive a high quality education with small classes and personal attention from professors. They have many hands-on experiences through internships, off-campus study and faculty-directed research — better preparing them for future success.
- Our liberal arts emphasis teaches students to analyze and synthesize information and ideas, understand relationships among different disciplines and think creatively and independently. These are qualities that employers seek and value.
- Career staff members get to know students. They help students identify their interests and skills and position themselves for a career. See newsletter story
- 97% of our alumni say the amount they or their family paid for college was “worth it.”
Print out our majors chart
For a handy guide to the undergraduate majors offered at each of our campuses, download and print our chart (PDF). Post it on the wall in your career center and keep it nearby when you’re meeting with students. Or, search our online majors and degrees database.
17 distinct options
Since finding a college that’s a good fit is an important goal of the college search process, we asked our colleges to share an introduction that helps convey their uniqueness. Here’s what they said:
- Bethel University is a pioneer in Christ-centered education, combining deep faith development with rigorous learning.
- International and academically challenging, Macalester prepares its students for success in a global economy.
- Concordia University, St. Paul offers laptops to all full-time undergraduate students.
- Saint Mary’s University — located in the bluffs of the Mississippi River — is a Catholic, co-educational school that offers small classes with big opportunities to its students.
- St. Thomas students are intellectually curious, dedicated to community service, love their Minneapolis/St. Paul metro location — and look great in purple.
- Located in the heart of Minneapolis, Augsburg College embraces the opportunity for experiential and interdisciplinary education in our neighborhood and in the world.
- St. Scholastica is a regional leader in the health sciences, offering nursing, pre-med, exercise physiology, PT, OT, athletic training and health information management.
- St. Kate's will become St. Catherine University on June 1, 2009; at its heart it will continue to be a place where students work with amazing faculty, develop their leadership skills and gain experience through internships, study abroad and on-campus work.
- Hamline University students are practical visionaries, sharing a commitment to social justice that is grounded in real-world knowledge.
- Carleton College has recently added majors in Environmental Studies and Cinema and Media Studies and will open two new residence halls in September.
- Concordia College is distinguished by a globally immersive education, exceptional graduate school placement rates, a faith- inspired commitment to service and the country’s corniest mascot.
- Gustavus hosts the annual Nobel Conference, supports 153 semester or year-long study abroad programs, and offers made-to-order steak on Thursday nights in the Market Place.
- Bethany Lutheran College is an affordable, private, Christ-centered campus offering a challenging yet encouraging learning environment.
- The College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University form a partnership of two of the nation’s top Catholic liberal arts colleges and are ranked second among undergraduate colleges for the number of students who study abroad.
- Recognized as one of the nation's leading liberal arts colleges, St. Olaf College offers an academically rigorous education with a vibrant faith tradition as a college of the Lutheran church.
- The Minneapolis College of Art and Design educates students to become professional artists and designers, leaders and effective critical thinkers — through rigorous studio-based and liberal arts courses.
Scholarship searches
A recent USA TODAY story, Finding help to pay for college: You just need to know where to look includes these tips:
- Many scholarships are available only to students who apply in their junior year in high school.
- You don't need high SATs or the ability to do a 360-degree dunk to nab a scholarship.
- Some of the best scholarships require nominations from students’ schools.
- Let free search sites do the work, e.g., FinAid.org and FastWeb.com
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