"Good small colleges" can foster person-centered interaction.
It can be problematic to define exactly what constitutes a "good small college," but there are scores of colleges across the U.S. that more or less fit the bill. These include colleges with small student enrollments (perhaps less than 2,500) and often with a low student-faculty ratio to match, which offer a solid education.
Many "good small colleges" offer highly-ranked programs, concrete research opportunities, impressive facilities, tenured faculty and a close-knit community interaction and are among the most competitive colleges. These good small colleges include Amherst College in Massachusetts, California Institute of Technology (Cal Tech) in Pasadena and Scripps College in California.
Amherst College
Founded in 1821, Amherst College was ranked second among top liberal arts universities in the U.S. by U.S. News and World Report in 2010. This small college awards baccalaureate degrees in over 30 fields, from women's and gender studies to American studies. The college does have agreements with five area colleges, including the University of Massachusetts, which allow students to take classes for credit that may not be available at this smaller institution.
Amherst library houses more than one million volumes and there are more than 100 student organizations on campus.
California Institute of Technology (Cal Tech)
The Princeton Review classed Cal Tech as a 2010 "Best Western College," and a 2010 "Best Value College." Admission to this research college is highly selective. Past students, and present and former faculty of this Institute include Nobel laureates and recipients of the National Medal of Science.
At this small college, students can earn undergraduate and graduate degrees in disciplines such as engineering, physics, biology, chemistry, astronomy and geological and planetary sciences. On campus, there are over 75 research centers, in addition to off-campus facilities, such as the W. M. Keck and Palomar Observatories and the popular NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).
In fiscal year 2010, research awards and contracts at this small college totaled $332 million. (See Reference 2)
Scripps College
Founded in 1926 and a top-ranked college, Scripps College is a private liberal arts college and is the women-only college of The Claremont Colleges. With a student size of only 946 in 2010-11, Scripps is among the smallest of small colleges.
For two consecutive years 2010 and 2011, Scripps was ranked a top-25 liberal arts college by U.S. News and World Report, and rated a "Best College in the West" and a "Best Value College" by the 2011 Princeton Review, among other national recognition and national awards in 2010. About 40 percent of Scripps' students are from California and 28 percent are students of color. Popular majors include art and psychology. Members of the Class of 2010 received acceptances to graduate programs at distinguished universities, including Brown University and UC Berkeley.
Scripps college counts among its alumnae U.S. Congresswoman (D-AZ) Gabrielle Giffords '93.
Wellesley College
Wellesley is one of America's most selective liberal arts college and is known for its truly beautiful setting, top-notch academics, a talented faculty and a unique and famed campus culture and spirit. For over 100 years, Wellesley has set about educating women who are "committed to making a difference" through an education that is rich, demanding and transformative.
Wellesley's academic philosophy requires students to be fully engaged with their education. This small college is home to leading-edge facilities such as the Albright Institue, the Knapp Social Science Center and the Davis Museum. There are various opportunities to "get involved" at Wellesley, from extracurricular and advocacy projects to internships and Boston-area opportunities.
Tags: small college, liberal arts, Amherst College, arts college, liberal arts college, 2010 Best
