The West is home to quite a few top liberal arts colleges. There are more than 40 colleges recognized on the current Colleges That Change Lives (CTCL) list, and nine of them are located in the West. Western CTCL schools are found in Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. These schools were selected because the academic experience they provide students is as good, or better, than what students at big-name schools receive. Below are a few interesting facts about each of the CLTC schools in the West. They have many recourses where to buy essays online which are not mentioned: smaller enrollment of 350 to 4,000 students, atmosphere where students are known and recognized as individuals, small class sizes, close interaction with faculty, opportunities for research and experiential learning, and a commitment to building an academic environment where all students succeed. All the CTCL schools are liberal arts colleges. Admission may be competitive, but these schools evaluate applicants using a holistic process, so students aren't just numbers.
Austin College (Sherman, TX) 1. 1. In the past 10 years, 70% of graduates had at least one international or study abroad experience. 2. 2. More than half the students participate in community service through the Service Station, which provides more than 13,500 hours of service annually. 3. 3. In 2011, six Austin College students received Fulbright grants, making Austin one of the top producers of Fulbright awardees in Texas.
Evergreen State College (Olympia, WA) 1. 1. No grades are given at Evergreen State; students receive written narrative evaluations of their progress. 2. 2. Evergreen State is a public college, one of the few on the CTCL schools list. 3. 3. Classes are designed to be interactive and creative. Academic programs are team-taught and combine disciplines to examine the real-word relationships among different subjects.
Reed College (Portland, OR) 1. 1. Reed deemphasizes letter grades, and students receive written evaluations from professors. 2. 2. Reed is the only college in the country with a research nuclear reactor staffed primarily by undergraduates. The Reed reactor has more female reactor operators than all other research reactors combined. 3. 3. Reed students have received plenty of prestigious awards: 31 Rhodes Scholars, two Pulitzer-Prize winners, and 139 National Science Foundation Fellowship winners.
