PHACC Tour - Day 3

This morning, we started our day at La Salle University. This Christian Brothers school has about 3,300 undergraduates with 85% residing on campus. The most popular majors include Nursing, Accounting (about 90% of students in their 3+1 masters program pass their CPA exam), Education, and Communications. It was also really interesting to learn that the school purchased an old hospital for their nurse education program and it includes within it a Speech and Language wing complete with a swallowing clinic for individuals with swallowing disorders. So unique! Other attributes of La Salle include having 21 Division I sports and free laundry in the dorms. With an average admitted student SAT score of about 1100 on the first two sections of the SAT, La Salle is another prime example of a merit scholarship alert -- about 50 full tuition scholarships were offered last year. The second picture above comes from the 3-D printer they have on campus, a fast growing piece of technology that merges design and computers. Fun fact - the author of Silver Linings Playbook is a La Salle alum. Bradley Cooper, call me!

Our middle stop for the day was Chestnut Hill College, a small school (only 1,000 undergraduates) located right on the city line of Philadelphia (but it doesn't feel urban at all). Formerly a women's college, Chestnut Hill turned co-ed in 2004. This is the type of school where students can definitely work at their own pace to get adjusted to college and experience small classes. I was especially happy to hear that they run a fall success program for at risk students, something that is key for some first generation college students. They also offer a certificate program in Montessori Education, something I have not seen before. The campus itself is gorgeous, with the more recent buildings really blending smoothly in with the original 1903 main building. The low graduation rate is a concern, but it also has to be viewed in context given the profile of student that finds their home at Chestnut Hill (the average SAT score hovers around 1000 on the first two sections). For the right student, who was looking for a 4 year experience and was able to get an affordable financial aid package, it might be the perfect balance of a residential small college experience.

The day finished up with Rosemont College, another small recently co-ed college (admitting men for the first time in 2009) located 11 miles from Philadelphia. This gem of a school is certainly small, but I really liked the look and feel (along with the academic offerings). Students can cross register at nearby Villanova (one class per semester), participate in some accelerated 3 year Bachelor's degree programs, and benefit from a critical mass of full time faculty (as opposed to an overwhelming majority of adjuncts). The best part is that more than half of ElRo's senior class would be a strong candidate for the Honors program - and the merit scholarships that go along with it. They also have two highly selective programs with Drexel Medical School where students first attend Rosemont and then have a seat waiting for them at Drexel after 3 or 4 years respectively. At the other end of the spectrum, Rosemont also runs a highly effective "Bridge to Success" summer bridge program for students who might need an extra push to make the transition to college. And one last thing, the on-campus Chapel (aside from being beautiful) has a little twist to it - all of the stained glass windows feature women!