Wise Like Us

Well played, Lewis & Clark

If you read our blog, you know we're really excited about colleges. And we're even more excited about lesser-known colleges--ones that most of our students here in California won't even investigate. 

Lewis & Clark is one of those colleges. And it's a pretty amazing place to live and learn and be a happy college kid. We've known that all along. Our favorite part is when one of our students figures that out, too. 

This year, one of our very own will be going to Portland, Oregon to join Lewis & Clark College's incoming freshman class. And he'll be the first Collegewise kid there. EVER.

If you're willing to be one of those students who looks outside the box (and at a cool college like Lewis & Clark), check our their amazing student blogs. Kids are writing and posting videos about life at L&C, the music scene, Portland's city life and even what life looks like from a study abroad program in Scotland. These students can give you a much different (and fuller!) picture of what life as a Pioneer is like, so start reading!

And if you DO fall in love, send us an e-card from the Lewis & Clark website and tell us about it!

The Filsteins take over Ithaca...

Margot left town last week and headed to Ithaca, New York to see her sister receive her masters from Cornell University. She's busy running around with the family and pretending to be a Cornell student for the week, but she took a little time to give us an update. Enjoy!

"Hello from Ithaca, New York!  I just got back from my sister's graduation at Cornell, where she earned her master's degree in Management in Hospitality.  While my sister attended the School of Hotel Administration as a graduate student, students can also earn a bachelor's degree in Hotel Administration as an undergraduate.  Cornell even has its own hotel on campus called The Statler Hotel where students in the Hotel School get hands-on experience in the industry.  Pretty cool.

Saving Lives on Study Breaks

A lot of our students talk about wanting a “hands-on” learning experience when they get to college.  Well, it doesn’t get any more hands-on than the Fire and Rescue Squad at St. Michael’s College in Colchester, Vermont.  Since 1969, the student volunteers of St. Michael’s Fire and Rescue have been serving the school and surrounding communities, responding to everything from motor vehicle accidents to structure fires.  And we thought studying for an Anthropology final was tough…

You can learn more about the St. Michael’s Fire and Rescue Squad through their website, or by watching this video featuring actual student volunteers.

A Penny Saved...

In 1981, a man named Larry Armstrong was on his way to work at the University of Idaho as the executive assistant to the college president.  Outside of a sorority house, he saw three pennies on the ground.

At that time, the University of Idaho (in addition to other campuses nation-wide) was suffering from budget cuts and a shrinking endowment.  Larry decided to pick up the pennies and see how much he could save for the University of Idaho.  After a few years, he and his department had found and saved $44.  They jokingly decided to donate it to the school under the name "Found Money Fund of Idaho."

Word got out, and the fund grew bigger.  Idaho alumni began mailing in their found pennies, quarters, and dollars into the fund.  Armstrong was even invited to a television show in LA in which he brought in $2,100 for the college.

As of last count, the fund is now well over $100,000.  Who knew that a few pennies and a little inspiration could go that far?  You can find out more about the Found Money Fund here.

Blogged by Katie Konrad, Director, Collegewise - Northwest

St. John's College in Santa Fe, New Mexico

One of the pitfalls of taking a vacation with me is that I turn every trip into a full-blown college dork-out session.  I hear "wedding in Upstate New York," and think "Vassar."  I hear "Florida beach vacation" and think "University of Miami."  So, when my mom suggested that I use my week off to take a trip to Santa Fe to spend some quality time with her, I thought, "St. John's College!"  After informing her of my intentions, she graciously allowed me to spend an hour milling around campus - but only if I would spend the afternoon at one of the great flea markets outside of Santa Fe.  Deal.

The entrance to St. John's College.  St. John's also has a campus in Annapolis, which has the same programs.  Don't confuse these two with St. John's University, which is a much larger Catholic school in Queens, NY.

 

 

They've Got Your Back

I love when I find something about a school that could have easily been uninteresting, but instead is creative and fun. I also love that I work with someone who gets it when I make him get up from his chair to come see what I’m suddenly very excited about (Actually anyone in our company would have found this cool, which is why I belong here at Collegewise.) As a former tour guide at Ithaca College, and a former advisor to the tour guide program at Whittier College, I fully appreciate the art of walking backwards during a campus tour, and the reason behind it. The University of Rhode Island took this quirky and very useful skill and put their own distinctive spin on it. Check out their truly fantastic way of introducing the tour guides here: Meet The Guides It not only makes me want to go meet all of them in person (and the person on their admission staff who came up with this brilliant idea), but it makes me think this place must be pretty fun. Good job Rams.

 

ASU Photo Tour

Sierra Nevada College

Incline Village, NV

It’s not often that a Collegewise student comes to us with a college we’ve never heard of, but it happened this senior season—I had never heard of Sierra Nevada College. “Where is it?” I inquired. “You gotta see the website!” my student exclaimed. So, we checked it out together during our meeting…and Sierra Nevada College was pretty cool. On their website, it says they “learn on an incline,” like the mountains that surround the campus. “That’s so awesome!” we both exclaimed, and while he already knew he was going to apply, I knew that I wanted to know more about this small, liberal arts college located near Lake Tahoe.

When I clicked open the website’s homepage, I knew exactly what my student was talking about. The campus structure there looks just like a ski-lodge, which makes sense considering it is in the mountains. But it was amazing just how much this picture told; you really got the sense that Sierra Nevada College values its setting, and has built a college life for its students around its unique location. In fact, on another snippet of their website, they talk about how Lake Tahoe’s natural resources that surround the campus make the perfect laboratory for learning—I liked the sound of that, so I kept digging.

Fort Lewis College

Durango, CO

Do your friends describe you as a madman (or woman) because of your insistent pursuit of back-country sports? And do they think you’re even crazier because you’re looking for a college now where academics and nature collide? Well, tell them to sit down—you have some explaining to do!

Nestled in the mountains of Durango, Colorado is an amazing college called Fort Lewis. It’s an ideal enclave for extreme sports enthusiasts and bookworms alike. From the Adventure Education degree that prepares you to teach and lead others in outdoor activities like rock climbing and backpacking, to the BA in American Indian Studies, this unique liberal arts college has something for everyone in a setting that will blow your mind.

Stony Brook University

Stony Brook University and Stony Brook Southampton are part of the "University" centers of the State University of New York.  I was invited to attend a Counselor Visitation Day that was attended by guidance counselors from Massachusetts and Connecticut.  Stony Brook actively recruits non-New Yorkers for this very impressive institution.