Hampshire College, Amherst, Massachusetts

When we arrived on campus a student, surrounded by a small group of family and friends was ringing the bell. Behind him were others waiting their turn. They were celebrating the completion of their academic work at Hampshire.


There are no letter grades at Hampshire. In their place, teachers provide a written evaluation and critique. Professors serve as teachers, mentors, and collaborators. Students develop their own concentrations, which are self-deigned majors consisting of coursework, independent projects, internships, community service and off-campus study experiences. Each student has a personalized academic program. Students complete a significant research project in their senior year.

The college draws students who are motivated self-starters. If you are looking for a small non-conformist college, perhaps Hampshire fits the bill.  For additional photos, check out the Slosberg College Solutions LLC Facebook page.  If you visited or attended Hampshire College recently, share your experiences.

Landmark College

After spending a day and a half at the “Professional Visit Days for Educators” at Landmark College this month, I feel strongly that Landmark College is a college that changes lives.

Landmark is a unique college in Putney, Vermont that offers an associate degree program to a student body of about 500 students who learn differently and who are likely to struggle in a traditional college setting.  The students (69% male) are average and above average students with learning differences and/or ADHD.

In addition to giving the students an opportunity to earn their Associates degree, Landmark prepares these students to transfer into Bachelor’s degree programs with the:

· Ability to read and write with a high level of independence

· Knowledge of their strengths and challenges in learning

· Ability to ask for services and support

· Ability to keep track of assignments, organize materials, and manage time effectively.

The Landmark staff members have all been trained to teach and work with students with learning differences and/or ADHD. Many of the staff members are graduates of Landmark or have children who attended Landmark.

Landmark also offers summer programs for:

· Rising High School Juniors and Seniors

· College-Bound Seniors (not going to Landmark)

· Visiting College Students.

I have Professional Day Scholarship Referral forms, which will allow up to three of my clients to receive a $75 application fee waiver and priority consideration for financial aid for the Fall 2011 Semester and/or one of the Landmark Summer Programs for the Summer of 2011.

If you have attended or visited Landmark College, share your experiences.

State University of New York - Purchase

State University of New York - Purchase might be especially interesting for you if you are interested in the fine or performing arts. It is one of the few public universities, which is an arts specialty school. There are four theatres on campus, a relatively new Dance Building with 12 dance studios, and the Neuberger Museum.  The movie "Black Swan" was shot here.

Twenty-five percent of students are from outside of New York State.  Politically, the student body is liberal. 35% of the students are vegetarian and the school has a vegetarian eatery, Terra-Ve on campus. There are 70 clubs and Division III Athletic teams. The largest student group on campus is the LGBT group. The Cheese Club is a also very popular group. One of the social highlights of the year is the Zombie Prom. There are no fraternities or sororities at SUNY Purchase.

The school is located in a wealthy, suburban residential area. A short bus ride will take you to White Plains. From White Plains, you can get to Manhattan by train in 45 minutes.

For additional SUNY Purchase photos, check out the Slosberg College Solutions LLC Facebook page.

If you attended or visited SUNY Purchase recently, what were your impressions? 

Manhattanville College, Purchase, NY

Manhattanville is a private co-educational college with 1700 undergrads (64% female) on 100 acres in Purchase, NY. Students come from 76 countries and 48 states. Classes are small and the school is especially known for its management, art, music, psychology and education programs. The school has over 50 clubs, a radio station and 21 NCAA Division III teams. Programs, including an Honors program and a fee-based Learning Disability program, are available. Special opportunities are available because Manhattanville is a non-governmental organization (NGO) of the UN.

The school uses the Portfolio System. Through this system, students working closely with a faculty advisor, talk about educational and post-baccalaureate goals and the curricular path that would best meet those goals. The portfolio reflects a student’s entire college career as both a system of planning and assessment and a repository for their best work.

The campus is well-maintained. Near the center is the castle, a beautiful mansion with marble halls from the 1800s, which is on the National Register of Historic Places.

The school's mission is:

“To educate students to become ethically and socially responsible leaders for the global community. We are committed to doing this by ensuring three things:

· The full intellectual, ethical and social development of each student within a community of engaged scholars and teachers

· The application of students’ development as independent leaders, and creative thinkers, to their career and professional goals; and

· A diverse campus community whose members know, care about and support each other and actively engage the world beyond.”

My guide, a senior from the Dominican Republic, seemed to be living the school mission. He:

· Had participated in 3 internships, one of which had led to a job upon graduation. He praised the campus career services, which provided students assistance in getting internships in Westchester or New York City and getting jobs. Students can take a campus-bus or public bus to White Plains and then can take the train to New York City.

· Volunteered regularly in soup kitchen in Manhattan. He explained that the school values community service with over 30,000 hours of community service taking place over the last year.

· Spent a semester abroad in Germany, exploring many European countries.

· Recounted how one of his professors invited a group of international students for a pre-Thanksgiving feast. Not only does the president live on campus, but there is also on-campus housing for some of the teaching staff.

· Had chosen Manhattanville, in part, for its financial aid. Both need-based aid and merit-based aid are available.

If you visited or attended Manhattanville College, share your experiences.

Adelphi or Hofstra University?

Which one of these private Long Island colleges is for you: Adelphi University or Hofstra University? 

Adelphi University



Adelphi Science Building

  














Hofstra University
Bridge over highway connects 2 sides of campus



Hofstra University





 

Both:

• Have ready access to New York City
• Are among the less expensive private colleges
• Have Honors programs 
• Have Learning Differences programs
• Are arboretums.

Some important differences are:

 

• Size: Adelphi is much smaller than Hofstra in both the number of students and the campus size
• Commuters: Adelphi has a larger per cent of commuters
• Surrounding neighborhood: Adelphi is in a safer neighborhood 
• Per cent accepted: Larger per cent of students is accepted at Adelphi than Hofstra
• Per cent graduate: Larger per cent of students graduate from Adelphi than Hofstra
• Sports: Adelphi is NCAA Division II and Hofstra is Division I
• Strong majors: Adelphi is known for nursing, elementary ed, accounting, performing arts, psychology, and phys ed.  Hofstra is known for accounting, biology, creative writing, international business, music, audio/video/film, drama and dance.

Which of these two Long Island universities do you like best and why?

 

Rider University, Lawrenceville, NJ

Rider University focuses on five advantages: connected learning, leadership skills, global perspective, social responsibility, and being student-centered.

Some special items of note at the Lawrenceville campus are:

o Education - Education majors are in the field observing starting in their Sophomore year; Education majors can student teach in NJ and Pennsylvania; 100% passed PRAXIS

o Business - Separate business honors program, one of only 35 Global Supply Chain Management programs in the country, forty co-op positions with Johnson & Johnson

o Hands-on learning including research, internships, co-op assignments, field experience.

o About 88% of students live on campus. There are over 150 clubs.  12-15% of undergrads are involved in Greek life. There are 20 Division I teams with basketball being the biggest sport.  Students contribute about sixty thousand hours of community service per year.

Quinnipiac University, Hamden, CT

The clock tower is playing a show tune.  The Division I Tennis Team is practicing.  You look out at the spacious quad and to the adjacent Sleeping Giant Mountain State Park.  You are in Quinnipiac’s 250-acre Mount Carmel campus, one of three campuses that make up the university.

The school is best known for health, including physical therapy and nursing; communications, with two radio stations, a TV station, and home to the famous Quinnipiac Polling institute; and business, with the facilities of the Lender School of Business.

Classes are small with an average size of 22. Students are involved in clubs, intramurals, and Division I sports. A small percent participate in Greek life. Students also take advantage of activities in Hamden and New Haven.  Juniors and seniors will need a car for travel between the York Hill and Mount Carmel campuses.

If you’ve been admitted to Quinnipiac, what do you think the pros and cons of the school are?