For some students, this strategy can work.

Others wish they never ended up attending the Ivy-League college they are now committed to for four “long” years of their lives.

The truth is, for some students, those high-ranked ivies are simply not good fits for them.

The absolute best schools for them are actually colleges that consistently change lives.

All of the schools in this article are among the very best schools in the world, but may not be as well-known as their larger counterparts for a number of reasons.

They may or may not get the same media attention (how many movies have you seen centered around Harvard?)…

They may not get the same praise from conventional college rankings lists.

Because of this, we have identified the absolute 10 of the very best “hidden gem” colleges in the country that consistently score for high levels of student happiness, career outcome, quality of overall learning environment, and more.

If you want more information on these schools, I strongly recommend one of the very best books on colleges called Colleges That Change Lives. Although we are not personally affiliated with this book or its author, all of the schools listed here are also profiled in that book.

To qualify as a “hidden gem” school for this particular list, the school cannot be placed inside the top 55 on the US News “Top Liberal Arts Colleges” list as of August 2019.

Without further ado, here are our picks, based on the opinion of College Gazette, for the best hidden gem liberal arts colleges in the US.

Eckerd College (St. Petersburg, FL)

Well-known for its idyllic setting on the shores of Florida’s beautiful St. Petersburg, Eckerd College is a school with deep connections to marine and environmental sciences.

Evidence of deep association with the environment include the Eckerd College Dolphin Project, known around the school as D.A.R.W.I.N., which is the longest running undergraduate dolphin research project in any college.

Because of the school’s commitment to oceanic sciences, more students from this school than any other have been named NOAA Hollings Scholars, a generous scholarship endowed by the US government’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Eckerd College upholds a unique standard other schools should aspire to have – an unrelenting commitment to a green campus. Many of the buildings are LEED certified, waste reduction initiatives are followed, bike sharing via their “Yellow Bike” program is offered, and solar panels are used to power some facilities.

If you desire to study internationally, this school is among the most impressive we have ever seen. Each year, over 300 international study-abroad opportunities are afforded to enrolled students.

St. Olaf College (Northfield, MN)

Like Eckerd, St. Olaf is picturesque in design, but in a completely different way – instead of beaches and water, St. Olaf’s beautiful landscape is one of a more mystical feeling, characterized by tall grass prairie, wetlands, and woods.

One of the hallmarks of St. Olaf is its impressive music program. Housing one of the premiere a cappella ensembles in any college throughout the world, the St. Olaf Choir has toured Europe, China, Korea, France, Scandinavia, Australia, and many other countries.

They have also performed at many iconic venues in the US, including Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center.

Other music ensembles at St. Olaf are heralded – the St. Olaf Jazz Orchestra won a prestigious DownBeat magazine award in 2011, and the St. Olaf Orchestra has made appears on National Public Radio.

There is much to love in St. Olaf outside of the music program as well. In 2012, the school was rated number one for study-abroad programs by Open Doors. Indeed, approximately 2/3rds of all students study abroad at St. Olaf prior to graduation.

Regularly ranked as a top liberal arts college by many noted publications, including US News & World Report as well as Washington Monthly, the student learning outcome is impressive; 58% of students of the Class of 2012 were employed within a year of graduation.

So what were the other 42% doing? The great majority were in graduate school or commencing post-education volunteer work.

Allegheny College (Meadville, PA)

A college over 200 years old, Allegheny’s rich history and unique people has fostered one of the most interesting colleges in the world.

The school is known for taking on bold topics in sponsored discussions with top academics, including a presentation in 2009 on the unusual topic of face transplants.

Students themselves have the opportunity to present their own topics of interest in ACRoSS, which stands for Allegheny College Research Seminar Series. Topics in 2018 include growing Meadville, the city Allegheny is based in, shared work programs, neoliberalism, and the Jewish community farming movement.

One of the most well-known personalities of the campus, professor Michael Maniates, is one of the foremost experts on material consumption in humans. Having worked on the famous Story of Stuff short movie, he was quoted in the Los Angeles Times as saying “We really need to think of ways of making it possible for people to think about working less and getting by on less.”

Liberal, forward-thinking ideas like these are at the heart of Allegheny College, which has committed itself towards a new generation of students, faculty, and alumni impacting the world in unusual, unique, and powerful ways.

Austin College (Sherman, TX)

Like many excellent schools on this list, one of the great advantages Austin College provides for its students is an undergraduate-only education.

Why is this a unique benefit? All of the resources Austin College has are poured directly into the undergraduate curriculum, ensuring no sharing or competition of resources and attention with older graduate students.

This is a school known for having an intimate, liberal arts environment with less than a total of 1,500 students. The student-faculty ratio is a comfortable 12:1, assuring every student ample time with high-level professors who are among the best at what they do.

One unique attribute of Austin College is that every student has a personal faculty mentor they work with for all four years of college. This 1-on-1 guidance helps foster a close-knit relationship essential for advising a student through their own educational journey.

Cited by the Princeton Review as a Best Western College, Austin College recently created the IDEA Center under the leadership of Marjorie Hass, an impression 103,000 square foot facility hosting laboratories, lecture halls, and even the Adams Observatory holding the region’s largest telescope.

The newest president is Steven P. O’Day, a law school graduate who took his office about one year ago in August of 2017.

Reed College (Portland, OR)

Reed College is one of the most unusually fascinating institutions in the US.

The school emphasizes small, almost-entirely undergraduate classes where the teacher often acts as a moderator of discussion among the students, rather than as a traditional professor who simply lectures. Student to faculty ratio is a notable 9:1 size.

The school is the only in the country that has a nuclear reactor on campus operated primarily by undergraduate students (and a supervisor). Called the Reed Research Reactor, the unusual facility was built in 1968 and serves as a focal point in many of the Physics, Chemistry, and science classes.

What is interesting about the school is that they do not tell student’s their grades if they are a C or above. As a result, a number of Reed alumni never knew what their GPA was coming out of college.

Reed also has no fraternitities or sororities, and is not considered a “sports” kind of school. However, physical education is noted as a requirement for students to graduate.

The city of Portland, Oregon has long been regarded as one of the most uniquely liberal in the country, due in large part to the presence of Reed College, perhaps the most unique institute of higher learning in the world.

McDaniel College (Westminster, MD)

McDaniel’s mission starts with building a student’s education through The McDaniel Plan, an initiative designed to help students attain specialized knowledge of their major through directed studies, internships, and more.

With approximately 1,600 students in the entire college, this small liberal arts college is a true hidden gem in the landscape of academia.

Formerly known as Western Maryland College, McDaniel has one of the most flexible curriculums of any liberal arts college. Students at the school can even participate in self-designed majors to fully take advantage of all the ambitions they have for an undergraduate experience.

One particularly interesting facility the school has is the CEO – Center for Experience & Opportunity. This is where the classroom meets the real world for McDaniel’s 1600+ students, as this unique kind of career center assists students with internships, scholarship acquisition, and even study-abroad opportunities.

Speaking of study-abroad opportunities, the school has a dedicated satellite campus in Budapest, Hungary, where students of McDaniel can go study during their undergraduate tenure.

Knox College (Galesburg, IL)

Knox implements an unusual academic system, what they call a “3-3” approach.

Essentially there are three 10 week semesters each year, and in those 10-week semesters, students take three courses.

To promote a greater bond and tutorship between faculty and student, the faculty are only allowed to teach two courses in each of these semesters. This allows for greater 1-on-1 learning experiences.

Knox is widely known as one of the best liberal arts colleges for funding student research. Annually, Knox funds more than a quarter-million dollars to students for research work.

One amazing effect of this funding is the school’s awarding $2,000 experience grants, money that is available to all juniors and seniors at the school for experiential study & research. Students can use this towards community service, internships, study-abroad, or even equipment to fund the experience.

Recent projects included students who explored green chemistry, dancing classes for at-risk youth, and an internship with the United Nations.

Knox College is a selective institution, with only half of its applicants being admitted. Over 15,000 Knox alumni are now working with some of the prestigious companies worldwide.

Evergreen State College (Olympia, WA)

Evergreen State College is one of the most unique colleges in the entire world.

At most colleges, students will take multiple courses per semester, a normal tradition that has been held for centuries.

However, Evergreen’s approach is entirely unconventional and effective – students study just one course each semester, and have multiple classes only affiliated with that course. This allows for intensive, deeply focused study on a single subject of a student’s interest, rather than spreading attention out over other courses.

Additionally, unlike just about every other school, there are no majors in the undergraduate program.

Some may balk at this revolutionary idea, but considering that approximately 80% of students change their majors at least once before graduating, perhaps more colleges should follow in Evergreen State’s path of allowing students to explore different passions at the undergraduate level, rather than having them choose a specialty.

Cited as one of the most liberal public colleges in the US, Evergreen State does not issue grades; rather, faculty give students oral narratives telling them about their classroom performance.

Bard College (Annandale-On-Hudson, NY)

Bard is not simply one of the top liberal arts colleges in the country; rather, it is one of the most important cultural institutions in America.

Arts are at the heart of Bard College, exemplified by the school’s own arts festivals. One such festival, Bard SummerScape, is an impressive 7-week event featuring an assortment of music, dance, theatre, art, film, and other genres.

Additionally, the school hosts some of New York’s most important cultural attractions, including the CSS Hessel Museum of Contemporary Art as well as the incredibly impressive Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts, an architectural spectacle designed by the great Frank Gehry.

Set within scenic New York a few hours from Manhattan, the school has been under the Presidency of Leon Botstein for over 40 years. During Botstein’s tenure, the student body has increased 400%. Additionally, over 40 centers, affiliated institutes (Such as Bard College at Simon’s Rock), and programs have been created since Botstein became President.

Lawrence University (Appleton, WI)

A school whose students consistently rave about its excellence, Lawrence is one of the most diverse, unique colleges shaping the futures of its undergraduates.

Unbelievably high student learning and employment outcomes are abundant at Lawrence. In just six months of graduation, an astounding 99% of students at Lawrence are employed, in graduate school, or in a fellowship/service opportunity.

We do not know of any other liberal arts college in the midwest that can boast such extraordinary numbers. Some companies that Lawrence’s graduates are placed six months upon graduation into include Apple, Google, and LinkedIn, among many others.

Lawrence is well-known for its conservatory of music, one of the oldest collegiate music institutions in the country. 25% of the students at Lawrence study at the conservatory, and of those in the conservatory, many choose to dual major with an academic program. For the student interested in both music and academics, Lawrence offers surefire excellence.

An appealing aspect of Lawrence is its small student to faculty ratio – for every 9 students, there is a faculty member. This small environment allows for 1-on-1 attention for every student at the school.

Often regarded as one of the most rigorous colleges in the country, students from over 50 countries are represented at Lawrence, making it one of the most diverse liberal arts campuses in the country.

Here you have it, our take on the 10 best hidden gem liberal arts colleges in the US. Any schools you would like to have seen in here? Share with us below in the comments.

The post The 10 Best “Hidden Gem” Liberal Arts Colleges appeared first on collegegazette.com.

Why in the world are liberal arts colleges just so absolutely appealing?

Well, there are a few big reasons that stand out.

They are incredibly intimate in their scale. Liberal arts colleges are among the most selective of schools, and because of this, there is usually a greater sense of community among both the student body and the faculty.

Conversely, at a very large university with 45,000+ students, it can sometimes be difficult (though not impossible) to foster an environment in which the students really get to know the teachers outside of the classroom.

Additionally, liberal arts colleges tend to have very low graduate student populations. Schools like Oberlin, Shenandoah, Occidental, and more may have a small population of graduate students, but generally everyone there is between 18 – 22 years old and studying in the undergraduate programs.

What this means is the resources, scholarships, and opportunities are provided almost exclusively to undergraduate students. This is sometimes in contrast to the larger universities, who are very graduate student centric.

Liberal arts colleges also have the benefit of being small, rarely exceeding 2,500 total students. The smaller scale fosters, for some students, a more intimate sense of academic and social excellence.

What are the top liberal arts colleges in the country?

For this list, we looked at 8 of the most widely-read lists profiling the top liberal arts colleges in the college and aggregated them to make this list. You can see our methodology at the end of this article.

Here are 10 of the best liberal arts colleges in the US.

10. College of the Holy Cross (Worcester, MA)

One of the best liberal arts school in the country, Holy Cross is notably the oldest Catholic school in all of New England.

Upon entrance into the school, first-year students experience the Montserrat Program. In Montserrat, a seminar-style of discussion promotes an interdisciplinary approach to learning specifically designed for freshmen. Students choose which seminars to participate in based purely out of interest, not their major.

The school strives to balance the demands of academic and social life. As a result of its efforts, first-year students frequently rate their dorm life higher than students at other schools, making Holy Cross a remarkably “happy” institution.

Widely regarded among the most liberal, left-leaning of Catholic schools, Holy Cross, embracing libertarianism as well as social justice.

Notably, alumni of the school are known for their volunteer work; a high percentage of alumni participate in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps.

The campus itself is known for its remarkable beauty; a registered arboretum, the school has won awards for its landscape design. In 2010, the Princeton Review ranked it in the top 5 most beautiful colleges.

9. Carleton College (Northfield, MN)

Among the most selective liberal arts colleges in the country, Carleton’s acceptance rate is less than 1-in-4 who apply.

Carleton consistently ranks in the top 10 of major publications. As of this writing in early August 2019, Carleton is #5 on US News, #7 on Times Higher Education, and #8 on Niche.com.

So what makes Carleton widely regarded as a top-10 liberal arts colleges?

One major accomplishment is the quality of their students and alumni. Between 2000 and 2016, Carleton has produced over 300 alumni who have won the most prestigious fellowships, including Fulbrights, Goldwater Scholars, and even 2 Rhodes Scholars.

Additionally, Carleton is one of the leading PhD-producing schools, with an abnormally large percentage of undergraduates eventually seeking the terminal degree in their field.

Enrolling about 2,000 students, the feeling of the close is small, intimate, and studious. However, that doesn’t mean the school is without campus tradition; one of the most beloved traditions at the school is Rotblatt, a campus-wide softball game recognized by Sports Illustrated in 1997.

8. Middlebury College (Middlebury, VT)

Coming in at about a 16% acceptance rate, Middlebury is identified as one of the “most selective” liberal arts college in the country by the Carnegie Foundation.

Historically, Middlebury is the first American institution to grant a Bachelor’s degree to a black person. That person was Alexander Twilight, nearly 200 years ago in 1823.

One of the unique opportunities Middlebury presents for its students is the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, an establishment in Northern California where students study foreign languages, international policy, and more.

Middlebury’s campus spans 350 acres surrounded by Vermont’s Green Mountains and New York’s Adirondack Mountains. The picturesque scenery of Middlebury makes it among the most beautiful of small liberal arts colleges in the northeast.

One interesting ranking Middlebury has attained is top-10 status for “schools most beloved by their students.” This was measured by percentage of alumni who donated to Middlebury.

7. Washington & Lee (Lexington City, VA)

With an endowment of nearly $1.6 billiion, the school is among the richest liberal arts colleges, especially accounting for the fact the entire population of the school is less than 2300 students.

Washington & Lee consistently ranks in the top 10 for colleges in the country, including #1 in a recent ranking by Money Magazine.

Because there is only one subject that allows admission for graduate students, which is law, every class is taught by faculty at the school, rather than TA’s or other assistants. This allows for the highest level of both learning as well as 1-on-1 interaction with faculty at the college.

Washington & Lee has had an unusually profound influence on American politics for such a small school. Twenty-seven US senators, 67 US Representatives, 31 state governors, and other elected officials have come from Washington & Lee, according to the college’s Wikipedia page.

The class of 2020 had an acceptance rate of less than 25%.

6. Wellesley College (Wellesley, MA)

A private women’s liberal arts colleges located just 20 minutes from Boston, Wellesley is among the most distinct schools in the country.

One of the Seven Sisters Colleges, a consortium of schools that are historically for women, alumnae of the program include Hillary Clinton, Madeleine Albright, Diane Sawyer, and Nora Ephron, the director of When Harry Met Sally.

One of the unique advantages Wellesley offers it students is cross-registration opportunity with other top schools in New England. These include MIT, Babson, Olin, and Brandeis.

Wellesley is home to one of the largest gender science institutions in the country, known as Wellesley Centers for Women (WCW). The focus of the WCW is scholarship and publication in education, economic security, and mental health, among other subjects.

For such a small school of less than 2500 total students, there are 180 on-campus organizations for students to participate in.

With less than 20% accepted for the incoming 2018 class, Wellesley is frequently ranked in the top 10 of all liberal arts colleges in the US, and in the top 30-50 of all colleges in the country.

5. Bowdoin College (Bowdoin, ME)

With an acceptance rate of approximately 1 in 10 applicants (class of 2022), Bowdoin College is widely regarded as one of the elite colleges in the US. In fact, this year Bowdoin is ranked #5 liberal arts college by US News and World Report.

Known for its rich, centuries-old history of producing prominent alumni, including the 14^th president of the United States Franklin Pierce, Bowdoin is an academic experience unparalleled by any other major institution of higher education.

Dubbed by many publications as a “Hidden Ivy,” Bowdoin stands out from many of the large Ivy League institutions is its intense focus on supporting nature.

Indeed, the largest student group on campus is known as the “Outing Club,” a club embracing kayaking, canoeing, camping, and other nature-based activities to encourage student bonding and compassion for nature.

Bowdoin is on a massively northern trajectory – in just October, the school announced its endowment had reached a generous $1.6 billion dollars, among the highest endowments of any liberal arts college in the United States.

4. Claremont Colleges (Claremont, CA)

Technically, this is more than one college, however as they exist in a consortium, it feels okay to rank them all together.

All of the Claremont Colleges are typically rated among the best in the country. They include Pomona, Scripps, Claremont McKenna, Harvey Mudd, and Pitzer.

Pomona, Pitzer, Claremont McKenna, and Harvey Mudd all have acceptance rates of less than 15%. Scripps is closer to 30%. Pomona is the most selective of all US based liberal arts colleges.

So why are these schools so selective? Quite simply, they represent some of the most elite institutions in the country.

Pomona is widely regarded as a “New England style college” but in Southern California, making it highly desirable for the academically-oriented undergraduate desiring live in a coastal paradise.

Pitzer is the school most frequently associated with social sciences as well as media studies.

Scripps, Harvey Mudd, and Claremont McKenna students combine to form an athletic team; one of their biggest rivals is the athletic team combining students from Pomona and Pitzer.

Moreso than many east coast liberal arts colleges, the Claremont Colleges are characterized by varying levels of conservative political leanings.

3. Amherst College (Amherst, MA)

With an acceptance rate of just 13.8% for the Class of 2021, Amherst College’s appeal does not lie only in its admissions exclusivity; for all qualified financial aid recipients of the school, the school adheres to an attractive no-loan policy. That means that qualified candidates do not have to pay tuition at the school.

The school’s academic offerings are impressive; although less than 2,000 students are enrolled in the school, more than 800 courses are offered in a uniquely open curriculum (a curriculum that has very few required classes).

Ambitious students are at the heart of Amherst College – more than 1/3^rd of all enrolled students ultimately take on a dual major.

What we like about Amherst College is its collaboration with other elite institutions. As a member of the Five Colleges Consortium, Amherst offers its students the opportunity to take classes at Smith, Mount Holyoke, Hampshire, and even neighboring UMass Amherst.

The alumni at Amherst have won Nobel, MacArthur, Pulitzer, Academy, Tony, and Grammy awards.

2. Swarthmore College (Swarthmore, PA)

One of the most intellectual and selective institutions in the world, Swarthmore accepts only 9.5% of all applicants (2018 admissions cycle); its entire student population is only about 1600 students.

Although the school is small, students and alumni have earned an unusually large number of accolades. They include 11 MacArthur Fellows, 5 Nobel Prize winners, 27 Truman Scholars, and an impressive 30 Rhodes Scholars, perhaps the most prestigious academic fellowship in the world.

Frequently known as a “Little Ivy,” Swarthmore ranked in the top 10 of every list we aggregated to create this particular ranking, including those of Niche and US News.

Alumni of the school are among the most recognizable and important people of the 20th and 21st centuries. They include the 1988 Democratic nominee Michael Dukakis, former CalTech president and Nobel winner David Baltimore, and Dean Baker, one of the first economists who identified the 2008 bubble.

Within 5 years of graduation, over 3/4ths of alumni enter a graduate program after Swarthmore.

1. Williams College (Williamstown, MA)

Are you interested in Learning to Play Chess? How about Ski Patrol?

In Williams’ unique 4-1-4 curriculum, the students take two traditional four-course semesters as well as a three-week class every January in less traditional academic areas. Besides Ski Patrol and Chess, there is even a class about how to shape your life after Williams.

Though a centuries-old institution, the physical look of the college itself has changed dramatically over the last two decades. In 2001, the school opened a $38 million Unified Science Center housing lab spaces as well as a comprehensive science library. A few years later, a $60 million Center for Theatre and Dance was opened, as well as a $44 million student services building known as the Paresky center.

One attractive component to Williams College is its close collaboration with Oxford College in England. Founded in 1985, the Williams-Exeter program provides 26 students the opportunity to study at Oxford’s Exeter College in Britain for an entire year as members of the college.

Many publications have ranked Williams at the top of the list for liberal arts colleges, and with good reason. With an endowment of approximately $2.6 billion for less than 2,500 total students, Williams has long been considered one of the most impressive of all liberal arts colleges since its inception more than two centuries ago.

This is our current list of 10 amazing liberal arts colleges in the country for 2019. Are there any significant schools that should also be included on such a list as this?

Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

This list was made by aggregating 8 of the most widely-read ranking lists online for the top liberal arts colleges.

We sourced the rankings below in the first week of August 2019.

US News

Times Higher Education

Niche.com

Forbes

College Choice

Money Magazine

College Raptor

Best Value Schools

The post Here Are the Top 10 Liberal Arts Colleges in the US appeared first on collegegazette.com.