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Picking Colleges

Different Strokes - Matching Quiz

For a fun way to get a flavor of the variety open to you, try this quiz.

Match college and description.  No school is used more than once; some have no match. (Answers below.)

Bard    Brown    California State at Long Beach    Colorado College    Deep Springs    Emory    Harvard    Kenyon    Lewis and Clark    Millsaps    New College of the University of South Florida    New York University    Pepperdine    Prescott    St. John’s    University of Oregon

1. Find it overwhelming juggling a lot of courses? Come here and take one course at a time for three and a half weeks, have a four and a half day break and then start the next course.

2. Twenty-five male students butcher cows and harvest potatoes to put food on the table. This 2-year college is a working ranch in the desert, 30 miles from the nearest town, population 950. The academics are rigorous, the students a brainy bunch. Most complete their BA’s at prestigious colleges, and over half eventually get PhD’s. Tuition, room and board are free.

3. For years, a course about the Hebrew Bible, listed under Literature and Arts in the catalog, was so popular on this campus, it attracted 800-1000 students.

4. No text books, no lecture courses, no written finals. Everyone follows a single pre-set academic program based on original sources and great books. You are encouraged to split your four years between the college’s two campuses, in Annapolis and Santa Fe.

5. Take whatever courses you want because there are no academic requirements other than to fulfill a major. And you don’t have to worry about bringing home a D or F. If you take a course for a letter grade the lowest grade you can get is C; if you do worse than that, the course will just not appear on your transcript. Or you can bypass a grade entirely and take any course Satisfactory/No Credit.

6. Are you interested in the environment or a major in Adventure Education with courses in alpine mountaineering and sea kayaking? You also can obtain elementary or secondary teaching credentials here.

7. Want to explore the world? Not only does coursework stress other cultures and international affairs, over 60% of students take advantage of well established study abroad programs, many in developing countries. And if the SAT is not your thing, skip it, and use the Portfolio Path to apply.

8. Come to campus November of your senior year and participate in a daylong seminar and interview and find out right away whether you are admitted. You can study creative writing with noted authors or if you become a top student in the distinguished scientist-scholars program, your full tuition will be free.

9. Students feel a strong sense of community at this 800-acre, picture post card campus with Gothic architecture and fierce devotion to the liberal arts. There is an active fraternity scene, English is the most popular major, and the performing arts thrive at actor Paul Newman’s alma mater.

10. Want to live in a dorm designed by the architect I.M. Pei, develop your intellect in one-on one tutorial and seminar classes, direct your own studies by “contract” with a faculty advisor, do original research, do field studies on coral reefs in Central America or Buddhism in India, and receive written evaluations instead of grades? Believe it or not, this college, of 700 students, is a state school at public school prices!
    
     

Different Strokes Matching Quiz is of value, even if you are not interested in any of the specific schools mentioned.

• Knowing about less conventional choices opens your mind to possibilities. Your reactions may help guide you in certain directions.

• There are major differences, even among “mainstream” colleges and universities.

• If the schools you know about from friends, family or teachers do not feel right, you can be confident there are other options for you.
   

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