Top 10 Best Liberal Arts Colleges of 2017

Academics

Wellesley College provides education in liberal arts for women, delivering over 54 majors with 32 credits required. Besides the main curriculum, there are lots of other study opportunities. Students can choose among 160 programs to study abroad for a semester or an academic year, collaborate with faculty professors to work on research projects, carry several majors or choose interdepartmental majors, participate in the cross-registration programs with other colleges, take part in community service projects, apply for fellowships and take paid internships.

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Wellesley provides deeper engagement in specific fields through its academic centers - hubs, like Knapp Media and Technology Center or Science Center, and academic institutes, like Quantitative Analysis Institute or Jean Baker Miller Training Institute.

Student services and activities

Students are provided with robust academic advising and support. The Class deans provide individualized advising, support services offer tutoring and instruction to help students strengthen their academic skills, The Disability Services Office provides resources for students requiring specific learning accommodations. The Stone Center provides psychological aid and support, and the Department of Intercultural Education supports African, Asian, and Hispanic descent, LBGTQ+ students.

There are currently over 150 student clubs and organizations, including cultural centers, club sports, dance and vocal groups, etc.

Academics

Middlebury College offers 44 majors. Each major, besides in-depth study in the core area, includes distribution requirements, to ensure a breadth learning in various fields and disciplines. There are two sets of distribution requirements - academic categories and cultures and civilizations. Students complete 7 courses in the former and 4 in the latter.

Middlebury Schools Abroad programs provide learning in universities in China, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain and 10 other countries. There are also externally-sponsored programs options for studying in Australia, Nepal, New Zealand, Greece, Ireland, etc.

Student services and activities

Middlebury College provides academic advising from freshmen year to the sophomore and graduation. All first-year students take a first-year seminar and get advised by the instructor during that course. After declaring their majors, students choose faculty adviser, who will guide them through studies.

Student activities supports 150 student organizations, student government associations, various activities programs and workshops.

Academics

The Bowdoin curriculum concentrates on breadth and depth through distribution requirements and a major completion. There are several options when declaring a major. Students can choose a departmental major, double major, a coordinate major (combination of departmental major and Environmental Studies courses), an interdisciplinary major. There is also an option to choose a student-designed major with two faculty members guidance or combine any type of major with a departmental minor. Each student must take at least one course in each of the five distribution areas, which include math, statistics, natural sciences, performing arts, etc.

Bowdoin College boasts with various academic facilities, including 2 museums, 8 libraries, 5 arts and 8 science facilities. Office of Student Fellowships and Research supports undergraduate research and helps students find fellowships.

Student services and activities

The Center for teaching and learning provides mentoring and assistance, peer tutoring and study groups. Сareer Planning Center helps students to explore opportunities and identify their interests, to get internships and find jobs. McKeen Center encourages public engagements and provides various service and leadership opportunities, as well as partnerships and fellowships.

Academics

Carleton offers 32 majors, and students can combine a major with concentration. Concentrations usually cover intersections of several disciplines. A special major is also available if desired major is not offered in the curriculum. Students can design their own major with close consultations of two faculty members.

Carleton encourages students to participate in research work providing student and student-faculty scholarships. Students pursue research projects through independent study classes, Comps and fellowships or students and faculty collaboration.

Student services and activities

Carleton delivers an extensive academic support through skills coaches and academic tutors, centers, services and labs. There are 250 student organizations in arts, media, politics, sports, religion, volunteering, and Student Activities Office helps choose which one to join or assists in creating a new one.

Academics

Pomona offers 48 majors. Almost all of the available majors offer a minor, except 8 disciplines, including environmental analysis, international relations, molecular biology, philosophy, politics and economics, public policy analysis, Romance languages and literatures, Russian and Eastern European studies.

Pomona has a variety of facilities, providing extra learning opportunities - an artificial intelligence lab, theater, studio arts hall, biological field station, a digital planetarium, etc. College offers 54 programs for studying abroad, encourages students to engage in the research projects. Students conduct research work in nanotechnology, dwarf planetary rotation, aging and DNA. Students collaborate with faculty or carry out summer research projects.

Student services and activities

Pomona offers internships and on-campus jobs, like a residential advisor, office assistant, coordinator, Museum, Admissions Office or Athletics worker. There are more than 250 clubs and student organizations and 2000 independent classes to meet students interests. Music, performing, writing, outdoors activities, photography, volunteering - there is a club for every field of interest.

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Academics

Claremont McKenna College offers 32 majors across 12 departments. Students complete one major to gain a degree, but can also take additional “sequence”. Sequence is a series of courses on one subject, there are 10 sequences options currently. Joint, dual and accelerated degree programs are also available in engineering, economics, psychology, political science. 11 research institutes and centers provide students with research opportunities alongside faculty.

Center for Global Education helps and provides advising on study abroad programs, undergraduate and post-graduate fellowships and scholarships, off-campus programs, like the Washington and Silicon Valley Programs, and CMC-Yonsei Summer Program, which allows Claremont students to learn and exchange experiences with the students from Yonsei University in Seoul and Hong Kong.

Student services and activities

Center for Writing and Public Discourse provides help and support in in writing and communication skills. Students consultants review drafts of papers and assist with argumentation, clarity and quality.

The Soll Center for Student Opportunity provides broad career counseling, including self-, resource and industry exploration, helps with identifying student’s personal skills and strengths, strategic planning of the career path, offers robust internships, fellowships and full-time jobs opportunities, assists with resumes, essays, cover letters and applications.

The campus comprises over 40 different clubs and student organizations. Students are encouraged to create their own, if currently available ones do not match their interests.

Academics

Davidson offers 29 majors, 25 minors, 14 interdisciplinary minors, 5 preprofessional programs. Major comprises 10 or more courses concerning a degree, minors are sets of 5 or 6 courses offered through one department, interdisciplinary minors are sets of 5 or 6 courses offered through several departments, examining a subject from the perspectives of different areas of study. Preprofessional programs, like pre-law or pre-medicine, are designed for students determined to enter professional school after graduation.

Students are encouraged to collaborate with faculty members in research work during academic year and summer. Faculty incorporates research into classes, embedding research projects into the academic curriculum.

Davidson Study Abroad offers international summer and academic year programs, and also awards travel grants for research, study, service, internships, and experiential learning abroad.

Student services and activities

Davidson provides robust academic support and counseling through various services, including Information Technology Services, Center for Learning and Teaching, The Office of Academic Access and Disability Resources.

Students can join more than 200 student organizations, covering diverse areas of interests - arts and culture, athletics, politics, social action, diversity, fraternity and sorority life.

Academics

University offers 37 majors and 29 minors. There are also several interdisciplinary programs. Washington & Lee University encourages students to participate in independent research work, as well as collaborate with faculty on various projects. University provides students with access to the database of internships, scholarships, and fellowships. The University offers summer, semester or academic year-long international programs.

A number of service learning programs are available for W&L students, like the Bonner program focusing on service and civic engagement, The Campus Kitchens Project promoting awareness of nutrition and hunger issues, or Volunteer Venture one week program for new students.

Student services and activities

The University provides academic advising, and peer tutoring, pre-professional advising, Career Development office helps with jobs and internships search, career options exploring, assists in creating resumes and cover letters.

The Student Activities office supports over 130 student organizations and sponsors a variety of events, concerts, and speakers.