Hott off the Press by Karen A. Hott, May 2024 At “the basketball capital of the world,” University of Connecticut welcomes new students into the Husky pack with programs that ease the transition to college and make a large school feel much smaller. “How do I discover this place and make it work for me?” The First Year Experience (FYE)

Karen Hott, Hott off the Press, April 2024 South Carolina is a BIG school with BIG sports and BIG spirit. Going from a high school of 2,000 to a university of 27,000+ can be intimidating for even the most confident student, but USC (we’re talking about the South here, not the West where that other USC lives) has for the

March 1, 2024 Tiger pride is literally stamped on the roads leading to campus, the big orange paw prints shouting that you’re in Clemson country now. I visited the South Carolina public university with my HECA colleagues on a rainy day in March, but the weather didn’t dampen our tour guide’s enthusiasm. Colleges Eight colleges make up Clemson University, which

Feb. 28, 2024 When I visited Davidson College in North Carolina with my HECA colleagues, our tour guide stopped to proudly point out her signature on the Honor Code wall. The Honor Code is a foundation for trust among Davidson students that goes beyond academics. They say they can leave a computer unattended and know that it will be there

Feb. 29, 2024 “Hey, y’all!” I knew I was in the South when I heard every one of the four tour guides start her introduction that way.  Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina, is a private liberal arts college of 1800 undergraduates living and studying on a classically green campus dotted with bright white buildings. The Chandler Center for Environmental

Ready to lose the “best kept secret” status Feb. 28, 2024 Queens University of Charlotte wants to change its “best kept secret” status and introduce the world to what President Daniel Lugo called “this amazing and dynamic place” nestled in the upscale neighborhood of Myers Park. Queens combines the reach of a university with the intimacy of a small liberal

Of the nine Carolina schools I visited with my HECA colleagues at the end of February, High Point stood out as different from the others. Similar in size and location to Elon and Wake Forest, High Point seemed to me more business-oriented than other liberal arts schools. Five thousand undergraduates and 1000 graduates attend, 80% from outside of North Carolina.

Community, diversity, equality, excellence, integrity, justice, and stewardship Quaker values permeate Guilford College: community, diversity, equality, excellence, integrity, justice, and stewardship. In discussion-based classes that average 13, students and teachers address each other by first name, emphasizing that all are equal. Guilford, a member of Colleges That Change Lives, was a stop on the Underground Railroad. They are generous with

Feb. 28, 2024 Wake Forest University admits only a quarter of those who apply to the liberal arts school of about 5500 undergraduates and 3000 graduate students. In the scores of colleges I’ve visited, I’ve usually found that the more selective the school, the less they care about facilitating counselor visits. Nevertheless, the very-selective Wake welcomed my group of 40

Furman University Feb. 29, 2024 Furman’s 2300 undergraduates live on 750 beautiful acres all four of their college years. The residential requirement helps students stay engaged and involved even as they approach graduation from this liberal arts college.  With 18 Division I athletic teams and modern facilities, there’s plenty of cheering going on for the Paladins. (Paladins are knights. There’s