There are over 4,000 colleges and universities in the U.S. And while the media tends to focus on just a handful of schools, we at College Coach encourage students to think outside the box during their college selection process and explore a wide range of colleges, including this week’s School Spotlight, Ursinus College. There may be dozens of colleges in the Philadelphia suburbs, but Ursinus College is truly one-of-a-kind. Highlighted as one of the Colleges that Change Lives, Ursinus (pronounced “er-SIGH-nus”) is a liberal arts college with an exceptional science and pre-health curriculum. In addition to majors in the traditional sciences, Ursinus offers interdisciplinary programs in biochemistry, molecular biology, and neuroscience, too. Whether students take advantage of research opportunities on campus, or health care internships in the hospitals of Philadelphia, science majors are guaranteed hands-on experience with state-of-the-art technology in a highly personalized setting. And get this: an amazing 75 percent of Ursinus students who apply to medical school are accepted! A signature experience at Ursinus takes place during the first year. All freshmen participate in a “Common Intellectual Experience” by enrolling in small seminars that dedicate themselves to the analysis of significant works—including texts from Euripides, Freud, Darwin, and others—in order to answer philosophical questions such as, “What does it mean to be human?” Good to know: 99 percent of students receive some form of financial assistance from Ursinus, and the highest merit scholarship is valued at $40,000 per year!
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