Choosing The Right College School Spotlight: Xavier University of Louisiana Written by Elyse Krantzon June 19th, 2017 I became interested in the college admissions process after serving as a student tour guide in the admissions office of my alma mater. After graduating, I accepted an admissions counseling position at Bennington College in Vermont where I evaluated applications and reviewed art portfolios from students across the country. Three years later, after pursuing my master's degree in New York City, I joined the admissions staff at Barnard College where I served as a senior admissions officer. At Barnard, I directed Long Island and Boston recruitment in addition to managing the College's alumnae interview program, coordinating admissions statistics, and editing various college publications. Having also served as an alumni interviewer for Dartmouth College and visited over 75 colleges, I feel especially well-equipped to help students prepare for admission interviews and campus tours. Learn More About Elyse choosing the right college, college lists, 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. As such, we are highlighting a new college each week in our School Spotlight series. Check out the college below, along with the other posts in our series, and you may just stumble upon your dream school! School Spotlight: Xavier University of Louisiana New Orleans, LA Students interested in biology with an emphasis on pre-med are common at many U.S. colleges. But have you ever heard of a university where more than half of students major in the natural or health sciences? As the only historically black, Catholic college in the U.S., Xavier University of Louisiana is one of the top producers of African American graduates who go on to complete medical school, pharmacy school, or earn a Ph.D. in the life sciences. How do they do it? XU prides itself on proactively reaching out, making sure that all students are receiving the personal attention they need to reach their potential. With just 2,200 undergrads, small classes and close relationships with faculty members are easy to come by. Future engineers can take advantage of XU’s dual-degree program with Georgia Tech, Notre Dame, or Tulane, while aspiring pharmacists may be eligible for the University’s “contingent admit program,” which grants automatic admission to XU’s College of Pharmacy provided they meet certain GPA and testing requirements. Interesting fact about XU’s student body: not all students at XU are African American (79 percent) or Catholic (25 percent), but the majority are female (73 percent)! Image Credit: Top, Courtesy of Irving Johnson III/Xavier University of Louisiana Related Resources Read | Posted on December 10th, 2024 Navigating Medical School Applications: The Three Types of Letters Applicants Send Read | Posted on November 12th, 2024 Unlocking College Admissions: The Power of the Common Data Set Read | Posted on October 3rd, 2024 Does Where You Go To College Matter?