I recently spent an afternoon at Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Florida.  FSC is a small, private college of roughly 2,600 undergraduate students.  The school offers more than seventy areas of study, from traditional liberal arts disciplines such as history and philosophy to pre-professional programs, including business, nursing and education.  Want to study citrus science?  FSC may be the place for you.

Florida Southern was founded in 1883 and is the oldest private college in Florida.  Most college guides rank its campus as one of the most beautiful in the country.  The campus sits adjacent to Lake Hollingsworth and features 13 buildings designed by renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright,   In fact, FSC boasts the largest single-site collection of Wright-designed buildings in the country.  Florida Southern's campus also includes a number of contemporary buildings that are unusually striking.  I've been to hundreds of beautiful colleges over the years, but the FSC campus is in a class by itself.

The small city of Lakeland is halfway between Orlando and Tampa and is just a short ride from campus.  Lakeland has a number of restaurants, from Indian-Pakistani to Creole.  Lakeland's historic Polk Theater shows both current and classic movies.  While I was in town, 2020 Oscar winner Parasite was playing at The Polk.

Reasons to attend Florida Southern College

• Small classes -- Roughly 60% of FSC classes have fewer than 20 students.  Get to know your professors as they get to know you 
• Great weather -- Lakeland, Florida enjoys more than 300 days of sunshine a year.  Who could turn that down?
• Honors Program -- Interested in challenging yourself and working closely with faculty?  The honors program at FSC culminates in a two year capstone project that pairs you with a professor in your field.  Honors students receive priority registration, special housing and the opportunity to take extra classes for free.
• Internships in Tampa and Orlando and Beyond -- Internships are so important to FSC that many departments have their own individual internship coordinators.  Students in the School of Business and Free Enterprise have special access to all sorts of internship opportunities.
• A fabulous, historic campus -- At how many colleges can students walk in the steps of Frank Lloyd Wright and study in one of his iconic buildings every single day?  
• Taco Bus Restaurant -- Are you tough enough to order El Jefe?

Denison is a liberal arts college in Granville, Ohio with about 2,300 undergraduate students. Currently two former Vinik EPS clients are happily attending – one is a freshman studying Political Science and the other is a junior studying Exercise Science.  Today Annie and Laura met with Ryan Motevalli-Oliner, a Senior Assistant Director of Admission, and we learned about several exciting new updates.

THREE new majors

• Global Commerce – a liberal arts approach to business, with a required internship.
• Data Analytics – an interdisciplinary blend of Computer Science, Mathematics, and Social Sciences.
• Health Exercise & Sports Studies – ideal for students interested in careers in physical therapy, sports medicine or public health.

 
TWO new academic concentrations

• Financial Economics – another great option for students interested in a liberal arts approach to business.
• Narrative Nonfiction Writing – a unique offering that combines literary storytelling and fact-based research.

 
ONE new performing arts building

The Michael D. Eisner Performing Arts Building is scheduled to open in early 2019 and will provide a new home for the Departments of Music, Dance, and Theatre. Michael Eisner was a member of the Denison University Class of 1964.

If you've been on at least one college visit, you know the standard drill - go to the school's website and sign up for an information session given by the Admissions office, followed by a student-led tour.  Anyone who has attended more than one campus visit probably knows all about blue-light phones, meal plans and quidditch teams!  (If you get bored on your next trip, spice things up with this college tour bingo game).

But what if you have a special interest or want to know more than just the basics? There are some colleges out there offering unique options to help give prospective students a more in-depth view of what it is like to study at their schools.  Here are a few fun options!

Are you a runner? At the University of Oregon, you can join student ambassadors on a 3.7 mile tour of running trails around campus. The students run at a "comfortable pace" and stop frequently to point out University of Oregon landmarks. Running tours are offered at 8:30 a.m. the first and third Friday of each month. 

Prefer biking? During warmer months at Portland State (PSU), you can take a 3.5 mile bike tour around the main campus with multiple stops at Portland State landmarks. PSU provides the bike!

Beach bum more your style? Eckerd College in Florida invites prospective students to Sunday night cookouts on the beach at its "South Beach Supper Club." Get to know current students while relaxing on Eckerd's waterfront campus.

Play an instrument? At Sewanee (University of the South), you can have dinner with the Sewanee Symphony Orchestra and participate in a dress rehearsal for the last concert of the season. After you register and send them a YouTube video of you playing your instrument, they'll send you electronic copies of music to practice for the dress rehearsal.  Other "Behind the Scenes" tour options at Sewanee include Art, Theatre, and Choir.

Like to make things?  Case Western Reserve University offers tours of its "maker space," the Sears think[box]. This new facility is a hub of innovation and entrepreneurship providing space for students and community members to tinker away. 

Interested in Jewish life? The University of California, Berkeley Hillel offers a student-led tour highlighting Jewish student life at Berkeley.  You can contact them to set up a tour, or download a "Jewish Campus Tour" map.

Good off-campus dining options a must?  Supplement your campus visit at University of Wisconsin with a Madison food tour. Or check out the Taste of New Haven after your tour of Yale University.

Excited about research?  At Allegheny College, you can sit in on weekly research presentations during the summer.  At this interdisciplinary forum, students present short overviews of their summer research projects every Tuesday afternoon.

Always wanted to try a Segway?  During the spring and summer at the University of Michigan College of Engineering, prospective students can tour North Campus via a Segway tour. A brief training and a waiver are required!

Art buff? Landmarks, The Public Art Program of The University of Texas at Austin, offers unique art tours that provide a fun and informative way to learn about works of art in the Landmark collection while enjoying the beauty of UT's main campus. There are nighttime tours, dog tours, and a self-guided interactive option you can download.

For more ways to make college trips fun and tailor campus visits to your interests, check out our new Get U Going campus tour planning service!

This week I also visited University of Mary Washington, a gorgeous campus in Fredericksburg, VA (about an hour south of DC). There is lots of construction going on with exciting new initiatives and facilities scheduled to open soon.  With around 4,000 undergraduate students, UMW is small enough for personalized attention while also large enough to offer a wide variety of academic and social opportunities. Here are some details from my visit:

• 75% of students are from Virginia.  The other states heavily represented include Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, and Connecticut. 
• Mary Washington is home to exciting technology programs including one of the first MOOCs and the Domain of One's Own project. The new Convergence Center, scheduled to open in the Fall of 2014, will include a digital knowledge center.
• The University of Mary Washington women’s rugby team recently won the 2014 USA Rugby Division II National Championship in California.
• Campus is less than a 10-minute walk from the cute stores and restaurants in historic downtown Fredericksburg.
• Mary Washington is well-known for its undergraduate major in Historic Preservation.
• The Anderson Center opened in 2011 and seats over 2,000 spectators for athletic events.  In addition, a new student union is under construction and scheduled to open in the fall of 2015.