Innovative colleges delivering a progressive learning experience
Source: Bard College

Innovative colleges all over the US are improving their technology, curricula, facilities and faculties to ensure students are delivered a progressive learning experience.

The demands of the modern workplace mean employers are looking for graduates with more than just academic experience. If you have achieved your goals outside of the classroom on top of earning a good degree, this will set you apart from the crowd when looking for your first job.

Opportunities to study abroad, take part in research projects and intern with local or national companies will give you crucial experience when applying for your first job, not to mention serving as excellent talking points for your first interview.

An internship during your university years could even mean a foot in the door after graduation if you impress your employer the first time around.

Studying in a diverse, collaborative and experience-driven environment will propel you towards success after graduation. After all, employers aren’t going to spoon feed you the answers so you may as well find out for yourself during your studies.

We’ve chosen five liberal arts and science colleges throughout the US who are providing progressive experiential learning opportunities and letting you take control of your own development.

FRANKLIN COLLEGE

The mission of Franklin College is to foster independent thinking, innovation, leadership and action for ever-changing professions in a globally-connected world. This nationally recognized college is known for engaged learning in the liberal arts and sciences.

The college has a wide range of innovative and collaborative majors on offer, for example its programmes in Science and Business which aim to arm students through advanced learning and hands-on clinical experience.

At Franklin, you are just 20 miles from the state’s capital Indianapolis, with access to the hustle and bustle of the big city, but far enough removed to enjoy the university’s close-knit community feel.

Source: Franklin College

In fact, the wooded campus spans 207 acres and includes a 31-acre woodland used by the Biology Faculty and athletic fields, so you have the best of rural and metropolitan Indiana at your fingertips.

Franklin also offers you the chance to play division III sports.  Partial academic-based scholarships for international students up to US$15,000 a year.

Graduates from Franklin have excellent career prospects, with 90 percent of students employed or at graduate schools within six months of graduating.

RHODES COLLEGE

Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee, is an international, four-year, private university committed to liberal arts and sciences. The college prioritises intellectual engagement, service to others and honour.

At Rhodes, you’ll enjoy one of the country’s most beautiful campuses and a student experience that combines the best of a classroom education with real-world experience through internships, service and research.

The university provides a dynamic learning environment with small-class sizes and personalised learning, where every student’s ideas are heard and explored.

More than 80 percent of Rhodes students participate in community service around Memphis and beyond, whilst 75 percent complete internships for companies which have included the likes of FedEx and the Women’s Foundation for a Greater Memphis.

Rhodes is one of fifty colleges included in The Princeton Review’s list of “Colleges That Create Futures” and for two years in a row, it was named America’s #1 Service-Oriented College by Newsweek magazine.

BARD COLLEGE

Bard College in New York has a 150-year history as a competitive and innovative undergraduate institution. Its mission has expanded across the country and around the world to meet broader student needs.

But this college is also redefining what it means to be a liberal arts institution, looking beyond undergraduate education to include secondary school and graduate programmes.

Source: Bard College

With courses rooted in an allegiance to free speech, civility, dissent, and the traditions of scientific and speculative inquiry, Bard seeks to inspire disciplined scepticism and critical thinking.

This is truly a global institution for the 21st century with campuses in New York City, Boston, California, Germany and Russia; from urban settings to rural, from small college programmes to full-scale universities.

The original New York campus consists of 1,000 beautiful acres with a conservatory of music, affiliated institutes and research centers, all of which enrich the student experience through lectures, concerts and exhibitions.

CENTRE COLLEGE

Centre College in Danville, Kentucky offers four-year liberal arts degrees in which you’re guaranteed to study abroad or pursue an internship or research opportunity. In fact, 85 percent of Centre students study abroad at least once, placing them in the top-three for student mobility in the nation.

The College offers more than 50 majors, minors, pre-professional and dual-degree programmes, as well as graduate partnerships. And if you don’t find what you’re looking for, Centre offers the exciting chance for you to design your own major under the consultation of your advisor.

Emphasising experiential learning, Centre students are challenged to learn by doing through internships with companies such as CNN and Toyota, and a wide variety of research experiences at no extra cost.

Centre has a residential campus that houses 98 percent of students, meaning it has a close community feel. With excellent opportunities in the arts, sports and plenty of community projects to get involved in, you’ll never be stuck for something to do or a friend to do it with.

A degree from Centre College is highly valuable to employers; 97 percent of the class of 2017 was employed or attending graduate school one year after graduation.

AUSTIN COLLEGE

Austin College in Sherman, Texas, emphasizes academic excellence, intellectual and personal integrity and participation in community life, through its liberal arts and science programmes.

With its diverse student community, Austin encourages lively intellectual and social interaction between people with different origins, beliefs, accomplishments and goals, aiming to create a student body of committed learners and an atmosphere of respectful free speech.

Together with exciting internships, international programmes and gateways, Austin offers a wide variety of majors to suit every student. Whatever you’re looking to study, from Environmental Studies to Music, Austin College will have a degree path for you.

Each new Austin College student is paired with a faculty member, through the College’s Mentor Programme. This mentor will act as your academic adviser and will teach your Communication/Inquiry introductory course.

This type of one-to-one monitoring and personalised learning is rare at universities and an excellent opportunity for you to maximise your teaching at college.

*Some of the institutions featured in this article are commercial partners of Study International

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