Author: sueluse

A Visit to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

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MIT Great Dome
By Sue Luse MIT has serious name recognition. Everyone has heard of MIT and immediately associates it with some of the brightest minds in science, math and technology. It isn’t for applicants who have a passing interest in a subject but deep passion and engagement beyond high school courses that they can demonstrate on their applications. MIT students are described as inventive, obsessed ...
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A Visit to Swarthmore College

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The backs of a group of students walking across campus past historic gray brick building on sunny day
By Sue Luse I visited several colleges in the Philadelphia area in early October, and months after my visit Swarthmore College still stands out. It is located in a beautiful suburban area, only 10 miles from Philly and with close, easy access to the airport. There is a train on campus to take students into Philly and all over the east coast, which gives students the flexibility to explore...
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A Visit to Grinnell College

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Grinnell College sign and columns in fall
By Sue Luse We love sharing hidden gems with students. One of the benefits of working with us is we often can identify colleges that are just the right fit for a student but that may not be on their radar. Grinnell College is just that kind of school. With an enrollment of only 1,700 students, Grinnell is a small campus with a lot to offer. Located halfway between Des Moines and Cedar...
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A Visit to High Point University

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Students entering a bright sun-filled campus building with high windows
By Sue Luse Extraordinary. After spending an afternoon touring the High Point University campus, I can’t think of a better word to describe it. While I’ve visited hundreds of colleges, many of them more than once, the High Point University campus always makes an impression. When Dr. Nido R. Qubein took over as president in 2005, he made a commitment to transform the university and invest i...
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College Expert Celebrating 20 Years

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It’s hard to believe I started College Expert 20 years ago with eight clients from the Class of 2002 and a desire to use my background as a high school guidance counselor to advise students and families on the college application process. Ryan joined me in 2012, and College Expert has since grown to include nine employees (and 3 furry mascots). Now we work with more than 100 students each yea...
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A Visit to Hampden-Sydney College

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Hampden-Sydney campus
By Sue Luse My fall tour of seven schools in the state of Virginia included a stop at Hampden-Sydney College, one of only three remaining all-male colleges in the United States. Educating men since 1775, Hampden-Sydney is the tenth oldest school in the country, with Patrick Henry and James Madison among its early trustees. This was my first visit to H-SC, and I learned the college is r...
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A Visit to Liberty University

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By Sue Luse Every year my husband and I travel to a new part of the country to visit colleges. This year we picked Virginia where I was able to meet with two of our students who live in the DC area and visit seven diverse and interesting colleges, each with unique characteristics that would appeal to different students. Over the next several weeks, I’ll write about each of the schools, beg...
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A Visit to Santa Clara University

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Silicon Valley
By Sue Luse Last fall I had the opportunity to visit five colleges in the Bay Area, including Santa Clara University. I hadn’t visited Santa Clara in some time and was reminded again why the Silicon Valley school draws students from all over the country and world. It has academic excellence, proximity to some of the most innovative tech companies in the world, and glorious weather. When I ...
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A Visit to Stanford University

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An invitation to a wedding in Napa Valley opened up the opportunity to tour colleges in the Bay Area. So in October of 2018, I was able to spend three nights in Palo Alto and visit 5 colleges. Every day was 75 and sunny. We loved Palo Alto with all the amazing restaurants, outdoor activities, and of course, the tech companies in Silicon Valley. Visiting Stanford was the highlight of the trip. Loc...
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A Visit to Augustana University

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Augustana mascot
I was excited to drive to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to meet with my students who are there and revisit Augustana. My visit to Augustana University showed me just how much this affordable, private, Norwegian-heritage liberal arts college has to offer. As the largest private university in the state, Augustana retains a strong alumni network and an enthusiastic “Augie” student body. Often flying ...
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A Visit to Bowdoin College

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Bowdoin College is a small, liberal arts college known for academic rigor and is one of the impressive and highly selective NESCAC colleges. (The New England Small College Athletic Conference.) Bowdoin has a diverse student body, made up of approximately 1,800 students from all over the world, 189 full-time faculty members, and a 9:1 student/faculty ratio. Location Nestled in the picturesque...
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A Visit to Dartmouth College

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Dartmouth Hall
In September 2017, I had the pleasure of visiting Dartmouth College, the smallest and most intimate of the Ivys, located in Hanover, New Hampshire, and just a two-hour drive from Boston. Dartmouth was founded before the Revolutionary War in 1769 and offers idyllic New England charm, a great college-town atmosphere, academic rigor, and many outlets for social life. Like many of the northeastern s...
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A Visit to Middlebury College

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view of mountains
I had the pleasure of touring the Middlebury campus with admissions counselor Margo Graham, who is a Minnesota native. This is a beautiful college campus located in a gorgeous and peaceful New England setting in small town Vermont. Location Founded in 1766, the town of Middlebury was burned to the ground during the Revolutionary War in 1778. As the town rebuilt from the fire, Middlebury Co...
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Character Counts!

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At College Expert, Ryan and I are honored to help students find the best matches between their personalities and campus cultures. Extensive research, college visits, and conferences enable us to put our fingers on the pulse of future happiness. We are experts at helping students develop academic, testing, and activities plans for high school. Recently, in response to the new focus colleges...
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A Visit to The University of Vermont

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Location The University of Vermont (UVM) is located in Burlington, Vermont. With a population of 60,000, Burlington is both the largest city in Vermont, and the least populous U.S. city to be a state’s largest city! But it is really an ideal size for those looking for outdoor activities and things to do in town. Burlington has much to offer nature lovers, as well as those just looking for a le...
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A Visit to University of Florida

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About The University of Florida (UF) is a public university located in Gainesville, Florida. Since its founding over 160 years ago, it has become one of the largest universities in the country with over 36,000 undergraduates. The university is known as the best state school in Florida and is consistently ranked among the nation’s top universities. In 2016, it ranked second among Forbes “Best V...
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A Visit to Hampshire College

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Sue at Hampshire College
About “Disrupt the status quo.” These are the words of the Hampshire College website. Since deciding not to accept SAT and ACT scores, Hampshire is nowhere to be found on the U.S. News and World Report “Best Colleges” list—and the trailblazing community takes pride in that fact. The researchers who compile the “Best Colleges” list simply don’t know how to deal with the institution’s forward-th...
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A Visit to Providence College

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Campus chapel
About Providence College (PC) is a Catholic university of the Dominican tradition located two miles from downtown. The campus buildings are lovingly maintained, as are the plentiful green spaces. With an active, 100-year presence of robed friars on campus, it’s not surprising an ongoing discussion about human existence – including life’s meaning and purpose – is of central importance during th...
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A Visit to Amherst College

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About A top-ranked, private liberal arts institution, nestled amongst quaint New England villages, Amherst College is the site of several historic “firsts”: the world’s first intercollegiate baseball game, the country’s first collegiate athletics program, and the nation’s first undergraduate neuroscience program. The 1,800 friendly and intelligent Amherst undergraduates reflect a commitment to g...
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A Visit to Auburn University

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On a sunny fall afternoon, Tom (my trusty travel companion and husband) and I made the easy 90-minute drive from the Atlanta airport to Auburn, Alabama. The staff at the beautiful Hotel at Auburn University warmly greeted us. Auburn is a small, charming town with unique shops and restaurants. We ate dinner at The Hound, a family-owned restaurant famous for its delectable “bacon and bourbon.” Tom...
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A Visit to Mount Holyoke College

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Holyoke Auditorim
A gifted teacher and persistent trailblazer, Mary Lyon founded Mount Holyoke College (MHC) in 1837 by seeking donations during a severe economic depression. Her famous words, “Go where no one else will go, do what no one else will do,” are the cornerstone of the MoHo (as the students affectionately call their school) experience. The first college to join what was to become the Seven Siste...
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A Visit to Smith College

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Campus
By Sue Luse About With applications to women’s colleges on the rise, Smith College – a member of the original Seven Sisters – is prepared to successfully launch a growing number of future Ph.D. candidates into society. Founded in 1871, Smith College is overseen by the institution’s 11th president, Dr. Kathleen McCartney, who was the first in her family to attend college. Dr. McCartney parlayed ...
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Study Abroad – Africa

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Carleton Group
By Lauren Michael When I told my mom that I was thinking about studying urbanization abroad in Ethiopia she immediately googled “Does Ethiopia have Ebola.” The answer: Africa is really big. So, no. Ethiopia did not and does not have Ebola. That’s not to say that she wasn’t still worried about me going. I was worried too. Even as a sophomore, I still got homesick. If I went to Africa, I would be g...
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A Visit to Brown University

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Campus statue
By Sue Luse About Founded in 1764 as an Ivy League institution, Brown University is the seventh-oldest college in the United States, with undergraduate and graduate programs, the Warren Alpert Medical School, School of Public Health, School of Engineering, and School of Professional Studies. The Brown community – composed of approximately 6,200 undergraduates, 2,000 graduate students, and 500 me...
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A Visit to the Rhode Island School of Design

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RISD
By Sue Luse About RISD (“RIZ-dee”) is the nation’s best-known and most selective art and design school with approximately 2,300 students. The campus sits next to Brown University on College Hill in Providence. Many campus buildings date from the 1700s and are beautifully preserved. One of the most interesting facilities is the RISD Museum – home to over 91,000 amazing pieces, including ancien...
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A Visit to Florida Gulf Coast University

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Campus
By Sue Luse I recently vacationed in Bonita Springs, Florida, and was looking forward to checking out Florida Gulf State University. So on a breezy, sunny day, I took off to tour the campus and explore the area. From their website: Fast Facts: Public University 10 percent from out-of-state 13,000 undergraduates 80% live on campus Annual cost of out-of-state tuition is $35,000 ...
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A Visit to the University of California San Diego

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By Sue Luse Overview As you might imagine, UCSD is the number one surf school in the country and has gorgeous weather year round. There are approximately 23,000 undergrad students - lots of skateboards and flip flops. This school is more conservative than Berkeley.  Engineering and science are strong here. Very diverse student with plenty of international students. Asian students comprise 45%...
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A Visit to the University of San Diego

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By Sue Luse Overview The University of San Diego is a private, catholic university founded in 1949. Beautiful campus on 180 acres with new buildings. Easy to navigate and pedestrian-friendly campus. Beaches, mountains, downtown and the Mexican border are all within a short drive. The student body is approximately 50% Catholic and about 46% of students are from out of state.  International stu...
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A Visit to Purdue University

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By Sue Luse About Located in West Lafayette, Indiana, Purdue offers more than 200 majors for undergraduates, over 70 master’s and doctoral programs, and professional degrees in pharmacy and veterinary medicine. In addition, they have 18 intercollegiate sports teams and more than 850 student organizations. West Lafayette is a quaint and charming area with plenty of diversity. Admissions You a...
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