When it comes to researching colleges, it’s easy to gravitate toward the classic top-ranking lists. After all, who doesn’t want to go to a “top” or “best” school?
But the truth is, sticking to these types of mainstream lists could cause you to miss out on some hidden gems. That’s why we put together a list of colleges we consider “best kept secrets.”
So what makes a school a best kept secret?
For one, all schools on this particular list are liberal arts colleges.
Secondly, you won’t find any of these in the most recent list of US News & World Report’s top-70 liberal arts colleges.
Second, these are schools with proven track records. They have successful programs, exhaustive lists accomplished students and alumni, and a number of noteworthy faculty members.
So, before you restrict your college search to the typical “best of” lists, here are College Gazette’s picks for the top 10 best kept secrets in higher education:
10. Linfield College (McMinnville, OR)
Linfield College is about an hour’s drive from Portland, and it offers students a host of opportunities to get involved. On campus, you’ll find more than 50 clubs and organizations, including Esports Club, Flow Arts Club, and Hawaiian Club.
The college also offers a number of sports (Go Wildcats!). In fact, Linfield has the longest streak of consecutive winning seasons across all levels of college football — 64 seasons to be exact. For those interested in performing arts, there are 14 musical groups on campus and a popular theater program.
In the classroom, Linfield promotes collaborative research, creative projects, internships, community service, and study abroad programs. It offers a wide range of liberal arts majors, too, from digital art to international relations to wine studies (seriously!).
9. Moravian College (Bethlehem, PA)
If you haven’t heard of Moravian College, a private liberal arts college in eastern Pennsylvania, then you’re missing out. It’s actually the sixth-oldest college in the country. Perhaps more interesting, it was established by a 16-year-old girl named Benigna von Zinzendorf in 1742.
And despite other colleges trying to snag this title, Moravian College was the first college to accept women.
Today, the college is no longer only a female seminary school, and it’s merged with its male counterpart to form Moravian College. It hosts a little more than 2,000 students, and its most popular majors include health sciences, business, sociology, psychology, and biological sciences.
And while Moravian College is rich with history, it’s also embracing the future. It gives each student an Apple MacBook Pro and iPad when they accept their offer to the school, so everyone can start their freshman year on equal ground.
It also wants students to be included in big decisions pertaining to the college. In addition to having a student government, it goes one step further and elects two students to its board of trustees. These students serve two-year terms, representing the student body and voting on important matters.
Oh, and its mascot is Mo, a rescued racing greyhound, who hangs out on the school’s dog-friendly campus.
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