Category Archives: Colleges and Universities
San Diego
This past weekend I traveled down to San Diego to visit Point Loma Nazarene University and University of San Diego. It was a beautiful day with perfect sunny weather. Check out my facebook page facebook page to see pictures and find out what Wolf College Consulting has to say about the campuses.
USD Campus and Point Loma Campus pictures:
Loyola Marymount Campus Visit
Last week Wolf College Consulting had the opportunity to visit Loyola Marymount University. Check out the “Wolf College Consulting” facebook page to see pictures and information about the visit.
Northern Arizona University
This week I had the opportunity to visit Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff. Due to the Western Undergraduate Exchange, California students can attend NAU for less than the out of state rate (as long as you major in qualified major). Due to the high altitude, I did not feel like I was in Arizona. It was surrounded by hills and trees (and it is also near the Grand Canyon and Sedona). This school can be great for a student that desires to attend a big school that is in a liberal (somewhat hippy) area. The students tend to be spirited, tolerant, enjoys the outdoors and they have a lot of student activities and clubs. The school is known for it’s teaching program and also has strong programs in engineering, astronomy and hotel and restaurant management.
Below is a picture of the Applied Research and Development Building:
Below is a picture of one of the libraries:
Below is a picture of a cafeteria:
Below is a picture of an outside quad in the middle of some dorms. Students enjoy hanging out outside, studying outside, playing basketball together and biking.
The campus is about a mile in length. Therefore, they have a great shuttle system that also takes students to the public bus so that students have easy access to the area around the University as well. 
On campus apartments:
Inside a first-year dorm:
Gonzaga University in Spokane Washington
While I was in Spokane, I also visited Gonzaga University. Gonzaga is a medium sized (about 4700 Undergraduates) Private University that has Jesuit roots. What a beautiful campus!
I took a tour with 2 students and some of the unique things that I discovered there is that this could be a great campus for a strong academic student that loves the outdoors, wants to grow to be a better person and has a passion for social service.
Like many private schools, Gonzaga prides themselves in having small classrooms (average size class is 22 and faculty/student ratio is 12:1). I enjoyed seeing the different department buildings. Most buildings had themes — the Engineering building looked very industrial, the Science building looked like a hospital and the business building looked very corporate.
Students on this campus are very active. They love the outdoors and they have an “outdoor leadership” team that plans weekend activities for every weekend. Some of these activities include hiking, camping, back packing, skiing, rafting or horseback riding. Students are also very involved in the intramurals on campus (they are known as being in the top 20 schools for intramural involvement).
Some of their fun traditions include — camping out before basketball games to get good seats, coffee house showcases wehre local bands perform in the Crosby Center, Guts — a student run improve comedy show, and Halloween Trick-or-Treat.
Students are known to be very well-balanced. They perform well academically, butr also tend to be very involved on campus and off-campus. Below are some pictures that I took on my tour of the campus.
Below is a picture of their campus chapel
Below is a picture of the inside of the student union
Whitworth University
This springI had the opportunity to fly up to Washington and visit a couple of colleges in Spokane. My first college I visited was Whitworth University. Both of my sisters graduated from Whitworth University so it was fun for me to visit for two reasons — it was fun to go now as a consultant and it was also fun to visit my brother-in-law who now works at the University in the Alumni Relations/Development Office.
The mission of the University is to provide “an education of mind and heart” through rigorous and open intellectual inquiry guided by dedicated Christian scholars. Whitworth is affiliated with the Presbyterian denomination, but many different denominations and faiths are represented on the campus. Whitworth is know as being more layed back (in comparion to other Christian Universities) where students create their own dorm policies and rules.
Whitworth has over 100 different programs and majors (which is a lot for a Private Christian University). Their current enrollment is 2453 in undergraduate students and continues to grow 2-5% each year in students. Every time I visit Whitworth, there are new buildings — they are currently building a new Science hall that will open in Fall 2011.
Many different students would fit well on this campus. If you are interested in a faith-based University with competitvie academics, diverse study abroad options in Washington, Whitworth might be a great fit for you. Below are some of the pictures I took of the campus.
Below is the Admissions Office:
Concordia University — Irvine
Last week I had the opportunity to visit Concordia University in Irvine. This campus was a very welcoming and friendly atmosphere. It is located in beautiful Southern California in the hills of Irvine. Concordia’s mission is that students would develop a wise mind, an honorable heart and cultivated character. This happens as a result of living in a dynamic Christ-centered community (most students live on campus all four years) where students get to know their professors in small classes and as personal mentors (17:1 faculty/student ratio).
Concordia is a Christian community in the Lutheran Tradition, but you do not have to be a Christian to attend this University. I had the opportunity to meet with a student that was not Christian, but she loved the school because she liked the small classes and the leadership opportunities on campus. There are many religions represented on the campus and although students are required to take 3 Religion classes, students do not feel like “they have to be a Christian to feel part of the community.”
Here are some pictures that I took of the campus:
Below you will see the front of the main chapel. There is chapel four times a week, but it is not required. The most popular service is the contemporary service on Friday mornings.
Below is a picture of the Gym. Last week they beat APU in Basketball — this made them win the GSAC Title — Go Eagles!
Zot! Zot! Zot! My Visit to UCI
Today I had the opportunity to visit UCI – home of the anteaters.
I was welcomed at the “Welcome Center” by some current students and then I took a tour of the campus. The campus is located in Irvine (one of the top 10 safest cities in the United States). UCI is known for it’s funky modern architecture with perhaps the most conservative student body in the UC system. Below are some pictures of the campus.
UCI’s Engineering program is a very competitive program. Below is the Engineering Buidling.
Colleges students live for food. Below is one of the many food courts. Since Irvine is known for sunny days many of the food courts have outside eating areas.
After visiting the campus, I believe many students can be a good match for this college. It is an extremely academic University (96% of their students are in the top 10% of their high school and the average GPA is 3.85). Minorities count for over half of the student body (52% of their students are Asian Americans), their are a wide range of clubs to be involved in (from Korean to Greek to Social Action to Christian). They are part of NCAA Division 1 (although no football) and they are known for their cutting-edge research. If you are a hard-working student that is ready to put your head in the books for your college years, step out of your comfort zones and get involved and be on a diverse campus, UCI might be a great fit for you.
If you have a passion for service, a compassion for justice and outreach, a desire to integrate your Christian Faith with your learning and want to attend an excellect academic college, this might be a great fit for you.
I started my day attending chapel. The worship was student led and they had a guest speaker that spoke about your role as a believer in your family. The campus is large (4700 Undergraduate students) and therefore you can attend chapel in two locations. When I looked at the students in the chapel I saw authenticity a passion for worship and desire to grow in their faith.
After chapel, I met with and Admissions Counselor that shared with me about the core values (they called “Cornerstones”) of the University — Christ, Community, Scholarship and Service. When I had the opportuntiy to speak with students and other staff members, these core values were evident. I also took a tour of the campus and here are some of the pictures I took:
This is a picture of the front of the Admissions Office
I had a wonderful visit at APU — it has a great community and many students call it “home.”
