The Hawk Will Never Die; Our Visit to St. Joseph's University

On our visit to Saint Joseph’s University in Pennsylvania last week, one of our favorite parts of the campus tour was learning about their famous mascot. The Hawk stays in constant motion during every single basketball game by flapping its wings repeatedly, and a few years ago, ESPN used a “flap-o-meter” to estimate that the Hawk flaps over 3,500 times during a game. This important job is held by a student, who receives a full scholarship for their efforts! Home basketball games are huge events for the students and they routinely sell out the on-campus arena.

Their impressive school spirit was one of many great attributes that we learned about the community at Saint Joseph’s. The campus is located in western Philadelphia, only a short distance from the heart of the city and is home to 4,600 undergraduate students. Most students live on campus or within a short walk and we had the chance to see a freshman dorm, Villiger Hall, which had only just opened in the fall. With additional land that they bought in 2008, the campus has been expanding in the recent years and we also toured the Learning Commons, which was built in 2012 to add more high-tech facilities and collaborative learning space to the library.

About half of the students at Saint Joseph’s are enrolled in their Haub School of Business. The school has one of 20 Wall Street trading rooms in the country and a portfolio called the Hawk Fund is used by students to invest real money in various companies. Students in the school have the option of participating in a co-op program where they have the chance to take a year off to work and then return to their studies.

As a Jesuit university, service is an important part of the school’s mission and we learned from our tour guide that over Spring Break, more than 600 students had traveled to Appalachia to work in rural communities and schools.  We met up with Visi alum Shannon Keller ‘12 who had been on the trip and was eager to return again next year! Shannon has loved her first year at Saint Joseph’s and is happy to speak with anyone who is interested in the school so let one of the college counselors know if you would like her contact information.

Thank you to Saint Joseph’s for a wonderful visit and a chance to learn more about the university!

Published by: LP

Washington Area Independent Schools College Fair is Wednesday April 24th

As we have mentioned in your college counseling classes, next Wednesday, April 24th, is the Washington DC Independent School College Fair. The fair will be held at American University in the Bender Arena from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.

 

Visitation hosts the event along with twenty other independent schools in the area and it is a great chance for you and your parents to learn more about a wide variety of colleges and universities. We have emailed and each juniors and her parents a list of the colleges that will be attending.

 

We look forward to seeing you on April 24th!

 

Midwestern Friendliness at Washington University

When the Director of Admissions tells you that “being nice matters” in the admissions process, you know that you are somewhere special. When I visited Washington University in St. Louis, that emphasis on character and community was abundantly apparent. Everyone on campus says hello to each other and I came away thinking that people in the Midwest had a reputation for being friendly for a reason! Although 65 percent of their students come from more than 500 miles away, you definitely pick up on the welcoming feeling that is created by their environment of passionate and engaged students, faculty and staff.

WashU has 6,400 undergraduate students in five different undergraduate schools. Students apply and are accepted to one of the specific schools, however, students can major and minor across schools and more than 70 percent of students have more than one major. I was particularly impressed to learn that more than 60 percent of the engineering students have a second major or minor, allowing them to explore their other interests. They have a great school of Architecture and Art, which is home to the oldest art museum west of the Mississippi River. We got to see some impressive studio spaces and creativity in action during my visit.

To further emphasize the sense of community, all first year students live on campus in an area that is called the South 40. Students are placed into residential colleges and members of the faculty also live in the residential colleges. After experiencing some of the food from one of the dining halls in the South 40, I was not surprised to learn that WashU is often rated some of the best campus food in the country! We also had the chance to eat some native St. Louis cuisine, including Ted Drewes’ frozen custard and toasted ravioli, both of which I highly recommend.

The university is located in St. Louis and they have a beautiful campus that is located right next to Forest Park, which is one of the largest parks in the country- even bigger than Central Park! Students are only a few miles from downtown St. Louis and they are given a free Metro pass to explore the city to go see the Gateway Arch or Busch Stadium.

With an outstanding academic experience that offers students a focus on collaboration between disciplines as well as opportunities for undergraduate research, it was easy to see why the students at WashU were so happy and welcoming. Thank you to WashU for a great visit to their wonderful campus!

Published by: LP