Harvard Schmarvard. Here are some nearby colleges you may have never heard
of that can deliver top-quality educations

By Jay Mathews
Sunday, April 6, 2003; Page W19

Being a college with a big name is not the same thing as being a college with the right stuff. Experienced high school counselors and college admissions directors say students should choose colleges not because they are famous, but because they are apt to fulfill personal desires and dreams.

We all know academia's brand names, but where else should promising high school students consider applying?

Last year I asked guidance counselors and teachers to tell me which colleges deserve higher profiles than they have. I was looking for the hidden gems, wallflower colleges that students fall in love with once they get to know them. Each educator was asked to name as many as 10 schools that their students had raved about after going there. What follows is a list of 20 schools in Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina and Pennsylvania that they say deserve a closer look. (No D.C. colleges were among the top 20.)

This is, admittedly, an idiosyncratic way to look at higher education. I have ranked the schools based on how often they were mentioned by counselors and teachers, so I would not put much stock in my order of merit. I did it mostly for fun.

Anyone who writes about schools that rise above name recognition owes a debt to Loren Pope, a former New York Times education editor and college administrator who lives in Alexandria. His book Colleges That Change Lives names 40 schools, many of which appear on the lists counselors and teachers sent me. These are schools, Pope says, where "faculty and students work closely together, learning is collaborative rather than competitive, students are involved in their own education, there is much discussion of values, and there is a sense of family."

Such lists leave out many good schools. In your own journey through the world of American colleges and universities, you will find splendid schools that I have overlooked. Give them serious consideration -- and spread the word.

ELON UNIVERSITY
Elon, N.C., elon.edu, 800-334-8448
This campus of 4,400 undergraduates gets enthusiastic reviews. Barbara
Meyer, guidance content specialist at Medfield (Mass.) High School, says
Elon has "as impressive a communications program as I have ever seen, with a
totally renovated campus." There is an evening MBA program, as well as a
summer program for a master's degree in education.

GUILFORD COLLEGE
Greensboro, N.C., guilford.edu,
336-316-2000
With 1,150 students on a lush campus in central North Carolina, Guilford is
distinguished by its very flexible requirements, although counselors say the
faculty watches closely to make sure each student is moving toward a sound
academic goal. Carol West, a college counselor at the American International
School in Cairo, Egypt, says the Quaker school "is a favorite of mine for a
solid B student or higher who is liberal arts oriented. It is a kind place."

WASHINGTON COLLEGE
Chestertown, Md., washcoll.edu,
800-422-1782
Under John S. Toll, former chancellor of the University of Maryland, the
1,200-student school has begun to develop a national reputation and win the
hearts of many high school staffers. Bob Ammann, a counselor at Kwajalein
High School in the Marshall Islands, notes that the historic, 221-year-old
college offers generous financial aid to National Honor Society members.
Peggy Hanselman, a counselor at New Hope-Solebury High School in
Pennsylvania, says "it provides a solid liberal arts education by dedicated
faculty on an elegant and petite campus." It has a non-credit program in
history, literature, science and other subjects catering to retirees.

DICKINSON COLLEGE
Carlisle, Pa., dickinson.edu, 717-243-5121
The school has 2,200 undergraduates and is losing its reputation as a refuge
for rich kids, with its academic standards higher than ever and an
award-winning study-abroad program. Cathy Henderson Stein, who works in the
career information center at Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring,
says Dickinson has a "really great foreign language department and is good
for pre-law." Cigus Vanni, a counselor at Cherry Hill (N.J.) High School
West, says, "My visits to Dickinson in the last couple years have been
wonderful -- the spirit on campus is high [and] the student body is
thoughtful and more diverse."

CHRISTOPHER NEWPORT UNIVERSITY
Newport News, cnu.edu, 757-594-7000
This school started granting four-year baccalaureate degrees in 1971, making
it Virginia's youngest comprehensive university. It has matured into a
campus of more than 5,000 undergraduates, part of the rapid growth of the
Tidewater area. Its president is former U.S. senator Paul Trible. Sunny Greene, recently retired as a college adviser at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Fairfax County, calls Christopher Newport an "up-and-coming small state university with a caring faculty." It also offers non-credit courses in history, art, writing and
other subjects popular with senior citizens.

GOUCHER COLLEGE
Towson, goucher.edu, 410-337-6000
Its proximity to the many cultural attractions of Baltimore is a plus for
its 1,200 students, and its strong science and writing programs have added
to its reputation. There is an emphasis on international and intercultural
learning. Sally O'Rourke, a counselor at Andover (Mass.) High School, says
the school is very "student-centered" and has a strong arts and theater
program.

ALLEGHENY COLLEGE
Meadville, Pa., allegheny.edu, 814-332-3100
Allegheny has 1,900 undergraduates and a historical affiliation with the
United Methodist Church. Loren Pope says it "has a long and distinguished
record of producing not only future scientists and scholars but business
leaders as well." It has a 182-acre outdoor recreational complex, a 283-acre
nature preserve, a $14.5 million science complex and a $13 million indoor
recreation center.

DAVIDSON COLLEGE
Davidson, N.C., davidson.edu,
704-894-2000
This is a school that accepts only about 35 percent of applicants, making it
tougher to get into than Wellesley or Carleton or any of a number of
brand-name colleges. But high school educators say it still deserves to be
on the list. The academic demands on its 1,600 undergraduates are unusually
intense, but that has only added to its reputation. Sunny Greene, formerly
at Jefferson High, praises the college's "serious academics" and "respected
honor code."

GETTYSBURG COLLEGE
Gettysburg, Pa., gettysburg.edu, 717-337-6000
Many students love this charming campus in rural Pennsylvania. The student
body, about 2,400 undergraduates, is aca-demically motivated, if too wedded
to the fraternity and sorority scene for some tastes. The history, political
science and business administration programs are good, as are the sciences.
The Fiske Guide to Colleges says "the English department, home of the
Gettysburg Review, is among the strongest" of all the college's departments.

YORK COLLEGE OF PENNSYLVANIA
York, Pa., ycp.edu,
717-846-7788
Louis J. Bamonte, guidance chair at Walter G. O'Connell Copiague High School
in Copiague, N.Y., says York, with 4,100 students, "has a good selection of
programs," and tuition "is very inexpensive as far as private schools are
concerned." The business administration program offers a master's degree as
well as undergraduate degrees in finance, administration, marketing,
management, international business and information systems. Its evening
degree program for adult learners offers courses in business, nursing and
other subjects.

MUHLENBERG COLLEGE
Allentown, Pa., muhlenberg.edu,
484-664-3100
The college has aggressively promoted its no-SAT, no-ACT admissions policy,
and has, in the process, become very selective, admitting only 35 percent of
applicants. The campus of 2,100 students is beautiful and the faculty very
lively. Bruce Vinik, a Maryland-based consultant who was formerly director
of college counseling at Georgetown Day School, calls it "a fine liberal
arts college with a strong sense of community." Its evening and weekend
adult education programs include 24 fields of study.

URSINUS COLLEGE
Collegeville, Pa., ursinus.edu, 610-409-3200
This college of not much more than 1,300 undergraduates has built a strong
reputation for biology and chemistry courses that prepare students for
medical school. Cigus Vanni, at Cherry Hill West, says when he brought a
group of high school students to the college, he was struck by "a true sense
of caring" on its campus. Its small adult education program graduated 70
students last year.There is nothing else in America like St. John's College.
 
ST. JOHN'S COLLEGE
Annapolis, sjca.edu, 800-727-9238
Here is the ultimate intellectual experience on one of the region's oldest
college campuses. The 400-plus students read the Great Books, and tutors
guide their discussions. The classic texts make up the entire curriculum.
You read Euclid to study math and Newton to study physics. There is nothing
else like it in America, except its sister campus in Santa Fe. The experience attracts very special students, and you have to be very sure you are one of them.

MARY WASHINGTON COLLEGE
Fredericksburg, mwc.edu, 800-468-5614
Its strong academic reputation and low price tag as a state school have made
Mary Washington, with 3,800 students, a rising star. Natalie Root, a teacher
at Washington-Lee High School in Arlington, says, "Parents, former students,
and other teachers I have spoken to about this school all have the same
basic response, 'What a great place!' The faculty who actually teach class
is close to 100 percent. The support services are fantastic." The college's
James Monroe Center offers credit and non-credit courses for adult learners
in business, education and other fields.

WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERSITY
Cullowhee, N.C., wcu.edu, 877-928-4968
Counselors say they are impressed by the 265-acre, 7,000-student campus,
nestled between the Great Smoky and Blue Ridge mountains. It was the first
university in the North Carolina system to require all students to own their
own computers. It has an honors college and a wide range of majors. The
university uses instructional television and the Internet to reach more than
700 adults studying education, criminal justice and other subjects.

ST. ANDREWS PRESBYTERIAN COLLEGE
Laurinburg, N.C., sapc.edu, 910-277-5000
"These people are alchemists," says Suzy Hallock-Bannigan, a counselor at
Woodstock Union High School in Vermont. "It seems they develop students to
the max and love them forever." With 660 students, she adds, "it's a small
and intimate sort of place." Alice T. Ledford, of the American International
School in Riyadh, calls St. Andrews "a jewel hidden away in southern North
Carolina." Its adult evening and Saturday classes in Pinehurst, N.C.,
include business, education and management information technology.

LOYOLA COLLEGE IN MARYLAND
Baltimore, loyola.edu, 410-617-2252
This school just north of downtown Baltimore has about 3,400 undergraduates
who thrive in an urban environment. The tough core curriculum weeds out
those who don't understand what it means to be educated by Jesuits. The
business, psychology and biology departments are strong. "Every student I
have sent there has loved it and flourished," says R.J. Hawley of the
American School in Switzerland. The college offers numerous master's
programs for working professionals, including an MBA, and two doctoral
programs.

UNIVERSITY OF SCRANTON
Scranton, Pa., scranton.edu, 888-727-2686
This Jesuit school has 3,600 full-time undergraduates. Kenneth G. McCurdy, a
Scranton alumnus and director of the graduate program in counselor education
at Malone College in Canton, Ohio, says the university is distinguished by
"small class sizes, high academic expectations . . . a metropolis campus
that maintains a community atmosphere." Barbara Meyer, of Medfield High,
says the campus is "not the most beautiful, but every kid I ever sent there
has been happy." The school has more than 325 continuing education courses
as well as a separate undergraduate program, Dexter Hanley College, with 450
adult and part-time students.

RANDOLPH-MACON COLLEGE
Ashland, Va., rmc.edu, 804-752-7305
This college of 1,150 undergraduates wins praise from counselors for small
classes and personal attention to students. The campus is lovely. Relations
between students are close, and counselors say the library and computer
facilities are exceptional. About 60 percent of graduates go on to
professional or graduate schools within five years.

ST. MARY'S COLLEGE OF MARYLAND
St. Mary's City, smcm.edu, 240-895-5000
Only a few small public colleges in the country have achieved St. Mary's
level of notice and acclaim. The 1,800-student school is located in a scenic
town and has not only built a reputation for teaching excellence but also
drawn praise for attempting to diversify what has been a mostly white,
middle-class student body. About 400 people enroll each semester in
continuing education courses.

Jay Mathews covers education for The Post. This article was adapted from his
new book, Harvard Schmarvard: Getting Beyond the Ivy League to the College
That Is Best for You.

© 2003 The Washington Post Company