Colonial American and Ivy League Colleges

While a number of present-day colleges were founded as secondary schools before the American Revolution, only nine existed as colleges at that point. Seven of those colleges are now among the eight members of the Ivy League.

 
A Look at Some of the Country's Most Unique Colleges

 
These colleges pride themselves on being out of the ordinary

Many college students share stress about grades, high tuition costs, and cramped living arrangements. For others, however, such inconveniences are nonexistent. From a college designed specifically for high school students to one that doesn't provide students with grades, here are some of the country's most unique institutions.

Berea College, Berea, Kentucky

The first interracial, coeducational college in the south, Berea specializes in attracting students who may be otherwise unable to afford a college education. Berea students come from families with an average household income of $30,000, which is why the school's financial aid program is so important. All students receive full-tuition scholarships in exchange for 10-15 hours of on-campus work per week.

Deep Springs, an all-male school, has one of the smallest student bodies in the country at 26. The college accepts only 10% of applicants, and maintains its own cattle heard. Students relish the school's isolated location — 45 miles away from the nearest established town. Electricity is generated mainly through solar power, and the college sometimes sells excess electricity to Pacific Gas and Electric. While the school is only a two-year institution, most graduates transfer to top schools, and half go on to earn doctoral degrees.

Evergreen State College, Olympia Washington

At Evergreen State, students do not receive traditional letter grades. Instead, professors issue narrative evaluations of students' work at the end of each semester. The curriculum is structured around the "Coordinated Studies Program," which focuses on providing students with a well-rounded education across a number of different areas. The college sits on 1,000 breathtaking acres, a portion of it on Puget Sound.

Hampshire College, Amherst, Massachusetts

Considered an "experimenting" college because of its constantly changing curriculum, Hampshire College does not feature a traditional grading system. Instead the school requires students to complete three different divisions. The first division features classes in each of the college's five "schools of thought." The second division requires students to complete two years worth of courses in their selected field of study. Many students design their own degree program, often combining different subjects. The third division requires students to complete a project that pertains to their area of study. The project lasts one year and features little or no in-class time. Once the project is completed, it is not given a grade, but a written evaluation, as are other projects students complete throughout their time at Hampshire.

Kalamazoo College, Kalamazoo, Michigan

While consistently ranked as one of the country's top academic institutions, Kalamazoo is best known for what its students do while they are not on campus. The college offers an elite study abroad program, with 85% of students traveling abroad during their academic career. The school has partnerships with 50 foreign universities. Also, the school has the greatest percentage of U.S. students who go on to serve in the Peace Corps after graduation.

Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio

Oberlin is not only the home of one of the country's top music conservatories, it's also exceptional for its "Experimental College" department, which allows undergraduates to design and teach their own courses in areas not already covered by existing classes. All students are also required to earn three winter session credits, which often take the form of a self-designed project or field study.

Olin College, Needham, Massachusetts

Olin, an engineering-focused school of only 300 students incorporates team projects and group collaborations to replicate the day-to-day interaction of professional engineers. All accepted students are offered full-tuition scholarships, and students take all exams on their own time outside of class. They are allowed to use whatever sources necessary to complete the exams, as long as long as they don't involve other students. As an added bonus, all Olin students stay in apartments with kitchens that are fully furnished with cookware and utensils. The school's curriculum is only considered valid for a period of five years, after this every program is carefully reviewed. All professors have five year contracts to coincide with this cycle.

Simon's Rock College of Bard: Great Barrington, Massachusetts

With an average age of 16, Simon's freshmen enter Simon's Rock college after their sophomore or junior year of high school. Simon's Rock College students often do not earn high school degrees, but they regularly transfer to some of the country's top schools after two years. With only 350 students, all professors and students are on a first-name basis, and there are very few lecture-based classes within the liberal-arts based curriculum. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

About The Ivy League  
Everyone's heard of the coveted Ivy League universities—the supposed top schools in the country. Their reputation precedes them, and for good cause. The eight universities that comprise the Ivy League attract many of the country's top students. They can all provide you with an outstanding education and much more. But that doesn't mean that one of these schools is right for you, even if you have the qualifications to get accepted. And if you are cut out for the Ivy League, how do you decide between the schools? There are many factors to consider.

The Ivy League schools have a number of common traits. They are all long-established private universities in the Northeastern U.S. They all enjoy substantial endowments and generous alumni financial support. And they're all very expensive to attend and very selective when it comes to admissions. There are also some significant differences between these schools. Some are in big cities, while others are in small towns. Some have religious affiliations, some don't. And while they all excel in many areas, some offer stronger programs in certain fields than others.

While all these schools deserve their reputations, you don't need to go to one to get a fantastic education. There are many universities that offer a lot of the great qualities that the Ivy League schools have, such as a low student-to-faculty ratio, high teaching standards, and strong research support at other schools. And you may be able to get things at other universities that the Ivy League schools don't offer. It's possible that none of the Ivy League universities offer a strong program in your field of interest. For instance, if you want to be an engineer, you may be better able to find what you're looking for outside the Ivy League. Only a few of the Ivy League schools have top-rated engineering programs, and each is stronger in certain areas of engineering than others. Another thing that may be important to you in choosing a college is a warm climate. You certainly won't find that in the Ivy League.

There's no doubt that going to an Ivy League school has its advantages. Most employers immediately recognize the names of these universities, and a degree from one of them can make your resume stand out. You'll also have access to a strong alumni network that can prove invaluable in your career. But these benefits come at a high price. Tuitions at the Ivy League schools are among the highest in the country. Plus, the extremely competitive admissions process is likely to bring you plenty of anxiety.

It's easy to jump on the bandwagon and decide you have to go to an Ivy League school based solely on its prestige. But you're not doing yourself justice if you don't consider all your options. After weighing all the pros and cons, you may decide that the Ivy League is where you want to be. But you'll feel a lot more confident in this decision if you consider other universities, as well, and base your choice on more than the school's name and reputation.  
 
 
 
 

Below are some of the vital statistics for each of the eight Ivies: