That year, 86 percent of students received some form of financial aid. Nicknamed "Hard Work U," the College is able to waive tuition for full-time students through generous financial aid packages and a student-work program, in which undergraduates work on campus 15 hours a week during the semester and two 40-hour work weeks each year during breaks. Landing at No. The liberal arts college offers 31 majors to roughly 1,600 students. A smaller percentage of school-age children in rural areas live below the poverty threshold than those in cities or towns. Three factors in particular seem to complicate efforts to recruit and retain highly effective teachers in rural SIG schools. Ranked by Newsweek as the 11th most desirable rural school in the nation, Colgate University's 500-acre campus in Hamilton, New York, is frequently cited for its pastoral setting. And Williams shares the limelight with its Big and Little counterparts on several of Newsweek's lists: It's No. 21 on Newsweek's list of best rural colleges, the State University of New York at Geneseo is located in Upstate New York's Finger Lakes region, famous for its mountains and wineries. Tuition at St. Mary's College of Maryland is $23,174 for Maryland residents and $34,567 for out-of-state students, with 82 percent of students receiving financial aid. 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But to others, spending every day with the same people may make you get more annoyed with them more easily. At 71 percent, Caucasians make up the majority of the student body, followed by African-Americans at 15 percent, Hispanics at 2 percent and Asian-Americans at 2 percent. Middlebury College is also renowned for its commitment to environmental stewardship through its curricular offerings and eco-friendly practices on campus. The school has an undergraduate enrollment of just over 11,000, 56 percent of who are women. Established in 2003 by the founder of Domino's Pizza as "a Catholic liberal arts institution designed to prepare students for leadership in academics, professional occupations, and service to the greater community," Ave Maria University is counted as the 16th most desirable school in a rural setting by Newsweek. Many rural students think high school is all the education they need to get a local job and start working right away. The school offers 37 majors in the arts, humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences in a quaint Midwestern setting on a campus occupying 1,040 acres, including an 880-acre arboretum, which helps explain its ranking as the ninth most desirable rural school in the nation. *For the complete college rankings from the Washington Monthly, visit their website at www.washingtonmonthly.com. Internship and job opportunities are right outside your door. So why teach at a rural school, you ask? With a mission "to provide the advantages of a Christian education for youth of both sexes, especially those found worthy, but who are without sufficient means to procure such training," the College of the Ozarks has been offering students a liberal arts education in an intimate, Christian setting since its founding by Presbyterian missionary James Forsythe in 1906. You can go anywhere and do anything you want. As the study shows, while both also confound urban reform efforts, in rural areas, the distance between school and home gives both issues different contours. Schooling in rural areas versus urban areas is dependent on the school system and the teachers, and what quality they can offer to students. Being in a safe rural area without parents could be the perfect way for students to grow and mature. With fewer than 2,000 students—which the college describes as intellectually curious—Carleton is rated as the 18th most desirable small school in the country. A second reason for emphasizing "rural" was not so obvious to me when I began this journey. Brisbane School of Distance Education Phone: (07) 3727 2444 2. If that sounds like a student body of polar opposites, consider this: Approximately 50 percent of all Williams College students participate in varsity sports, putting it eighth on Newsweek's list of colleges stocked with jocks. St. Mary's College of Maryland offers a public liberal arts education and is the state's only public honors college, a designation that promises an intellectually inclusive community. 34 reviews. Its small-town location places it among the most desirable rural schools at No. Whether you’re at a sports game, or meeting people at a party, you can’t help but like everyone you meet. Additionally, founded in 1832, its Evangelical Lutheran Church affiliation places it among Newsweek's best "religious and smart" schools. To continue reading login or create an account. The buildings will most likely be on different street corners and you may have a bit of walk to get to your classes during the day. While this arrangement contributes to the school's desirability, it also makes for stiff competition—only 12 percent of applicants are accepted, adding up to a student body of just 1,500. … Another unusual aspect of Williams College is an academic year that operates on two four-course semesters, plus a one-course January term. You aren’t going to have a campus with beautiful lawns and trees. Located in Socorro, New Mexico, about an hour south of Albuquerque, New Mexico Tech also ranks tenth on Newsweek's list of most desirable rural schools. 17 for future power brokers, No. Only 37 percent of applicants are admitted, and they average a 29 on the ACT and 1370 on the SAT. More Attention from the Teachers . What makes these unsung institutions stand out? Additionally, social services, including schools, have been regionalized or consolidated as cost-cutting measures (Beaulieu & Mulkey, 1995; Miller, 1993). After going to the local mall and the few restraunts near the center of town, you may feel as if you’ve done everything and you’re not sure what else there is to do. 10 for brainiacs. Businesses have closed and many young and well-educated citizens have left for urban areas. The university is a focal point of the historic town it occupies, considering it has a student body of about 3,600 undergraduates, set against the fewer than 6,000 Lewisburg residents counted in the 2000 census. With 3 Rhodes scholars in just the last decade or so, a sizable number of students going on to get Ph.D.s, an average incoming student scores of 34 on the ACT and 1550 on the SAT it's not a surprise that Dartmouth ranks 13th on Newsweek's brainiacs list. And those who enjoy a rural campus, the environment is more centralized around the campus and the students. I remember my elementary school having about 200 kids, which translated to about 20 person class sizes. It may be located in a place called Manhattan, but Kansas State University is as rural as it gets, securing its place as Number 19 on Newsweek's list of top 25 rural schools. See why nearly a quarter of a million subscribers begin their day with the Starting 5. The private school, with only 1800 undergraduates, is very selective, admitting less than one in five applicants. Only 27 percent of students who apply to Carleton College are accepted. 16 on most desirable schools overall, No. It may all start to feel repetitive. An all-male college until 1970, Williams began to phase out fraternities in 1962. Urban areas tend to offer more social and cultural opportunities. Kenyon College's 1,000-acre campus—situated on a hilltop in Gambier, Ohio, about 45 minutes from Columbus—includes a 380-acre nature preserve and was named by Forbes as one of the nation's most beautiful college campuses. Around half of America’s school boards are in rural areas, with so much of our country's future educated in rural areas it can be shocking that these areas are so under-served. Calling the educational experience it offers "challenging and uplifting, enlightening and provocative, dynamic and focused," Colby College is 13th on Newsweek's list of most desirable rural schools and 23rd most desirable small school. Founded in 1855 as the first interracial and co-ed school in the South, this Kentucky school named for the town in which it sits, strives to maintain its identity as a diverse college. 23 among the most desirable large campuses and the 24th most desirable rural school. 1. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the school retains 72 percent of its first-year students and the overall graduation rate is 41 percent. Not only that, your options for work are nearly endless. 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