About the Project

Colleges of Distinction is the brainchild of a group of concerned parents, educators and admissions professionals. This diverse group's goal is to improve the current state of the college admissions process by providing consumers with the best possible information about higher education.

Today's high school senior is faced with a college search that is pressure-filled and highly commercial in nature. A world of publications exists just to offer rankings for colleges, identifying so-called "top" schools. Often these rankings do not take into account what really matters about a college: the success of its graduates, the quality of its teaching, the atmosphere of its campus, and so forth.

The goal of Colleges of Distinction is to provide students, counselors, and parents with information about schools that excel in these key areas. We describe schools that take a holistic approach to admissions, that consistently excel in providing undergraduate education, and that have a truly national reputation.

We do not rank these schools, or list a "number one college," because our philosophy emphasizes the importance of individual choice. Each student is different; each student has a different "number one."

Specifically, we set out to do three things with the Colleges of Distinction website:

• Give students, counselors, and parents an unbiased look at the college admissions process. We look at the myths surrounding college admissions, provide tools for self- assessment, and provide insights from college admissions professionals, high school counselors, students, and parents.
  
  
• Empower students and parents to evaluate colleges. In focusing on what matters most, we've defined four areas of distinction:
  
  Engaged Students - recruiting and keeping students who want to be engaged
  Great Teaching - excellence in teaching undergraduates is a primary mission
  Vibrant Communities - residential campuses offering many opportunities for student development
  Successful Outcomes - a consistent record of satisfied alumni who excel in their chosen fields.
  
  

• With each distinction, we offer perspectives from those involved - college presidents, administrators, faculty, students, parents, and alumni. Students and parents can learn about each distinction from those directly involved on our member campuses.
  
  
• Introduce our audience to a national group of colleges and universities that excel in these four areas of distinction, by providing detailed information about their students, their faculty, their vibrant communities, and the continuing success stories of their graduates.

The Colleges of Distinction are known nationally for their excellence in the Four Distinctions. In addition, these schools are all serious about recruiting students with a wide array of talents and interests. Each school has different admissions criteria and standards.

In short, the Colleges of Distinction website and accompanying guidebook offer consumers an honest look at a wide variety of very different schools, each with a national reputation for excellence. We hope you enjoy getting to know more about these great schools and the world of higher education.

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