EMHS College Counseling

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EMHS College Counseling

News, advice, and helpful info from the College Counseling office of Eastern Mennonite High School.

08/23/2026

Salve Regina: Located in Newport, RI, on high bluffs overlooking the ocean, many of the university's buildings are mansions dating from the “Gilded Age,” placing this school on many "most beautiful campuses" lists. Founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1947, the school's mission is to seek wisdom and promote universal justice. The adjective I heard most often describing the students and faculty was "kind." The school puts a lot of emphasis on it's career preparation programming, and the majority of students complete at least once internship during their time. Newport is an expensive but beautiful place to live, and the Cliff Walk that goes right past the university and other "summer cottages" makes it worth a visit.

08/22/2026

Mass Maritime: I'd never visited (or known much about) a maritime academy. It was fascinating! Such a great opportunity for someone who knows they want to work in marine engineering, transportation, or other fields. I'd assumed all students were ROTC or in the Coast Guard, but only about a third of them are. Marine engineering and marine transportation majors are the most intense, but they also go to sea once a year (Sea Term), usually on the academy's ship (pic 1), and at the end will be certified for any sized ship, any distance. They also have an impressive emergency management program. Most graduates go into commercial shipping, piloting, engineering, or mechanics.

08/17/2026

UMass Dartmouth wins my Most Unique Campus Architecture award. It's oddly futuristic yet has shades of brutalism. I hated it at first, but as I walked around, it grew on me. We were too late for a tour, but talked to a random student who raved about the engineering program with its small class sizes, hands-on approach, and caring professors. This R2 institution also has good nursing and business programs. Strong option for students who want a mid-sized school (7,800 undergrads) with a diverse student body, particularly for those interested in STEM but who don't currently have the stats for a more selective program.

08/16/2026

Conn College: I had to do a self-guided tour, but did get to meet with a rep, who shared about the strong academics and preparation their students receive. With a 39% acceptance rate and about 2,000 students, this is another New England school that falls into that niche of a selective, smallish liberal arts college that is still attainable for a student who wants to work hard. Students are encouraged to take the lead in their learning, focusing on a guiding question of their design and choosing a curriculum to help them answer that question. They present their projects in a symposium senior year. Gorgeous campus, including a community garden and an arboretum. And their mascot is a giraffe! 🤷🏻‍♀️

08/08/2026

Wesleyan University, Middleton, CT: With a 16% acceptance rate, this was the most selective university I visited on this trip. It's a nice size, with about 4,000 undergrads. As one would expect, the academics are strong here. Psychology is their most popular major; they're also well known for file and performing arts and the physical sciences. They have an open curriculum; in other words, there are no gen ed requirements. As a result, many students double-major or have several minors. The architecture style is a little disjointed, and for some reason, it was tricky to get a sense of the school's personality. Picture #2 is the building where Lin-Manuel Miranda's "In the Heights" debuted (he wrote it while a student there).

08/07/2026

I was really impressed by Trinity College. It's located in a residential part of Hartford, about 10 minutes from the Amtrak station and a 20 minute walk from downtown restaurants and shops. It hits the sweet spot of being small but not too small (2,200 students) and quite selective (30% acceptance rate) but not impossibly so. Most students get internships in the city; Poli Sci students can work in the capital building for a semester and get 4 classes' worth of credit. No longer religiously affiliated, the chapel still dominates campus. Students were fantastic and described as supportive, collaborative, hard workers who like to try everything (sounds a lot like some students I know). A NESCAC school, their only D1 sport is squash, and it was a big deal when their men's team beat Harvard last year for the championship.

08/05/2026

Quinnipiac University, Hamden, CT: I love this campus! I wish I could have done a tour.... definitely plan to return. Nice option for someone looking for a midsize school in New England (6,500 undergrads) with a decent acceptance rate (72%). (Remember: higher acceptance rate = more scholarship opportunities.) Besides the benefit of a great name, the school is known for health sciences, business, communications, and visual & performing arts. Plus, there's a state park with lots of hiking paths and a lookout tower right across the road.

08/04/2026

Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ: Impossible to get good pictures from a your bus in the rain. I'm glad I visited, but I'd advise interested families to look for information sessions offered my specific schools within the university rather than just signing up for the bus tour. It was great to catch a glimpse of the five campuses that comprise New Jersey's flagship university, but we only got off the bus twice and it all went by in a whirl. Overall impression: it's huge (five campuses, almost 50,000 students), it's dynamic, it has nearly every program you can think of, but it was hard to get a real feel of the place.

07/24/2026

Champlain College: What a great school! Small (about 1,900 undergrads) but highly respected and connected. Strong community feel in an amazing college town location, just a few blocks from UVM. Particularly known for their innovative and comprehensive gaming program: they have 9 game-related majors, from art and sound to interactive design to production and management. This is a liberal arts school but they're very outcomes-focused and almost every student does an internship. Their "upside-down curriculum" promises every student will be getting hands-on experience in their major starting first semester, and every program requires a senior capstone project. I can think of a lot of students who would thrive here.

02/26/2026

It's funny that I didn't get any people in my pics, because my main impression of ODU is that it's an energetic, friendly, highly diverse campus. The place was hopping for a cold Tuesday afternoon in February, and I can just imagine what it might be like when the weather is nice. The university is one of Virginia's mid-sized publics, with 18,000 undergrads. Their most popular programs are in health sciences, business, and engineering, but the 15 colleges offer a range from education to music to oceanography. A recent merge with Eastern Virginia Medical School has resulted in more options for health science majors, including a BS to MD pathway. The buildings of the main quad do look a bit dated, but there's a lot of construction happening, and the new facilities are impressive. I know the university has a rep for not being in a great part of the city, but the vibe I picked up on was positive and the two tour guides I talked to spoke highly of their experience and said they've always felt safe on campus.

Address

801 Parkwood Drive
Harrisonburg, VA
22802

Telephone

+15402366005

Website

http://www.emhs.net/academics/college-counseling.cfm

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