College Spotlight: St. Edward's University
As promised, I wanted to briefly write about my visit to St. Edward's University, in my new favorite city, Austin! St. Edwards is located just a few miles south of downtown Austin, in a beautiful residential area, on top of a hill with gorgeous 360 degree views of the city. Right near campus is the extremely cool South Congress (SoCo) district with tons of shops and restaurants. Austin has to be one of the best cities in the country for almost any type of person. Austin has a laid-back lifestyle, warm weather with over 300 days of sunshine a year, and a fantastic food and music scene. There are food trucks everywhere, and Austin is considered the "Live Music Capital of the World". If you are someone who wants a change of scenery from the northeast, and you want a fairly small, intimate college, St. Edward's University is a great option to add to your list!
St. Edward's University has just under 3,600 undergraduates, coming from 45 different states, with an average class size of 17. Their acceptance rate is about 63%, with an average ACT score of 22-27 and an average SAT score of 1020-1230. The school was founded by the Congregation of Holy Cross (think Notre Dame), so you know the academics are outstanding and there is a very real commitment to learning and the expansion of knowledge. St. E's is a Catholic liberal arts university with 48 majors from accounting to theatre arts, and 38 minors to choose from. Three of their strongest programs include theatre, graphic design, and environmental science.
For theatre arts majors, students can choose to follow the path of general theatre, acting (audition required), theatre design & technology, and theatre management. Also, while attending St. E's, students can work on their actors guild card, which usually can only be done at conservatories. Finally, if you love to be a part of theatre, either as an actor or behind the scenes, you can still participate in theatre at St. E's without being a theatre major!
Computer science, especially in the gaming field is also huge at St. E's. Students can get their bachelors degree in computer science, interactive games studies, or interactive games management. For all the gamers out there, who want to make a career in the gaming industry, St. E's could be a great landing spot for you, as their program is strong, and they have close relationships with the gaming companies in Austin. Many people will think you have to study in Silicon Valley to get a good job in the tech world, but it may be easier to get your foot in the door at a great company in Austin, where the competition is not as fierce.
Finally, what is awesome about their environmental science and policy major is the ability for students to do research right away with their professors. St. E's owns their own nature preserve, where students have access to do their own research. This is an amazing opportunity for undergraduates!
The student life at St. Edward's is thriving, and the campus is gorgeous and especially big for a small enrollment. The buildings throughout the campus are all very modern and the architecture is some of the best I have seen on a college campus. Students have access to some incredible living situations with state-of-the-art dorms and dining halls. They are in the process of also building a new residence hall on campus, that will house apartment style rooms with 400 beds.There is an endless amount of green space, with the sports fields right on campus, including their rugby field, which is a huge sport at St. E's! While there, I actually ran into a rugby player from St. Joe's Prep in Philly, and he only had the best things to say about his time at St. E's.
I hope some of you will give St. Edward's a chance in the future...I feel very comfortable with this college, and I think it is a fantastic school and community. If you are someone who is interested in a small-medium size liberal arts school, and would prefer warm weather with a hip music and arts scene with amazing food, I would strongly encourage you to check out St. Edward's. For us up here in the northeast, it is definitely a hidden gem that needs to be uncovered.
Enjoy a few pics from my time visiting St. Edward's below, and until next time, take care!
Joseph D. Korfmacher
St. Edward's University has just under 3,600 undergraduates, coming from 45 different states, with an average class size of 17. Their acceptance rate is about 63%, with an average ACT score of 22-27 and an average SAT score of 1020-1230. The school was founded by the Congregation of Holy Cross (think Notre Dame), so you know the academics are outstanding and there is a very real commitment to learning and the expansion of knowledge. St. E's is a Catholic liberal arts university with 48 majors from accounting to theatre arts, and 38 minors to choose from. Three of their strongest programs include theatre, graphic design, and environmental science.
For theatre arts majors, students can choose to follow the path of general theatre, acting (audition required), theatre design & technology, and theatre management. Also, while attending St. E's, students can work on their actors guild card, which usually can only be done at conservatories. Finally, if you love to be a part of theatre, either as an actor or behind the scenes, you can still participate in theatre at St. E's without being a theatre major!
Computer science, especially in the gaming field is also huge at St. E's. Students can get their bachelors degree in computer science, interactive games studies, or interactive games management. For all the gamers out there, who want to make a career in the gaming industry, St. E's could be a great landing spot for you, as their program is strong, and they have close relationships with the gaming companies in Austin. Many people will think you have to study in Silicon Valley to get a good job in the tech world, but it may be easier to get your foot in the door at a great company in Austin, where the competition is not as fierce.
Finally, what is awesome about their environmental science and policy major is the ability for students to do research right away with their professors. St. E's owns their own nature preserve, where students have access to do their own research. This is an amazing opportunity for undergraduates!
The student life at St. Edward's is thriving, and the campus is gorgeous and especially big for a small enrollment. The buildings throughout the campus are all very modern and the architecture is some of the best I have seen on a college campus. Students have access to some incredible living situations with state-of-the-art dorms and dining halls. They are in the process of also building a new residence hall on campus, that will house apartment style rooms with 400 beds.There is an endless amount of green space, with the sports fields right on campus, including their rugby field, which is a huge sport at St. E's! While there, I actually ran into a rugby player from St. Joe's Prep in Philly, and he only had the best things to say about his time at St. E's.
I hope some of you will give St. Edward's a chance in the future...I feel very comfortable with this college, and I think it is a fantastic school and community. If you are someone who is interested in a small-medium size liberal arts school, and would prefer warm weather with a hip music and arts scene with amazing food, I would strongly encourage you to check out St. Edward's. For us up here in the northeast, it is definitely a hidden gem that needs to be uncovered.
Enjoy a few pics from my time visiting St. Edward's below, and until next time, take care!
Joseph D. Korfmacher
