火爆社区

Located about an hour north of Dallas, Austin College is a small private liberal arts school that places applied learning at the forefront of the curriculum. A mandatory First-Year Experience program helps to introduce new 鈥楻oos to all that the school has to offer in this respect, while a month-long JanTerm course each year鈥攕ome of which are offered abroad鈥攈elps 鈥渆ncourage [students] to try classes outside of their majors.鈥� As one student reports, 鈥淚 was able to spend the month of January doing an internship that counted as my course... [a] practical experience that was truly beneficial.鈥� As students put it, 鈥淭he sheer amount of hands-on learning experiences that we have here at Austin College is phenomenal.鈥� Students are given many 鈥渦nique opportunities that are unlike any other institution,鈥� including undergraduate research opportunities through the Center for Research, Experiential, Artistic & Transformative Education (CREATE). Professors are accessible and 鈥渆mblematic of the liberal arts experience, managing to create courses that are applicable and/or explore a number of disciplines.鈥� This means that 鈥渢here are tons of fun classes that may have a lot of work, but the work feels like a game or the professor works to include very interesting and attention-grabbing activities.鈥� One student specifies, 鈥淚 got to go taste food at local restaurants and learned how to critique said food, I got to help with a local charity for a class.鈥� In summary, 鈥渁ll of the core areas that you want a college to succeed in, Austin College excels at.鈥�

This group is 鈥渄iverse in our languages, races, religions, political views,鈥� with almost half of the students representing an ethnic minority group. 鈥淓veryone here is very open and accepting鈥� and 鈥渁ll bounce off from one another learning new things all the time.鈥� As a student says, 鈥淲e are small, but a mighty community, and a group can truly be found for all.鈥� The college 鈥渇osters an environment of inclusion and openness for new ideas and community,鈥� and while 鈥渢here are naturally formed friend groups/cliques, as well as Greek life, students tend to mix regardless of their connections.鈥� An additional benefit to the school鈥檚 size 鈥渕eans basically everyone knows each other and we are able to create a special environment at events because of the comfortability with each other.鈥� Another student concurs: 鈥淚t is very easy to make friends with other students, [and] everyone is always willing to talk and say hello, even if they have met you only a few times.鈥�

Part of the beauty of a small campus [is] you can be a part of anything and everything, and the 鈥渟ense of pride and community runs rampant with all of our students and faculty.鈥� Students can expect to be busy, as many 鈥渉ave a full schedule with classes, frats/sororities, student organizations, clubs, internships, and on campus jobs (AC is full of opportunities for students to earn money working on the campus).鈥� Luckily the campus itself 鈥渋s small, so there is not much competition for parking and traveling to class is very easy.鈥� The Campus Activities Board 鈥淸has] these weekly and monthly events all year long that [keep] us students entertained at full max,鈥� including offerings such as 鈥渁n escape room off campus (free of charge), or a HUGE Texas-fest carnival with a big ride.鈥� There are also particularly strong international opportunities at Austin, and 鈥渋t鈥檚 so easy to travel abroad with the school (with scholarship)!鈥� Another student illustrates: 鈥淎fter I graduate, I鈥檒l have traveled four times through AC: twice domestic and twice abroad, all pretty much funded by a scholarship I received on campus my freshman year. The school really wants its students to explore and have an experience that you can鈥檛 get at any other university.鈥�