On April 18, 2017, I visited Drew University (http://www.drew.edu/1/). The day started with a chat and walk around campus with Professor Terry Todd (Associate Professor of American Religious Studies in the Caspersen School of Graduate Studies). Dr. Todd is a font of interesting information about the history of Drew as well as current day college information and events. I then sat in on an Information Session and took a student led tour. James Skiff, Executive Director of College Admissions was kind enough to spend some time discussing current trends in college admissions followed by lunch with Christopher Teare (Senior Associate Director of Admissions) in the student commons.

Here are some interesting facts and info that I learned during my campus visit:

  • Current enrollment is 1500 undergraduate students which results in consistently small class size and teacher/student ratio.
  • 94% of students live on campus and on campus housing is guaranteed for 4 years.
  • 94% of Drew students, within 6 months of graduating, are enrolled in graduate school or have a full time job.
  • The campus is affectionately known as “The Forest.” On my walk from the train station I saw 4 deer prancing in the woods.
  • All sports (except the Fencing and Equestrian Teams) are Division 3.

Three Unique Aspects of the Drew University Experience

  1. Faculty Mentorship/Advising – All students enter as undeclared majors. During pre-orientation in July all students meet with an advisor and once they declare a major they are assigned one in their major field (students who double major are assigned advisors in both fields). Students develop close relationships with their faculty advisor(s) and this is a hallmark of the Drew experience.
  2. Experiential Learning – There are 3 components to experiential learning. New York City Semesters (http://www.drew.edu/globaled/nyctrec), Study Abroad (http://www.drew.edu/globaled/ ) and Research Opportunities (https://www.drew.edu/rise/).
  3. Location – Drew is in Madison New Jersey which is the prototypical small town and is within walking distance of the campus. I took the train from New York City’s Penn Station and it took 45 minutes followed by an 8 minute walk to campus.

For students looking for a small liberal arts college in a suburban environment very close to a large city Drew University should be at the top of your list of schools to consider.