Colleges that Change Lives

We all grow up hearing the names of certain colleges. Whether it’s the school where your parents met, the home of your favorite football team, or an ivy league institution idealized in the media, your dreams of the perfect school may have imprinted in your mind long before you began seriously considering your options. However, when the time comes to formulate and finalize your list, you may miss out on some extraordinary opportunities if you don’t dig deeper and consider colleges that might not previously been on your radar. One of my favorite nonprofit organizations is The Colleges That Change Lives. Founded after Loren Pope published a book under the same title highlighting smaller colleges with a history of making a lasting impact on their students, CTCL strives to introduce students to outstanding institutions throughout the country. Each year, they host a variety of events in major cities where students can meet Admissions representatives from CTCL schools and gain a deeper understanding of some of the most interesting colleges in the country. Check out this year’s schedule, and resolve to challenge your assumptions about the names that will go on your college list.