Can you believe that the end of summer is almost here? You know what that means -- time for seniors to get serious about the college apps and for sophomores and juniors to focus on their studies and building strong transcripts and resumes.

As you may know, I spent time this summer visiting seven schools in Virginia and North Carolina. There was one in particular that truly stood out to me: Elon University. I was shocked by Elon's beautiful campus and how much opportunity the school offers to students. This is a school that is blowing up in popularity, and I was able to get a first-hand look as to why. I was taken completely by surprise and I look forward to recommending this school to many students in the years to come.

General Information
Elon University is located in the small town of Elon, North Carolina. It is located in the middle of Chapel Hill, Greensboro, and Winston-Salem, so is within reach of many other colleges, towns and cultural activities. The campus itself is gorgeous, and is situated on a registered botanical garden. Right outside of campus, there is not much going on, but Elon is a cute little town with all of the essentials. If you are up for a road trip, Elon is only 3 hours from the beach, and 2.5 hours from the mountains.

At just under 5,800 undergraduate students, Elon is a nice size with students from across the country and world - only 20% are from North Carolina. Elon also offers competitive Division 1 sports, Performing Arts, and ROTC programs.

When I was there, I experienced an overwhelming feeling of support and care from the Elon community. Elon had over 20 tour guides introduce themselves, and families were assigned to guides individually, and I only had 6 others in my group, which was a great experience. At the end of the tour, the guides gave each family the business card of their specific admissions counselor, such a nice touch! It is to no surprise that Elon is ranked #1 in the nation by U.S. News and World Report for their academic programs being "focused on student success." It is clear that Elon cares about its students, and their number one goal is to make sure they are happy academically and socially.

The average class size of 12:1, and they are also ranked #1 in the nation for having the most number of students with global study abroad experience. Also, unlike most schools, students are required to complete two of five experiential learning opportunities during their time there, including internships, study abroad, research, service-learning, and leadership.

Another great program, "Elon Job Network" has thousands of Elon alumni helping students gain access to internships and jobs once they graduate. It is no surprise that Elon boasts a 91% retention rate - meaning very few students leave or transfer - and that six months after graduation, 89% of students are employed or in graduate school and, of those employed, 91% have a job related to their career goal.

Academic Information
Elon houses 4 main academic colleges, which their students can choose from. As long as students are accepted into Elon, they can choose whichever major they want. The four main undergraduate colleges are The College of Arts and Sciences, the Martha and Spencer Love College of Business, the School of Communications, and the School of Education. They also have two colleges for graduate students - the School of Health Sciences and the School of Law. Overall, there are over 60 majors for students to choose from, including finance, entrepreneurship, international business, marketing, journalism, cinema and television arts, media analytics, biology, and arts/music theater. Though Elon does not have a School of Engineering, they do have a 3-2 engineering program with 10 partner schools.

It is also important to note that Elon's music production major is growing and students are able to do a semester in LA, DC, or NYC. Finally, I was really impressed with their School of Communications and the hands-on access students are given right away. If interested, freshmen students can start work as a journalist, cameraman or broadcast anchor for Elon's own news network - an incredible opportunity for students interested in media.

Admissions Information
I am happy to report that Elon University is neither extremely selective nor expensive. The following are important admissions related tips and information:

Elon is not a Common Application school. To apply, students must go through Elon's website.
They offer an Early Decision (November 1), Early Action (November 10) and Regular Decision (January 10) deadlines.
The middle 50% for acceptance is: SATs 1710-1960 and ACT 25-29.
The total cost of attendance is just about $45,000 (close to $20k/year less than many private colleges today).
There are five different scholarship opportunities for students.
77% of students graduate within 4 years, which makes it a top 100 school in the nation in this category.
Elon's annual acceptance rate remains around 54%.
Demonstrated interest is very important to Elon Admissions, so make sure you visit and stay in touch!
Elon is on the 4-1-4 academic calendar, meaning students take a 3-week course in January.
Elon offers a GAP program to 15 incoming freshmen, who start their freshmen year in Wyoming camping and hiking, and then travel to cities throughout the country engaging in service learning opportunities. Students then come to Elon in the spring, and are on track to graduate in the fall. Students also receive 9 academic credits for this program.

I know this is a ton of information, but I hope it is helpful. I really cannot stress how special this place is, and I imagine it will only continue to get more and more popular. If you are looking south at all for colleges, please make sure to give Elon a look, I promise it is worth it! Enjoy the rest of summer, and as always, happy searching!

-Joseph D. Korfmacher, MA