Recently, I have had the pleasure of traveling to nine colleges in Seattle, Portland, and Saint Louis. Visiting schools across the country give me great perspective and insight on the different programs and environments available to all students. Since I have always worked with students in the NYC area, I have noticed that most students and families are “stuck” in the 3-5 hour bubble of schools. Of course, there are hundreds of terrific colleges and universities in this part of the country; I hate to see students limit themselves. Traveling around the country has opened my eyes to some incredible places, and I am excited to share these experiences with all of you. In the coming weeks, I will highlight the schools I visited, and I hope that you will take a closer look at these schools and others, that you may not have thought about before.

The first university I would like to highlight is Saint LouisUniversity, most commonly referred to as SLU. Here are a few SLU ‘quick-hitters’:

SLU became the first university west of the Mississippi in 1818, and in 1927, became the first federally licensed school of Aviation.

SLU is a Jesuit University, and is often ranked as 1 of the top 5 Jesuit Universities in the country, and in 2013 was a Fiske “Best Buy School”. SLU also has a top 100 business program (AACSB accredited), has an incredible and unique engineering program, and is ranked as a research university.

SLU has just under 8,700 undergraduates, a 12-1 student/professor ratio, 24.4 average classroom size, and houses over 100 undergraduate programs. The most recent retention percentage from freshmen to sophomore year is an outstanding 88% and growing!

Middle 50% for admissions- GPA: 3.81 (weighted), SAT: 1080-1330, ACT: 25-29

Scholarships Available- Merit awards range from $3,000-$16,000 and there is a Presidential (full tuition) scholarship available, where applicants usually have a 3.85 and 30 (ACT) or 1330 (SAT). SLU has no limit to the amount of Presidential Scholarships they give out. The average total package they give out to students is $24,000.

SLU’s top 10 programs, in reverse order are communications, chemistry, bio-chemistry, biomedical engineering, health sciences, psychology, physical therapy, nursing, biology, and STILL DECIDING. ‘Still Deciding’ is the number one “major” for incoming freshmen. Students, who do this, can take any classes during the first 1-2 years, and as long as they have a 2.5 GPA, they can then go into any major they want (except for physical and occupational therapy).

Unique Programs:

Accounting Scholars- Students need 3.6 GPA and 30 or 1330 test scores. Can get Bachelors and Masters in 5 years and are able to sit for CPA exam right away.

Pre-Law Scholars- Students need a very good academic record and 28 or 1250 tests scores. If accepted into program at SLU freshmen, they are guaranteed entry into the SLU law school, which has a very new building in downtown Saint Louis.

Health Sciences- SLU is one of 27 schools that have a Masters track for athletic training, which is a direct admit as a freshmen. They are also only 1 of 2 schools in country that have a registered dietician (RD) and culinary arts major.

Parks College ofEngineering, Aviation and Technology- Houses the first federally certified flight school in the nation. Aviation students will graduate with over 250 hours of flight hours. There are numerous engineering degrees, including flight science, aviation management, and a global aviation track. This school also has a 3-2 program with Washington University in Saint Louis, where students can get a BS and MS in chemical engineering.

Fun Facts:

SLU has tremendous study abroad opportunities, which is highlighted by their own campus in Madrid.

SLU has D1 sports, andclub/intramural opportunities for all students. Their top sport is men’s soccer, where they have won 10 NCAA titles.

SLU has a gorgeous, green campus, with incredible academic, athletic, and housing facilities. It is also only 5-10 minutes from downtown Saint Louis. Perfect for students who want to be near a city, but still have that traditional college campus experience.

Their mascot is the “Billiken” which is a mythical creature that represents everything as they ought to be.

Overall Thoughts:

I have visited many colleges and universities across the country, and to be perfectly honest, I was blown away by Saint Louis University. This is place where I think most students can be very happy at, and I look forward to recommending it to students and families for years to come. SLU has a diverse curriculum with some cutting edge programs, and top notch academics. Students, who want to be teachers to CPAs to pilots, can all find a home at SLU. It also has the safe, open, diverse, and dynamic environment that will make people of all backgrounds feel at home. This is not a school full of cliques, but rather is a place that is one community open to everyone. SLU is a school that may not be on the radar for many families in the NYC, but it really should. SLU’s popularity is growing, and this is a special school in the Midwest. Wherever you may be thinking in terms of academics or college environment, Saint Louis University is certainly worth a look…and I doubt you will be disappointed.

-Joseph D. Korfmacher, MA

Whether you are a potential DI/D2 student-athlete, a parent of one, or you know someone who might participate in college sports, this information will be important for you. In order to play a sport in college (D1/D2 only), the student must be eligible. Eligibility is measured by a sliding scale, with the lowest possible GPA being a 2.0. With a 2.0, the student must achieve a 1010 (Math and CR only) on the SAT's to be eligible. From there, the higher a student's GPA, the lower their SAT needs to be in order to be eligible.

However, starting with high school class of 2015 (current sophomores), it will get just a little harder to become eligible to participate in Division 1 sports right out of high school. The NCAA eligibility center has decided to increase their eligibility standards for Division 1 athletes. These new rules will go into effect starting August 1, 2015. Whereas students prior to 2015 needed a minimum core GPA of 2.0 and 1010 SAT (Math and Critical Reading) or an ACT combined score of 86 in order to participate in competition, students after 2015 will need a minimum core GPA of 2.3 and 1080 SAT, or an ACT combined score of 93 to participate in their first year.

There also is a new rule put in place to 'redshirt' incoming freshmen. With the present eligibility rules, a student-athlete was either eligible or not eligible. Now there will be three outcomes: Eligible to compete right away (Full Qualifier), not eligible at all (Nonqualifer), and eligible to join team and practice, but not compete in first year (redshirt). Now this is where it becomes tricky! The sliding scale (core GPA with SAT or ACT) for the redshirt option is very similar to the present regular eligibility scale, except the SAT requirement has gone up 10 points for each GPA (i.e. 2.0 GPA will require 1020 SAT). However, the combined ACT score has stayed the same (i.e. 2.0 GPA will require 86 combined score).

The final change for students to be eligible as full qualifiers is that 10 of their 16 core courses must be completed and “locked in” by the start of their senior year. In the present format, students can use any of their approved classes for eligibility purposes until high school graduation.

For those who do not know, the core GPA is calculated from 16 approved courses throughout a student’s high school career. Not every course a student takes will be approved by the NCAA; therefore it cannot be used in the core GPA calculation. Courses that must be used for the core GPA are 4 years of English, 3 years of mathematics, 2 years of science (1 year with lab), 1 year additional English, mathematics, or science, 2 years of social science, and four years of additional approved courses (i.e. foreign language, social sciences, philosophy etc.). Once a core GPA is established a student must have at least the minimum SAT/ACT score associated with that GPA. Sliding scales can be found online, or by visiting the NCAA eligibility website at www.eligibilitycenter.org .

Once again, these new eligibility standards will not go into effect until August 1^st of 2015, which are current high school sophomores. As always, if you have any questions about NCAA eligibility please do not hesitate to contact your counselor to make sure you are on track to being eligible!

-Joseph D. Korfmacher, MA