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Ohio’s Consortium of Liberal Arts Colleges

Ohio Wesleyan University

Ohio is home to five of the finest liberal arts colleges in the country. Collectively, they form the Five Colleges of Ohio, a consortium of Ohio liberal arts colleges that includes Denison University, Kenyon College, Oberlin College and Conservatory, Ohio Wesleyan University, and the College of Wooster.

In their purest forms, liberal arts colleges only offer majors in the Arts, Sciences, Humanities ( Languages, Philosophy, Religion, History, etc.) and the Social Sciences (Psychology, Sociology, Political Science, Economics, etc.). What they don’t typically offer are professional majors such as Engineering, Education, Nursing, Sport Management, Criminal Justice, Business Administration, Fashion Merchandising, Public Relations, and the like.

These Ohio colleges are small, selective, undergraduate-focused, relatively expensive, teaching institutions with a broad reach, often recruiting students well beyond Ohio’s borders. They value an interdisciplinary approach to education so encourage students to add a minor or two…or perhaps a second major to their plan of study. They work hard to develop their student’s critical thinking and communication skills. They also work to prepare their students for graduate school with well over half migrating to graduate study upon completion of their course of study.

I only occasionally recommend that clients visit one or more of these exceptional institutions due to some combination of their narrow focus on the liberal arts, selectivity, culture, and/or cost. Although, for some students they are a perfect fit.

In the posts to follow, we will revisit these Ohio jewels…one at a time. Join us for the ride.

About the Author: After touring 60 of the best colleges in Ohio and exploring the myriad of majors, minors, certificates, and workforce development programs in the state, Dr. Jay, a prior faculty member and dean, founded College Bound Advantage (CBA) – a Columbus, Ohio college consulting firm. CBA specializes in helping families optimize college selection around 18 “fit factors” and helping students clarify co-curricular and major options while exploring colleges that specialize in them.  CBA also specializes in helping students who want to explore non-traditional educational options that do not require a 4-year college degree. Finally, CBA works with students who started college, but found that, for any number of reasons, it was not for them. College Bound Advantage serves all of Ohio including Cleveland, Akron, and Cincinnati metro areas. Check us out at www.collegeboundadvantage.com or check out what we can do for you here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6SSjHp8n98