Ursinus College: Your Next Best Step

URSINUS COLLEGE YOUR BEST NEXT STEP

IF YOU ARE CURIOUS AND AMBITIOUS, WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU. What the world needs

If you want to grow academically, professionally and personally, you want to take a serious look at Ursinus. Applying to Ursinus is your best next step toward gaining the kind of holistic education the world demands— and a career path that will include jobs that don’t yet exist. Think about that possibility! Innovation, critical and independent thought, communication, and cross-cultural exchange will help you along that path: In a survey by the Association of American Colleges and Universities, 80% of employers agreed that, regardless of major, every college student should acquire broad knowledge in the liberal arts and sciences. We have you covered there. But in addition to the breadth of your education, you can also expect a deep dive into your major field of study. (Or “fields”—we even have triple majors.) Increasing globalization and rapid technological advances require an agile mind and the ability to drive change. Your long-term success, both professional and personal, is underpinned by liberal learning, training in asking the right questions and allowing for multiple solutions, and the ability to approach issues from a variety of perspectives.

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SOME TAKE THE EASY PATH. WE EMBRACE THE RIGOROUS ROAD. What we offer

We are the school that takes the best and right way forward, not necessarily the most convenient. We see the status quo and think, “Yeah, we can do better! Just give me a shot.” We admitted our first female student in 1880, before coed colleges were the norm. We were home to a coinventor of the first digital computer long before everyone began carrying comput—er, smartphones—in their pockets. J.D. Salinger, a counterculture writer whose brilliance was ahead of his time, chose to study here and later sent a family friend to Collegeville, too. Our students come from all corners of the country—a trend that took shape at the time of WWII and has not waned since. On the other side of mid-century, we demonstrated, proudly, that our academically balanced and highly interdisciplinary curriculum was an asset just when ethical decision-making and critical thinking were transforming our view of the “real world.” We have always been a college reflective of society’s evolution. We have always strived toward not only achievement and scholarship, but also meaning, purpose, and fulfillment.

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SEARCHING FOR THAT “NEXT LEVEL” COLLEGE? YOU’VE FOUND IT. Why a lifetime of learning starts now

How can a 146-year-old school be so far ahead of its time? Because we educate, mentor, guide, and challenge our students to excel in tomorrow’s marketplace of ideas. Industries worldwide are vocal about what kinds of employees are the MVPs of their organizations. The MVPs are not the ones performing the status quo. They are the ones who think for themselves, take chances, show high levels of empathy and cross-cultural understanding, and act on curiosity and creativity. We nurture those attributes in our students by establishing a safe, diverse, supportive and rigorous environment in which they can grow. We invest in liberal arts skills that prepare students to lead in tomorrow’s economy. How they define success is ultimately up to them, but we can guarantee our graduates are strongly positioned, more motivated, highly creative and ready to lead.

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WITH A 90% RETENTION RATE, WE DO LIBERAL EDUCATION RIGHT. First-year experience

Ursinus’s distinctive first-year experience is a distillation of what your four years will be. You will be supported by a first-year advisor from the moment you enroll. You will share your experiences, concerns and successes with your peers in first-year residence hall clustering. You will connect with each other and with the world on your own Ursinus laptop. You will take our signature Common Intellectual Experience (CIE) course—renowned across the country as the model of first-year programming—and learn how to debate life-shaping questions such as “What does it mean to be human?” and “How should we live our lives?” Ursinus’s first-year experience is not just about preparing you for college. It’s about laying the foundation for exponential growth throughout your four years with us and well beyond graduation.

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IF YOU’RE NOT “ALL IN,” APPLY ANYWHERE BUT HERE. High-impact learning

If you want to be an active agent in your undergraduate education and highly engaged in your learning, welcome to the family. 100% of Ursinus students participate in an independent project—we call it the Independent Learning Experience (ILE)—as upperclassmen under the guidance of faculty members. When you are ready, you will have the opportunity to test your ideas in the world through an independent research project, creative project, study abroad experience, internship or student teaching. Most students complete more than one. When you embark on your ILE, you will be challenged to put your Ursinus education to the test in venues beyond our campus. The result will not only be a higher level of confidence in your abilities and a more sophisticated understanding of your work, but also a deeper sense of how what you do here at Ursinus will serve you in the future beyond the walls of our classrooms.

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YOU HAVE YOUR OWN STORY. OWN IT. BE PROUD. AND TELL IT TO THE WORLD.

Our community

Want to be successful in a world that is networked unlike ever before?

Where technology allows leaders to operate on all kinds of global stages?

Where cultural divides are becoming more nuanced? If you want to succeed, it is imperative that you think broadly and understand the bigger picture. The benefits of a personalized, interdisciplinary education rich with opportunities for hands-on, high-impact learning are enhanced when people really get to know each other. At Ursinus, we value one another and appreciate our different life paths, and we study, work and serve in communities around the world. On average, our student body has represented 35 states and 12 countries over the past decade. This year’s incoming class represents 23 states and 16 countries, and come from widely varying social economic, cultural and philosophical backgrounds.

Nearly one-fifth of our student body self-identifies as students of color.

We are an institution where difference finds a home—and where what we’ve known as “home” comes to be seen in a global light.

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IF YOU’RE UP FOR OUR CHALLENGE, BE BOLD. TELL US WHY.

Apply today

Applying to Ursinus is free and easy. When you apply to Ursinus, your best next step—for you and for the demands of the world—is that much closer to happening. We are excited to hear from you, and cannot wait to get to know you.

Application Checklist You can apply using the Common Application (only) beginning on August 1 of your senior year.

Application Deadlines • November 1 (Early Action 1) • January 1 (Early Action 2) • February 1 (Early Decision, binding) • February 1 (Regular Decision) In order for your application to be complete, we require the following: • Complete Common Application • Recent analytic paper from an academic subject • Official and complete high school transcripts • Recommendation from school counselor • An interview is encouraged when possible For more information about applying, visit ursinus.edu/admission.

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601 E. Main Street, Collegeville, PA 19426-1000 ursinus.edu