One of the Colleges that Change Lives, Lynchburg College has some interesting academic offerings for a liberal arts college: Criminology, Undergraduate Business, Athletic Training, Human Resource Management and Exercise Science are among the non-traditional disciplines in which students can immerse themselves here.
Lynchburg also has graduate degrees in business, nursing, education and a very strong Doctor of Physical Therapy program.
With about 2,200 undergraduate students, Lynchburg College offers a vibrant student life. Lynchburg’s active Greek system has 11 fraternities and sororities and a spring recruitment cycle, so freshman can adjust to life on campus before joining. About 25% of students go abroad; students on the panel I saw raved about their experiences studying abroad with professors. Over half of students participate in intramural or varsity sports and the athletic facilities are top-notch! And over half of students have an internship at some point in their Lynchburg career.
Lynchburg’s Honors program offers some perks: honors students get to arrive early and go on a retreat with other honors students, and they get top priority for class registration even over seniors (although class sizes are small here, average size is 15 and classes are capped at 60). Honors students do a thesis project in the fall of their senior year, and defend it in spring.
Lynchburg’s campus is mostly situated around a central quad, with red Adirondack chairs dotting the grass, encouraging outdoor conversation and interaction. About 75% of students live on campus, and those who don’t mostly live very close by in college-owned apartment housing.
Lynchburg definitely has the CTCL vibe: a small but strong and supportive student community and professors who invest deeply in student success. I asked my tour guide to chat with me briefly about her experience here; the video is below.
Admissions stats: Average GPA 3.2, average SAT score 1050 but they’re test-optional. Your personal essay and a teacher letter of recommendation are not required, but they’re strongly recommended. Evelyn visited in November, 2015. You can see all of her photos here.