I visited four Catholic colleges in April in the Scranton / Wilkes-Barre vicinity: Marywood University, King’s College, Misericordia University, and the University of Scranton. Students at all four seemed friendly and steeped in community service. Each school had features that would appeal to different kinds of students.
Marywood University which has about 2000 undergraduates has some unusual features including:
– Academics
o Believe in practical, hands-on experiences
o Aviation program
o Information Security program
o Five year Bachelor’s to Master’s programs in accounting, biotechnology, communication arts, criminal justice, education, financial information systems, health services administration, physician assistant, speech-language pathology, architecture (6-years)
o Gateway Program for students accepted with lower GPAs and test scores including remedial work and extra advising
· – Facilities
o A unique LEED Gold Certified Center for Architectural Studies which was special and which I feel has a positive impact on the architecture studies
o Suite style living with two bedrooms sharing a bathroom in the freshman residence hall.
o Is an 115-acre national arboretum.
Marywood is in a suburban setting with a free bus to downtown Scranton. Popular majors are:
- 22% Health Professions
- 12% Business
- 12% Visual Arts
- 11% Education and
- 7% Architecture.
Traditions include Christmas tree lighting, bonfires, and the flapjack festival. There are over 60 student clubs and 20 NCAA Division III teams. Here were some of the upcoming events while I was visiting.
The school has rolling admission and looks for an SAT score of 900 or higher for Critical Reading and Math. The SAT scores for certain majors (e.g., Education, Speech Pathology, Nursing, pre-Physician Assistant and Architecture) are a little bit higher. A portfolio is required for entrance to the art programs, but not to the architecture program.
What is your experience with Marywood University?