William Jewell College (Jewell)

The minute students step onto campus at William Jewell, they are welcomed into an "amazing community" replete with "top-notch academics." As one senior gushes, "Everyone on campus makes you feel at home and the faculty and staff are some of the most genuine people you will ever meet." Moreover, as a small liberal arts college, William Jewell "provides a superb education" that many undergrads here feel is "unmatched in the Midwest." After all, the college endeavors to transform undergrads into "critical thinkers" who are bound to achieve "success and find [their] passion." This is no doubt due in large part to the fact that "William Jewell provides a well-rounded education for its students and challenges them to step outside of their own perspectives." Though the college has many fantastic majors from which to choose, undergrads are especially quick to highlight "the strong science and pre-med program" along with the "well established" non-profit program. The nursing program also has a "great reputation." On the whole, undergrads speak very highly of their "amazingly dedicated" professors. Impressively, teachers here tend to be "great lecturers...who [also] excel in discussion formatted classes." Another senior adds, "The professors at William Jewell are very personable and willing to go the extra step to build a connection with each and every student. They are always finding the best way to reach out to their students and provide each student with the best chance of success." Overall, William Jewell offers a "rigorous set of programs that push you to the limits of your ability."

Undergrads at William Jewell are a "laid back but focused" lot. Indeed, students are quick to define their peers as "driven" and "intelligent" people who are "committed to their education and community." Of course, some see the typical Jewell student as "a white, Protestant, upper-middle class, girl who loves Pinterest." Although a junior cautions that, "the population isn't as diverse as other schools I have been to," he also counters that, "everyone is pretty open and accepting of just about anyone." Fortunately, many find that "students fit in very easily." Overall, "no one really is ever left out of anything as long as they're putting the effort in to have friends and be a part of an organization as well as the Jewell community as a whole." Another junior adds that, "While most [undergrads] attend college straight out of high school, there is a growing number of non-traditional students especially in the nursing program." Finally, as one satisfied political science student succinctly states, "We have a high retention rate, which tells me that students fit in well."

Students here agree that "life at Jewell is a busy one." As one knowledgeable senior happily shares, "There are always campus activities going on whether that be sporting events or resident hall gatherings or even the occasional fraternity/sorority party." A junior specifies, "Student organizations often sponsor events like CU-At-the-Movies, Skate Night, [and] Bowling Night where we get discounted prices to go out and have fun. Additionally, "a number of students...are active in Greek life." Fortunately, we're assured that there's no pressure to join, and independent students still feel included. There are plenty of other enticing activities, like the "Harriman-Jewell series, [which] offers free tickets to students, and brings world-class arts and culture such as pianists (Emanuel Ax) and dance (Mark Morris Dance Group) to Kansas City." Speaking of KC, William Jewell is only a "twentyminute drive away" from the heart of the city. As another senior brags, "Once downtown, you can do just about anything. There is the Power & Light District with the T-Mobile Center, the Kaufman Center and just a few miles south you get into Westport where you can find numerous college/young adult students at any given time."