Mas Midwest College Tour: My Take

By Matthew Leon

The Mas Program recently had students on a trip to the Midwest region of the US, to see colleges across the country. This was a great opportunity for prospective students to figure out where they want to apply to college in the near future. This article will show the good and bad aspects of each college visited (in my opinion), with student input included.

Northwestern University

• Campus

  • Northwestern University is located in Evanston, a college town a bit north of Chicago. The Campus is very nice– the buildings look brand new, and there is a lot of greenery as you walk through. The best part about this campus is that it is located on Lake Michigan, which gives you that amazing view of the water.

    

    One of the main buildings near the entrance to the Northwestern Campus, taken by Matthew Leon '28

    
    

• Academics

  • Northwestern has a Quarter system, with 3 regular quarters and one summer term. This allows students to take more classes than other colleges that use semesters because they take more classes in a shorter amount of time. A ranking from usnews.com shows Northwestern as the 6th best academically performing national university.

Loyola University Chicago

• Campus

  • Loyola’s Chicago Campuses consist of a few locations; the standard Lake Shore Campus (located on Lake Michigan) and the Water Tower Campus which is on one of Chicago’s main streets. The one we visited was the Lake Shore campus, which was very nice and welcoming. I didn’t love how the Campus was integrated with the city of Chicago; if you walked far enough it was hard to tell whether you were still on campus or not. Loyola is also a Catholic University and they have a very nice Church on Campus. Overall, a nice campus with newer buildings and a lot of greenery and study space.

    

Green space near a main Library, taken by Matthew Leon '28

• Academics

  • Loyola Chicago offers a Jesuit-valued education, and it is mainly known for its nursing and law programs. The school uses the standard semester system seen in most colleges. The average student-to-teacher ratio is 15:1, which shows a more personalized classroom system. Overall, Loyola seems like a great school academically. Loyola has around a 79% acceptance rate, and was ranked as the #132 academic school by usnews.com.

University of Chicago

• Campus

  • The University of Chicago has one of the best campus settings I’ve ever seen. The Campus is not only a registered botanical garden but also gives the feeling of separation from the bustle of Chicago life. When you’re on campus, it feels like a whole new city. There is a lot of green space and nature flooding throughout the campus, and a lot of study space, chairs and buildings you can use. The buildings all look amazing, mostly covered in Ivy and plants. They also have some of the biggest libraries I’ve ever seen, like the Joe and Rika Mansueto Library. Overall, this is one of the best campuses to be at.

    

One of the main Arch Entrances to a part of the UChicago campus, taken by Matthew Leon '28

• Academics

  • Like Northwestern, the University of Chicago uses a quarter system, with three main quarters and an additional summer quarter (optional). UChicago is a very selective University with around a 5% acceptance rate, but for good reason. There are a vast amount of scholarships available to any student. The University is known for its rigorous and tough curriculum, and they are a Liberal Arts School; this means they want to make well-rounded students, so they have course requirements that get the job done. Overall, UChicago has the academic prowess of an Ivy League school, which is why they are so selective. 

  
  

University of Notre Dame

• Campus

  • Notre Dame had one of the nicest campuses on the tour in my opinion. There was a lot of green space and room to walk around or relax. It was very open and we were able to see students commuting to class. The buildings were all very nice, especially the Golden Dome which sits on one of the campus's main buildings. A gold statue of Mary sits on top of the dome, showing the faith aspect of the school. There is a cathedral on campus and a lot of ways to live a faithful life outside of class. We were able to see dorms, and each dorm on campus has a Chapel inside, where mass is celebrated frequently. Overall, Notre Dame has a very impressive campus and is a very nice place to be at.

"Notre Dame felt like a fit to me because I just love it there. I love the weather, I love the cold, and I like how it's religious and it's not too big;" says Gianmarco Diaz '28 when asked which school was his best fit.

A view of the Golden Dome from far, taken by Matthew Leon '28

• Academics

  • Notre Dame is a Catholic University and has many faith-based learning opportunities, including required theology classes as an undergrad student. The school is also known for its Economics and Law courses, which many students take, and has high academic standards. Notre Dame had a 12.9% acceptance rate in 2022, which makes it pretty difficult to get into. It is a medium-sized University, with around 13,000 enrolled students.

Purdue University

• Campus

  • Purdue has one of the largest campuses on the tour. We were only able to see parts of it, despite walking for large periods of time. The campus is 2,468 acres, or 3.85 square miles, which makes it hard to travel around without a vehicle. I also found the campus to be a bit gloomy and dark compared to others, and mostly just had brick buildings with no color. The middle part of the campus was pretty nice, with a more lively feel and some newer buildings. Some newer buildings looked nice, but overall not one of the better campuses we passed through in my opinion.

Arch named "Gateway to the Future," the entrance into the main part of campus, taken by Matthew Leon '28

• Academics

  • Purdue is primarily known for its prestigious engineering school, consistently earning top marks in rankings of its academics and innovation. It has a unique Aerospace engineering program, because of which 27 astronauts have been selected out of the school. Purdue also has a good Business Management program, and has a wide range of more majors to select, despite its main focus being on engineering. Purdue has a 52.7% acceptance rate, making it one of the easier schools to get into.

    
    

Indiana University

• Campus

  • Indiana had a very large campus, but it was maintained as an even more lively place than some of the smaller ones. There is a lot of green area on campus, especially in one of the main areas we visited, nearby the Kelley School of Business. The campus has a lot of areas to study and hang out, and the amount of nature makes it not feel like too much walking/biking to get around. On the tour, we also passed by some training/athletics areas for students, and there were specific buildings for these activities- one building we entered had 10 full basketball courts. All in all, Indiana has a very nice and large campus, and it looks like a great place to study.

The Kelley School of Business viewed from the outside, taken by Matthew Leon '28

• Academics

  • Indiana uses a standard semester system, with two semesters and one optional summer term. Indiana University is primarily known for its highly ranked Business School, the Kelley School of Business. Besides that, they also have a high level music program and language programs that have over 80 languages. The school has nearly 42,000 students enrolled this year at the Bloomington campus. Indiana University is ranked #73 overall, and #9 in Business Programs by usnews.com. Indiana's acceptance rate is around 80%, but the Kelley Business School rate is around 38%.

The Ohio State University

• Campus

  • Ohio State has a large campus, a bit smaller than other schools like Indiana and Purdue. The campus doesn't have an abundance of green areas and nature, but its buildings are mostly very nice and make the campus look great. One thing that we noticed was that it is very hard to find a single "M" on campus that isn't crossed out or covered with tape, which symbolizes the school's rivalry with Michigan. Also, the Football Stadium is very visible on campus, showing the school's close connection with students and the sports teams. There are many houses around the outskirts of campus, some belonging to fraternities and groups from campus; there are also restaurants and stores in the area, as the main campus is in the large city of Columbus.

The Ohio Union Building on the outskirts of the Ohio State campus, taken by Matthew Leon '28

• Academics

  • One of the largest factors that students consider when applying to Ohio State is the Morrill Scholars Program, which offers large scholarships, opportunities and experience in your possible career options. It is given to high-achieving students and leaders. Ohio State has one of the highest-ranked Business schools in the Fisher School, along with its top-notch Engineering Program. In addition, Ohio State offers top-tier programs in Sports Management, especially due to the school's all-around success in athletics. OSU is ranked as the #41 National University by usnews.com, and has an acceptance rate of around 53% (2022).

University of Michigan

• Campus

  • University of Michigan has a large campus, spanning around 3,000 acres. Michigan's campus was very similar to Ohio State's, which had many buildings and a solid amount of nature. The weather wasn't good when we were there, but it gave off a good vibe. The buildings were very nice and some looked very fancy. We were able to see the inside of the Law School Library, and it was very elegant and neat inside. The campus was also home to a lot of superstition, like not stepping on the seal or walking in certain places.

Inside the University of Michigan Law School Library, taken by Matthew Leon '28

• Academics

  • Michigan is overall one of the higher ranked non-Ivy League schools. It is home to one of the top dental programs in the world. Michigan also has a successful Business program in the Ross School of Business, along with their top engineering programs and a successful finance school. Michigan uses the standard quarter system, with two regular semesters and one optional summer term. The University of Michigan has around an 18% acceptance rate, and is near the top in most academic programs.

"I'm leaning towards business for my major, and I really liked Michigan's Ross School of Business because I liked the vibe of the school and the program's curriculum." says Lucas Kinkle '27 when asked what school would be best for his major.

My Final Personal Rankings

1. Notre Dame

2. University of Chicago

3. Indiana University

4. The Ohio State University

5. University of Michigan

6. Northwestern University

7. Loyola University Chicago

8. Purdue University