This Week’s College: Berea College, Berea, Kentucky
Nestled in the Appalachian Mountains of Kentucky and home to a large number of arts and crafts festivals, Berea Kentucky is a destination for many looking for the beauty of nature and an escape from the city. But it’s also home to an unusual college, Berea who boast (truthfully!) that their students graduate with some of the lowest debt in the nation. This may be due to the fact that they do not charge tuition. Yes, that’s right. Every student admitted to Berea receives a Tuition Promise Scholarship, which for most students amounts to about $100,000 over four years. Just let that sink in a second.
Berea is a school whose goal it is to nurture college students and provide an excellent education at a value price. They believe in the goal of educating students who are first generation college students, who have financial hardship, who have not always performed up to their potential in school, or who have had disruptions in their high school careers. Classes are small, (few are more than 17) so that a sense of community can be developed between professors and students and so that professors can mentor those who study with them.
Founded by radical abolitionists in 1855, Berea is devoted to the idea that equality and value in human life are essential. To that end, they promote a variety of values based on these ideas including fostering social justice for African American, women and people from Appalachia, and as they state in their Preamble: We will not ignore our differences, but rather seek to understand each other honestly and respectfully, and together create a climate where anyone can openly discuss what they believe without fear of sanction. To that end, all persons who are willing to share in the spirit and the work of the Great Commitments as shaped by its preamble are welcome to study, to teach, and to work at Berea College.”
The concept of studying, teaching, and working are central to how Berea is able to offer so much of their program free of charge. At Berea, all students work to provide the labor needed to make the college campus function. Not only do students learn the crucial “soft skills” needed to function in today’s society as they perform crucial duties around campus, but they are also learning the value and dignity of work done well, job skills, and can get credit for experiential learning as well. Most importantly they are also getting on the job training which they can take advantage of as a way to explore careers in the same way someone who gets internships might. But this is both more consistent, and more student-centered.
The third great tenet is service, which is a huge aspect of life at Berea. Students who attend Berea spend a lot of time giving back. They are mentors, big brothers/big sisters, tutors, Habitat for Humanity builders, or Hispanic Outreach volunteers. They are Bonner Scholars, a nationally recognized program of student leaders in service, academics, and financial need, and they are busy working to end hunger, win grants, work with the elderly and with teens. They believe a life of service will help bring others up and that when all people are raised up, society is improved.
Pros:
Nestled in the Appalachian Mountains of Kentucky and home to a large number of arts and crafts festivals, Berea Kentucky is a destination for many looking for the beauty of nature and an escape from the city. But it’s also home to an unusual college, Berea who boast (truthfully!) that their students graduate with some of the lowest debt in the nation. This may be due to the fact that they do not charge tuition. Yes, that’s right. Every student admitted to Berea receives a Tuition Promise Scholarship, which for most students amounts to about $100,000 over four years. Just let that sink in a second.
Berea is a school whose goal it is to nurture college students and provide an excellent education at a value price. They believe in the goal of educating students who are first generation college students, who have financial hardship, who have not always performed up to their potential in school, or who have had disruptions in their high school careers. Classes are small, (few are more than 17) so that a sense of community can be developed between professors and students and so that professors can mentor those who study with them.
Founded by radical abolitionists in 1855, Berea is devoted to the idea that equality and value in human life are essential. To that end, they promote a variety of values based on these ideas including fostering social justice for African American, women and people from Appalachia, and as they state in their Preamble: We will not ignore our differences, but rather seek to understand each other honestly and respectfully, and together create a climate where anyone can openly discuss what they believe without fear of sanction. To that end, all persons who are willing to share in the spirit and the work of the Great Commitments as shaped by its preamble are welcome to study, to teach, and to work at Berea College.”
The concept of studying, teaching, and working are central to how Berea is able to offer so much of their program free of charge. At Berea, all students work to provide the labor needed to make the college campus function. Not only do students learn the crucial “soft skills” needed to function in today’s society as they perform crucial duties around campus, but they are also learning the value and dignity of work done well, job skills, and can get credit for experiential learning as well. Most importantly they are also getting on the job training which they can take advantage of as a way to explore careers in the same way someone who gets internships might. But this is both more consistent, and more student-centered.
The third great tenet is service, which is a huge aspect of life at Berea. Students who attend Berea spend a lot of time giving back. They are mentors, big brothers/big sisters, tutors, Habitat for Humanity builders, or Hispanic Outreach volunteers. They are Bonner Scholars, a nationally recognized program of student leaders in service, academics, and financial need, and they are busy working to end hunger, win grants, work with the elderly and with teens. They believe a life of service will help bring others up and that when all people are raised up, society is improved.
Pros:
- It’s free. It really is.
- You will get to know your professors well
- There is amazing on the job training and chances for experiential learning
- It’s very career oriented and you will be well prepared for it
- You’ll work crazy hard
- It’s Christian but not hardcore
- People who come here are serious about college and learning
- There’s not a lot of partying on this campus. People are tired because they work hard.