This week: Prescott College, Prescott, Arizona
Set in the chaparrals and pines of small town Prescott, Arizona, Prescott College, was begun as a sort of “Harvard of the West.” Now there are a lot of colleges and universities which claim to be the “Harvards of” but Prescott may actually be in some ways much better than Harvard because their mission is completely different from Harvard’s. Prescott isn’t about stodgy dons, reading lists, ivy covered halls, or “pahking the cah” for that matter. Prescott’s mission is to educate a diverse group of students who will understand, thrive, and enhance the world community and environment. They advocate lifelong learning, provide an education that they hope will allow their graduates to balance self-fulfillment and and service to the community. Their curriculum emphasizes critical thinking skills which encourage ethical action towards society and the biosphere. And finally, what sets them apart from Harvard and most colleges, Prescott provides this education in a completely unique way: through experiential, hands on, project based learning which requires self-direction through an interdisciplinary curriculum.
Self-directed learning is what Prescott is all about. Like Colorado College, Prescott is on a block plan but it’s a little different. You can do three four week classes, two six week classes, or a traditional quarter of twelve weeks. There are three of these per school year. This all makes sense because students set their own learning here. Faculty work closely with students and determine your individual passions to help you discover what you want to do or be, how you want to serve your world, what impact you’d like to have, and how you plan to carry that out. With their help you will decide what you need to learn in order to do that. Then with a combination of classes on campus and a series of experiences you design for yourself with faculty guidance, your will complete your own individualized education.
Prescott prides itself on experiential learning, how it helps students discover their interests, and how it helps provide insight into who you are, and what you want to know next. It is their belief that doing allows you to put theory into practice while also allowing you to build resume skills as you learn. This is what these block classes are for. Pick up with your class and go to the Sea of Cortez to research marine life at their Kino Bay Center. Head to the US/Mexican border to interact with immigrants, activists, ranchers, and border control. Go to an art studio to learn to paint from a live subject. Spend the summer term in Kenya amongst the Masai. Work in the NASA-funded Sustainability and Global Change program there. Get a paid internship. All of this will also get you college credit.
And did I mention there are no grades? Well none unless you want them. Professors assess your work with authentic feedback the way you will get performance evaluations in the real world. Of course this takes more time. But it also means your professors know you extremely well, well enough to be able to assess your work and growth over time.
There are some unusual quirks about this place. People often transfer from somewhere else especially if they were unhappy where they were. And many come only for a year or two. They take a lot of nontraditional students (many people who go back to school after a few years in a career). It’s very small, just 458 students. There are almost no athletics (OK, there’s cycling and it’s huge there) and no Greek Life. Most of the clubs are about community service and politics (but there’s still dance etc.). But the housing is gorgeous!
So who goes to Prescott? It’s a place for people who want to save the environment, serve their communities, and learn through hands on, self directed-means. It’s also one of the top 5 schools for Native Americans to get their degrees. Students who go here are happy in the outdoors, but also happy learning. They know that despite all the hands on work, it’s not a vacation. It’s school.
Pros:
Cons:
Set in the chaparrals and pines of small town Prescott, Arizona, Prescott College, was begun as a sort of “Harvard of the West.” Now there are a lot of colleges and universities which claim to be the “Harvards of” but Prescott may actually be in some ways much better than Harvard because their mission is completely different from Harvard’s. Prescott isn’t about stodgy dons, reading lists, ivy covered halls, or “pahking the cah” for that matter. Prescott’s mission is to educate a diverse group of students who will understand, thrive, and enhance the world community and environment. They advocate lifelong learning, provide an education that they hope will allow their graduates to balance self-fulfillment and and service to the community. Their curriculum emphasizes critical thinking skills which encourage ethical action towards society and the biosphere. And finally, what sets them apart from Harvard and most colleges, Prescott provides this education in a completely unique way: through experiential, hands on, project based learning which requires self-direction through an interdisciplinary curriculum.
Self-directed learning is what Prescott is all about. Like Colorado College, Prescott is on a block plan but it’s a little different. You can do three four week classes, two six week classes, or a traditional quarter of twelve weeks. There are three of these per school year. This all makes sense because students set their own learning here. Faculty work closely with students and determine your individual passions to help you discover what you want to do or be, how you want to serve your world, what impact you’d like to have, and how you plan to carry that out. With their help you will decide what you need to learn in order to do that. Then with a combination of classes on campus and a series of experiences you design for yourself with faculty guidance, your will complete your own individualized education.
Prescott prides itself on experiential learning, how it helps students discover their interests, and how it helps provide insight into who you are, and what you want to know next. It is their belief that doing allows you to put theory into practice while also allowing you to build resume skills as you learn. This is what these block classes are for. Pick up with your class and go to the Sea of Cortez to research marine life at their Kino Bay Center. Head to the US/Mexican border to interact with immigrants, activists, ranchers, and border control. Go to an art studio to learn to paint from a live subject. Spend the summer term in Kenya amongst the Masai. Work in the NASA-funded Sustainability and Global Change program there. Get a paid internship. All of this will also get you college credit.
And did I mention there are no grades? Well none unless you want them. Professors assess your work with authentic feedback the way you will get performance evaluations in the real world. Of course this takes more time. But it also means your professors know you extremely well, well enough to be able to assess your work and growth over time.
There are some unusual quirks about this place. People often transfer from somewhere else especially if they were unhappy where they were. And many come only for a year or two. They take a lot of nontraditional students (many people who go back to school after a few years in a career). It’s very small, just 458 students. There are almost no athletics (OK, there’s cycling and it’s huge there) and no Greek Life. Most of the clubs are about community service and politics (but there’s still dance etc.). But the housing is gorgeous!
So who goes to Prescott? It’s a place for people who want to save the environment, serve their communities, and learn through hands on, self directed-means. It’s also one of the top 5 schools for Native Americans to get their degrees. Students who go here are happy in the outdoors, but also happy learning. They know that despite all the hands on work, it’s not a vacation. It’s school.
Pros:
- Amazing research opportunities
- Environmentalism and sustainability are clubs here: That’s what the school is about
- You can choose to follow your own course
- Experiential learning will leave you with a great resume
- Small school means meaningful connections with faculty and students
Cons:
- If you are not self-directed you will not succeed here
- It’s really small so you better like your professors and the other students
- Most 18 year olds lack the motivation to thrive in this environment because it can easily overwhelm them
- There’s no gorgeous campus full of neoclassical buildings
- Little in the way of extracurriculars