Tusculum College
Greenville, Tennessee
Tusculum College is the oldest institution of higher learning in Tennessee, having been founded in 1794. Located in Greenville, Tennessee, Tusculum provides a liberal arts curriculum in a Judeo-Christian and civic arts environment that emphasizes three core values: Integrity, Civic Responsibility, and Education.
Tusculum, like most liberal arts colleges of its size (about 1600 students) is able to give a lot of personalized attention to its students. With a student faculty ratio of 15:1 students will be in small classes that emphasize the development of both theory and practical skills. But you won’t find students talking about liberal arts here. They’ve decided to use the term Civic Arts at Tusculum and to go back to the definition that Cicero intended that to mean. At this school they are preparing students to be civic leaders, informed citizens, members of communities, and the world.
Their Core Curriculum reflects this understanding of the Civic Arts and is designed to engage students in the classroom, but also to foster their abilities to engage in their communities, to develop the skills to think critically, analytically, and who will work for the common good. Course requirements for the core curriculum include classes in Rhetoric and public speaking, Math (Stats or higher), Literature, Fine Arts, Natural Sciences, Wellness, Social Sciences, Behavioral Sciences, History, Religion, and Civics. All told it is 41 hours of curriculum. How is it possible to fit all this in? APs are one way of course. But there is another way as well which is what makes Tusculum unique.
Tusculum has a very unique calendar. Instead of being on semesters the way many colleges are, Tusculum is on a Focused Block system. You have two 8 week blocks per year in order to do very focused work, hands on research, work that meets your needs in the way you want it to. But then you have a regular 16 week term as well. Your schedule can shrink or grow in the way you need it to in order to make the most sense for your individual needs. With over 60 majors to choose from (business and marketing are top picks, but psychology/education and the sciences come in not too far behind), there’s plenty to study here and many options to choose from.
For those who would like something extra, Tusculum has an Honors Program. It’s a great one in that it comes with good perks including specialized seminars, priority registration, priority housing, travel abroad, honors internship, and a personalized mentorship opportunity for your honors thesis or portfolio. Nice!
There are also a series of community partnerships that Tusculum has with their surroundings. The Center for Community Advancement allows students to reach out to their surrounding communities, engage in community service, take advantage of the Bonner Leader Program, work with the Institute for Community Empowerment, and, through the Business School at Tusculum, get involved with the Center for Economic Development and Entrepreneurship. There is also a Civic Minor that students can get if they are interested in making this a path they’d like to follow in the future.
Service Learning is an important part of the environment at Tusculum. It’s actually a requirement as well as an extracurricular so it’s a good thing it’s a popular past time. There are over 30 different ways students can get involved in service at Tusculum and those who want to make it a large part of their time there can also do a capstone project in it as well. From working in the environment, to mission work, to tutoring students, to assisting the elderly, taking care of animals, or being creative, there are plenty of ways to make a difference at this school. Service abroad is even an option if you can’t find enough in the Greenville, Greene County area!
What is there to do there? Well get ready to be a Pioneer! Sports are DII and there is football (M), lacrosse, tennis, cross country, basketball, golf, and soccer (both), and volleyball (W). There are plenty of clubs to enjoy as well. The Pioneer Frontier is the student newspaper, Arts Outreach, College Democrats, or Community Chorus are all there to explore. Or try the Baptist Student Union, Fishing Club, Venturing Club, Psychology Club, or Pioneer Anime. The Open Door Society, the Pioneer Greene Team, Student Government, Tusculum Review, College Republicans, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, or Students of Museum and Students of History (SMASH) are all waiting for you.
So what’s it like to live there? Well, first off, first years may have a car. Dorms are pet friendly.
Dorms range from double and triple rooms to apartment style. Most have air conditioning or will be getting it. The dining hall is an all you can eat affair depending on your plan. There are some retail places including a coffee shop/snack place called Perk, a Starbucks, and Simply to Go which has all kinds of stuff, well, to go. Chik fil A is coming this July though, so they’re pretty happy about that.
Is Tusculum for you? This is a great place for people with unweighted GPAs in the the 3 range looking for a personalized education where they can be a big fish in a small pond. Alternatively, if you’re someone who has to work incredibly hard to stay above water in your honors/DE classes and want to be in an honors college with very specialized attention, this is also a good place for you. The bonus about Tusculum is that even though it’s private tuition, room, and board for the 2018-2019 school year is only $34,050-$34,750 (depending on room). That makes it close to the same price as William & Mary’s in state cost.
Pros:
Cons:
Greenville, Tennessee
Tusculum College is the oldest institution of higher learning in Tennessee, having been founded in 1794. Located in Greenville, Tennessee, Tusculum provides a liberal arts curriculum in a Judeo-Christian and civic arts environment that emphasizes three core values: Integrity, Civic Responsibility, and Education.
Tusculum, like most liberal arts colleges of its size (about 1600 students) is able to give a lot of personalized attention to its students. With a student faculty ratio of 15:1 students will be in small classes that emphasize the development of both theory and practical skills. But you won’t find students talking about liberal arts here. They’ve decided to use the term Civic Arts at Tusculum and to go back to the definition that Cicero intended that to mean. At this school they are preparing students to be civic leaders, informed citizens, members of communities, and the world.
Their Core Curriculum reflects this understanding of the Civic Arts and is designed to engage students in the classroom, but also to foster their abilities to engage in their communities, to develop the skills to think critically, analytically, and who will work for the common good. Course requirements for the core curriculum include classes in Rhetoric and public speaking, Math (Stats or higher), Literature, Fine Arts, Natural Sciences, Wellness, Social Sciences, Behavioral Sciences, History, Religion, and Civics. All told it is 41 hours of curriculum. How is it possible to fit all this in? APs are one way of course. But there is another way as well which is what makes Tusculum unique.
Tusculum has a very unique calendar. Instead of being on semesters the way many colleges are, Tusculum is on a Focused Block system. You have two 8 week blocks per year in order to do very focused work, hands on research, work that meets your needs in the way you want it to. But then you have a regular 16 week term as well. Your schedule can shrink or grow in the way you need it to in order to make the most sense for your individual needs. With over 60 majors to choose from (business and marketing are top picks, but psychology/education and the sciences come in not too far behind), there’s plenty to study here and many options to choose from.
For those who would like something extra, Tusculum has an Honors Program. It’s a great one in that it comes with good perks including specialized seminars, priority registration, priority housing, travel abroad, honors internship, and a personalized mentorship opportunity for your honors thesis or portfolio. Nice!
There are also a series of community partnerships that Tusculum has with their surroundings. The Center for Community Advancement allows students to reach out to their surrounding communities, engage in community service, take advantage of the Bonner Leader Program, work with the Institute for Community Empowerment, and, through the Business School at Tusculum, get involved with the Center for Economic Development and Entrepreneurship. There is also a Civic Minor that students can get if they are interested in making this a path they’d like to follow in the future.
Service Learning is an important part of the environment at Tusculum. It’s actually a requirement as well as an extracurricular so it’s a good thing it’s a popular past time. There are over 30 different ways students can get involved in service at Tusculum and those who want to make it a large part of their time there can also do a capstone project in it as well. From working in the environment, to mission work, to tutoring students, to assisting the elderly, taking care of animals, or being creative, there are plenty of ways to make a difference at this school. Service abroad is even an option if you can’t find enough in the Greenville, Greene County area!
What is there to do there? Well get ready to be a Pioneer! Sports are DII and there is football (M), lacrosse, tennis, cross country, basketball, golf, and soccer (both), and volleyball (W). There are plenty of clubs to enjoy as well. The Pioneer Frontier is the student newspaper, Arts Outreach, College Democrats, or Community Chorus are all there to explore. Or try the Baptist Student Union, Fishing Club, Venturing Club, Psychology Club, or Pioneer Anime. The Open Door Society, the Pioneer Greene Team, Student Government, Tusculum Review, College Republicans, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, or Students of Museum and Students of History (SMASH) are all waiting for you.
So what’s it like to live there? Well, first off, first years may have a car. Dorms are pet friendly.
Dorms range from double and triple rooms to apartment style. Most have air conditioning or will be getting it. The dining hall is an all you can eat affair depending on your plan. There are some retail places including a coffee shop/snack place called Perk, a Starbucks, and Simply to Go which has all kinds of stuff, well, to go. Chik fil A is coming this July though, so they’re pretty happy about that.
Is Tusculum for you? This is a great place for people with unweighted GPAs in the the 3 range looking for a personalized education where they can be a big fish in a small pond. Alternatively, if you’re someone who has to work incredibly hard to stay above water in your honors/DE classes and want to be in an honors college with very specialized attention, this is also a good place for you. The bonus about Tusculum is that even though it’s private tuition, room, and board for the 2018-2019 school year is only $34,050-$34,750 (depending on room). That makes it close to the same price as William & Mary’s in state cost.
Pros:
- Reasonably priced
- Honors College perks
- Cool Focused Block Calendar
- Civic Arts and Service Learning
Cons:
- No Greek Life for those who want that part of college
- Small is not for everyone
- Not terribly selective for those who need that bragging bit
- Core Curriculum is not for everyone