Mills College, a small Oakland college for women and gender non-binary students, delivers a top-quality liberal arts education to its just 700 undergraduates at a great price; the school recently reduced its tuition for new and continuing undergraduate students by 36%. This school provides a cooperative learning environment, and even lecture-based classes have opportunities for engagement and discussion. The colleges small size gives students the advantage of getting to connect with professors who encourage us to speak our minds to advocate for ourselves; students know that someone is listening to what we have to say. This is truly a hidden gem, and the support from fellow peers and strong academics are constantly underestimated by those who havent experienced Mills.
The professors at Mills are so passionate for their material; they know what theyre doing and they do it very right. They are able to connect students to mentors or other faculty that could help you on your journey to fellowships, internships, or even job opportunities. The faculty always have research opportunities that are open for students to join in and help with, and constantly encourage students to step out of [their] comfort zone in order to critically think and problem solve. If extra help is needed, professors are very accessible and creative, and make learning in the classroom interesting and understandable while still making the course subject matter challenging. They actually care about you, and will call you by your first name and remember you had a job interview the week before.
nvandyke@mills.edu