Moravian University (Moravian)

Moravian University's holistic undergraduate experience (named Elevate) is designed with one goal in mind: ensuring that "students feel empowered to learn." This comes through a wide "variety of resources and support for anything that they may need," like getting a MacBook Pro and iPad upon enrollment and having the free opportunity to study abroad with faculty. Resources like Student Opportunities for Academic Research (SOAR) help connect students with undergraduate research under a faculty mentor. Academic and mental support can be found at the counseling center, writing center, or in Peer-Assisted Study Sessions, in which "each class has an assigned student mentor who has taken the class or knows the material [and] can tutor students, hold group study sessions, or even work on study habits for the material." The school also brings in "a lot of guest speakers and hands-on activities that occur outside of just lectures," such as "visiting local museums that have importance to the history of the Moravians and to the city of Bethlehem" for a public history class.

"Small class sizes allow you to get to know your professors well," and many are discussionbased, which "encourages you to think and relate the material to life outside of the class, reminding you that you are not just a student, but you are an individual with your own ideas, goals, and perspective." For those more traditional classes, professors "utilized reallife examples in their lectures." Faculty are also "very supportive, and always offer time to help provide more resources for all students, especially those who are struggling," as well as being "very helpful when it comes to eligibility and making up work/exams." A student says: "If you make an effort to talk to your teacher, they will always be willing to help you out."

This "tight-knit community [is] filled with highly motivated, outgoing, and passionate students" who are "a mix of local students and students from further away, as well as from many races, ethnicities, faiths, and backgrounds." People here "support and value one another, [and] you can feel the friendly atmosphere whenever you step on campus." Since Moravian is a smaller school, "you see the same faces when walking around campus, which breeds familiarity and a sense of belonging." While "a lot of students are involved in sports...all have different experiences to talk about and what they have learned from playing those sports," and social groups tend to arise from "sports, [dormitory] floors, and relationships build outside of college." Community service is also popular among this group who have "high emotional intelligence and strive to be great citizens." One student describes their spring break staycation as an opportunity "stay on campus and serve the community all week." On the whole, "the student body at Moravian University is very welcoming and accommodating to ensure that everyone feels included" and everyone is "easy to talk to and presents themselves in a good manner throughout campus."

Moravian "has a lot of student committees that are very involved with the students on campus"; for example, the Moravian Activities Council (MAC) hosts regular events from crafts (making stuffed animals or potting plants) to activities like scavenger hunts, all of which "get students involved and give them something to look forward to on campus." Many here take part in sports, which means "there are lots of lifting and training sessions for the student-athletes each week, [and] students also play recreational sports on Makuvek Field or in the gymnasium." Spectating is also its own activity at this Division III school. Bethlehem, Pennsylvania "is a nice area with a low crime rate which makes it a great and safe city," and "Main Street is very close so it's nice to go there to take a break and shop/ get something to eat." Students find that there are "countless opportunities to get involved, grow, and take on leadership roles."