Stonehill College

Founded in 1948, Stonehill College is located an hour's drive south of Boston and prides itself on a fresh approach to the intersection of education and faith. Offering programs that span everything from Arts to Business to STEM, the Roman Catholic Liberal Arts school is known for its "strong academics" and tailored approach to education. Students have the opportunity to complete an independent major or minor "where you can create your own degree from scratch," as well as participate in IDEAS (Integrating Democratic Education at Stonehill). This "experience central and only available at Stonehill" is "a program through which students can apply to design their own 1-credit, multimodal, discussion-based courses, and then teach them to their peers." Indeed, Stonehill's "academics are challenging but those who work hard are successful," and the institution is known for "helping students reach their full potential academically and guiding [them] toward what [they] might want in [their] future."

When it comes to the professors, students "cannot speak highly enough about the faculty," with many seeing the academic instruction as "the most compelling strength at Stonehill." Professors are "passionate about their subject matter" and "make learning interesting and engaging," which helps to "transfer that passion to their students." Some undergrads note the use of adjunct professors for smaller majors, with one student expressing, "As an education major, I have only had two professors over the course of three years that have been full time." In spite of this, students report building strong relationships with faculty members, using these connections "as a resource as well as a way to make learning better and more meaningful." As one enrollee puts it, "I feel like I have learned the most in my entire life in my four years at Stonehill."

"The students on campus are by far the friendliest, most welcoming, kind, and caring people I know," says one enrollee. Many agree, describing their peers as "respectful of each other" and the thing that "truly [makes] Stonehill a great place to be." United in their values, the student body is "built on a structure of community rather than looking out for yourself." Just walking around, you're "constantly seeing friendly faces around the close-knit campus," and it's clear that people are "have a sense of curiosity that sets them apart." While some report that "the school significantly lacks diversity," others feel that the community is "heading in a more diverse direction." Regardless of your background, rest assured that "a large portion of the student body...works to foster inclusive environments."

Outside of the classroom, students love "enjoy[ing] the beautiful campus." Staying active is a priority, with "a lot of athletes that dominant most of the social life on campus." Many undergrads devote time to working out at the gym, and "a majority of people are involved" with a team. "The intramural sports and club sports are also awesome to play in," one student notes. For those who prefer less formal activity, "many go to socialize and play catch on the quad" when the weather is nice.

But there's more to Stonehill activities beyond athletics. Undergrads can choose from a "wide variety of clubs and societies to join." Clubs like the school newspaper are "wonderful and very informative" and groups like "physics and engineering club [do] a lot of really fun events like building solar panels from scratch." There are also "a lot of programs out of the Office of Student Engagement, so there is always something to do on weekends and weekdays!" Word is, their "food truck days on the quad with corn hole and other cookout games are awesome." In general, people love "just walking around campus" or "hanging out with friends outside." By the time the weekend rolls around, "if partying is your thing, then there's definitely a party culture on campus." If not, there's always a group that's down to "go off campus for food" or and "go for hikes on the weekends."