Shattering a number of long-lived myths is one of the goals of this year’s Virginia Private College Week, which will be observed at Bridgewater College July 29-Aug. 3.
The program, which was launched in 1997, is sponsored by the Council of Independent Colleges in Virginia (CICV), to promote educational opportunities available at the commonwealth’s private colleges.
Bridgewater will host two information sessions daily for prospective students and their families. The sessions, heldMonday through Friday at 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. in the Boitnott Room of the Kline Campus Center, will include campus tours, financial aid and admissions workshops and curriculum/program overviews. On Aug. 3 there will be a 9 a.m.session only. Ample parking is available behind the Kline Campus Center at 410 E. College Street.
Each prospective student who visits at least three of the 25 participating CICV institutions will receive three application-fee waivers for Virginia private colleges.
The sessions at Bridgewater will also tackle some of the common myths about the cost of a private college education. These include:
Myth: Private colleges cost significantly more than public colleges.
Fact: The difference is far less than many families assume, thanks to significant institutional, merit and need-based grants and the Tuition Assistance Grant (VTAG).
Myth: Private liberal arts colleges won’t prepare students for a job.
Fact: Students at Virginia private colleges learn to think critically, analytically and creatively, and to communicate well.
Myth: Only low income or extremely smart students receive financial aid.
Fact: Many non-need or merit-based institutional grants and aid packages are available.
Myth: Liberal arts colleges do not have good science programs.
Fact: Private colleges offer smaller class sizes allowing for more hands-on learning. In addition, students are provided the opportunity to assist faculty with research projects.
“An education is an investment in a student’s future,” said Jarret L. Smith, director of admissions at Bridgewater. “You want investments with a high return, and an education from a Virginia private college can be that.”
To register for a session at Bridgewater, call (540) 828-5375, or register online at www.bridgewater.edu/
The CICV was founded in 1971 to promote the interests of nonprofit, independent higher education in Virginia and was instrumental in starting the state’s Tuition Assistance Grant (TAG) program.
Bridgewater College is a private, four-year liberal arts college located in the Central Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Founded in 1880, it was the state’s first private, coeducational college. Today, Bridgewater College is home to nearly 1,800 undergraduate students.
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