Founded by the United Methodist Church in 1815, Allegheny College was ranked 85th among all liberal arts colleges in the United States by "U.S. News and World Report" in 2010. The school is in the small town of Meadville, 42 miles south of Erie and 90 miles north of Pittsburgh. Psychology, English, and political science are among the most popular majors for the college's 2,100 students, according to the 2009 "Barron's Profiles of American Colleges." The school's chemistry, geology, physics, biology, biochemistry, and neurosciences programs are among its highest rated. The school offers for-credit internships and paid cooperative work experience programs as well as a semester of study in Washington, D.C., and study abroad in 14 countries.
Allegheny College
520 North Main St.
Meadville, PA 16335
814-332-3100
allegheny.edu
Affiliated with the Lutheran Church, Gettysburg College sits on a 200-acre campus 30 miles south of Harrisburg. In 2010, "U.S. News and World Report" ranked the school 49th among liberal arts colleges in the United States. The college is home to nearly 2,500 students, approximately two-thirds of whom come from outside Pennsylvania, reports the 2009 "Barron's Profiles of American Colleges." Management, political science, and psychology are the school's largest majors, while biology, biochemistry, chemistry, computer science, physics, and history are top-rated. Students at Gettysburg can participate in a variety of summer internship programs throughout the United States or study for a term at American University in Washington, D.C. The school offers more than 200 study abroad programs.
Gettysburg College
300 North Washington St.
Gettysburg, PA 17325
717-337-6300
gettysburg.edu
Swarthmore College ranked third among liberal arts college in "U.S. News and World Report's" 2010 rankings. Home to fewer than 1,500 students, the college's 357-acre campus is just 10 miles southwest of Philadelphia. Admission is highly competitive; less than 16 percent of those who apply receive an invitation to attend the school, according to the 2009 "Barron's Profiles of American Colleges." The biology, economics, and political science majors are the largest; the school also grants degrees in engineering, foreign languages, dance, theater, and social sciences like philosophy and anthropology. Students can elect to study many countries through the college's extensive study abroad program. Swarthmore is known for its progressive honors program, in which students work alongside faculty members and receive evaluation and grades from outside examiners on independent research projects.
Swarthmore College
500 College Ave.
Swarthmore, PA 19081
610-328-8000
swarthmore.edu