Kalamazoo College

Statistics

Scholarships & Financial Aid

Students Say - Academics
Study at Kalamazoo College is built around the K-Plan, "a solid liberal arts education combined with study abroad and internships and externships" and "the SIP, a senior individualized project, [which is] a senior thesis with a fun and much-used acronym." Students tell us that all aspects of the K-Plan "emphasize the importance of applying what you've learned in the classroom to other areas of life," allowing students to "see the whole picture and understand what [we] want to do with [our] degrees." A plan like this is only as good as its execution. Fortunately, by nearly all accounts Kalamazoo delivers with well-supported "study abroad, internship, externship, and domestic study-away opportunities" that are "endless" in variety. Students here once complained that demanding general education requirements impeded independent study. The school apparently was listening, as it recently introduced a new curriculum that "gives ultimate flexibility...allowing us to explore new disciplines and classes. We can even double major and still spend a quarter [term] abroad!" Kalamazoo's cozy size creates an "intimate setting [that] fosters community unlike any other school I've ever visited." A faculty that's "out of this world...attentive, engaged, and always available after class, usually for as much help as one needs" further strengthens those bonds. In the end, students leave feeling prepared for the real world. As one explains, "Students graduate completely ready to pursue a career in what they are passionate about or to continue their education on the next level."

Students Say - Campus Life
Life goes by fast at K College, where, thanks to the trimester system, "You're in class for just a few weeks, and you already have your first round of exams." While "everyone is busy with classes and their clubs," students "will always somehow find time to help each other out." Most here "tend to take on a lot more classes/activities than they probably should," which "stresses everyone out," but students find creative ways to release the pressure. The Childish Games Commission, for example, which "meets every Friday at midnight to play games like tag, hide and seek, four-square, and Duck Duck Goose" is a popular option for relieving stress. Those seeking the sort of fun more characteristic of big schools can head over to Western Michigan University, where "there are upwards of 20,000 students," which allows K kids to "experience the social aspects of a large school while still enjoying a liberal arts education." Hometown Kalamazoo "is an overgrown artists' commune in a lot of ways," with "a monthly arts festival" and "plenty of shops, museums, and a nice park with concert events." Many here recommend regular trips downtown to escape "the K bubble." As one student explains, "It is sometimes...difficult to get off campus or get away from the people here. Everyone needs that time, and it's difficult to find, especially in winter quarter when there's five feet of snow outside."

Students Say - Student Body
Most students are very studious and care a lot about their grades but still know how to have fun, the "book smart, worldly, aware, passionate, argumentative, dedicated, hard-working, opinionated, [and] friendly" undergrads at Kalamazoo assure us. The school "has traditionally drawn a lot of strange students, but this has been changing lately." Across the board, students tend to be "very liberal-minded and idealistic, from a fairly well-off background.... There is a lack of ideological diversity, but most students are too busy stressing out about their classes to spend much time focusing on radicalism." Most "are from Michigan or the Midwest, although that percentage decreases every year."

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