Enrollment: 1387
Average SAT: 624
Average ACT: 28
Most Popular Majors: Economics, General,English Language and Literature, General,Psychology, General,
Regular Application Deadline: 02/01
Student Faculty Ratio: 14:1

Undergraduate Receiving Need-Based Financial Aid: 23
Average Freshman Total Need-Based Gift Aid: $18,260.00

Students Say - Academics
Kalamazoo College "is all about the K-Plan and giving students the best liberal arts education possible." The K-Plan consists of two mandatory components (a core liberal arts curriculum and a Senior Individualized Project) and two voluntary components (externships/internships and study abroad). Students say the K-Plan makes Kalamazoo "the epitome of experiential education," starting with the optional Land/Sea first-year orientation experience, (a team-building exercise involving hiking, canoeing, climbing, and rappelling), and continuing with an "off-campus internship sophomore year, study-abroad junior year, and a senior project before you graduate!" From beginning to end, it's a "very hands-on education." As at many selective, small schools rigorous academics are delivered by "a faculty who shares in the interests of the student" amid "an awesome collection of competitive but supportive peers." The intensity is ratcheted up somewhat by Kalamazoo's accelerated academic calendar. Operating on a quarter system means that "courses last only 10 weeks" and "everything moves extremely quickly. There's a lot of work involved." In other words, this place "is not a playground." Some feel the workload is a bit too much and feel a reduction would mean "less reading but more thinking," and even those who appreciate the challenge concede "B's at K are like A's at other schools."

Students Say - Campus Life
Life at Kalamazoo is, "at the most basic level, heavily focused around academics. Everything else is just gravy." Not to say there aren't "a great many opportunities in which to take part," but rather "before [you do any of that], you have to finish your homework" which is usually substantial. When the books are finally closed, "there are always events going on either here or at Western Michigan University [also in Kalamazoo], and nearly everyone at K is part of some club or organization. Political organizations like Campus Republicans and Campus Democrats are very popular, as is our gay and lesbian group, Kaleidoscope." Students say, "Choir and sports like tennis are also popular here. Our theater department is small but dedicated." And let's not forget the CGC, "the Childish Games Commission, where students play red rover, dodgeball, zombie tag, and jump in leaf piles. It gives us an excuse to goof around for an hour or two and break from school work." Many tell us "Kalamazoo is a great town to live in. We are lucky to be a part of a real, thriving community, with which we can interact through service-learning, jobs, or shopping and entertainment. There are theater productions, concerts, and festivals year-round." When students want a more conventional undergrad party scene, they head to the "keggers" happening "any day of the week" at WMU.

Students Say - Student Body
Kalamazoo students tend to be extremely bright and a little high-strung, to the point many are at least one standard deviation from the norm. As one undergrad puts it, "My friend has this theory: There is a secret question on the application that no one remembers answering. The question is 'On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the oddest, how odd are you?' If you don't score at least a 5, you don't get in." Mostly, "Students here are very smart and nice, but a little on the awkward anti-social side." Other, smaller demographics on campus include "the rich, party types who take blow-off classes and get all C's." Mostly, the school is full of the type of "people who can balance work and play but tend to be the type of people who enjoy a game of 'zombie tag'," the fervent feminists, and "the gay community, [which is] very strong, active, and supportive."

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