I recently visited Drew University in Madison, New Jersey, where I toured the campus and spoke with the admissions office about the latest trends in admissions. Here are some takeaways from my visit:

· Technically a university, Drew is a de facto small liberal arts college with around 1700 undergrads and only a few hundred graduate students. The average class size is 18 students.

· Drew is known as the “University in the Forest” for its heavily wooded campus, which is about a 15-minute walk from one end to the other. The nearby downtown of Madison is only a 10-minute walk from campus and features a small, quaint downtown strip with shops and restaurants. New York City is around one hour by train, which departs from Madison’s downtown station. 80% of students live on campus, where there are 90+ clubs and numerous student events.

· There are extensive research opportunities during the school year and summer. Students conducting summer research live on campus for free and receive a stipend. For premeds, the nearby Morristown Medical Center hospital provides clinical opportunities.

· Drew offers a New York City Semester program, where students spend one semester traveling 2-3 days each week to the city to complete an internship and build real-world experience. Students choose from seven different options: social entrepreneurship, museums and cultural management, communications and media, theatre, the United Nations, contemporary art, Wall Street.

· Drew offers an honors program (Baldwin), although Baldwin students take only a few honors courses during their time at Drew.

· Drew offers an extensive range of dual-degree programs in partnership with other universities, including programs in law, medicine, engineering, cybersecurity, public health, teaching and more.

· As is common at many liberal arts colleges, interviews are offered (often in the summer) and are recommended for all Drew applicants.