I recently visited Hunter College in Manhattan, where I toured the campus and spoke with the admissions office about the latest trends in admissions. Here are some takeaways from my visit:

· Admissions are rolling, meaning the earlier you apply the better (ideally, apply in September or the first half of October).

· Located on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, Hunter offers an urban education with a commuter-school feel. Nearly 95% of students live off-campus, and of those who live in campus housing, a majority live in a dorm located about 40 blocks south of the main campus. Priority for housing goes to students not from NYC. There are, however, over 100 student-run clubs and organizations and various small eateries around campus (despite there being no large dining hall).

· Hunter has its own honors program (Honors Scholars Program — different than the CUNY-wide Macaulay Honors College) that includes two years of guaranteed housing and priority course registration. It offers around two honors classes, which incorporate experiential learning in New York City. Macaulay Honors College students can also choose Hunter as their campus (they will receive a degree jointly conferred by Hunter and Macaulay when they graduate).

· While some buildings are in need of renovation, the Cooperman Library recently underwent a multimillion-dollar renovation.

· Hunter is the only college in the city with an entire building–Baker Hall–dedicated to just theater and the performing arts.

· Hunter offers both short (4-6 weeks) and long-term study abroad programs, including the Chinese Flagship Program where you major or minor in Chinese and spend three years at Hunter and one year in China or Taiwan.

· There are various teaching hospitals not far from campus where pre-med students can intern.