I recently visited Marymount Manhattan College on New York City’s Upper East Side, where I toured the campus and spoke with the admissions office about the latest trends in admissions. Here are some takeaways from my visit:

· Marymount is relatively unique in that it provides a small liberal arts college experience right in the middle of New York City. Around 1600 students attend and enroll in degree programs in the performing arts and liberal arts, with all students required to take a certain number of core liberal arts courses (currently around 10, but projected to shrink to closer to 6 in the future).

· The campus consists of two connected academic buildings on 71st Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenues. Housing is available all four years, although most students move off-campus sophomore or junior year. The freshman dorm is a 15-minute walk from campus, and the sophomore and upperclassman dorm, located downtown, is only about 20-30 minutes away with the subway.

· Marymount’s vibe is artsy. There are no sports and no Greek life.

· Classes average 10-20 students, with gen ed courses being closer to 20 and courses in your major closer to 10.

· Students who are not arts majors can still minor in the arts and take arts classes with the same faculty.

· Students are very social and divide their time between campus, the dorms and work. On weekends, students explore New York City and make use of free cultural event tickets provided by Marymount.

· Marymount offers a full premed curriculum, with students securing clinical work at the nearby Cornell hospital, Rockefeller University, Hospital for Special Surgery or Memorial Sloan Kettering.

· The undergraduate business program offers unique majors in fashion marketing, media and arts management and social entrepreneurship. The communications program offers a major in digital journalism, with students interning at nearby media organizations.

· Students complete an average of 2-3 internships during their four years at Marymount, mostly in New York City. Courses also take the city as their classroom, often involving field trips, meetings with nearby professionals and case studies of local companies and organizations.