I recently visited The University of Hartford in Hartford, Connecticut, where I toured campus and spoke with the admissions office about the latest trends in admissions. Here are some takeaways from my visit:

· The University of Hartford is a private university enrolling around 4,000 undergrads and another 1,700 graduate students. It is located in a suburban, upscale neighborhood in West Hartford near the city limits, about two hours from both Boston and NYC. While 37% of students commute from home, 60% spend all four years on this green, 350-acre residential campus, which guarantees housing. There are 120+ clubs and 400+ yearly campus performances.

· The average class size is 14, with some popular intro courses only maxing out around 30 students. Faculty get to know students and help them get involved in research and internships.

· The university offers a range of majors, including many pre-professional ones: nursing, engineering, business, OT, physical therapy, and a BA in architecture. A new building for health professions and engineering is in the works, a wind tunnel serves aerospace students, and a sim suite supports nursing students.

· There are accelerated degree programs available to students in education, occupational therapy, physical therapy and more: BS/MEd (4+1), BS/MS in OT (3+2), BS/DPT (3+3) and BS/MS in Prosthetics and Orthotics (3+2)

· The university’s Hillyer College offers extra tutoring, study skills classes and small class sizes for interested students freshman and sophomore year. Students can also take part in the free Summer Bridge program to help better prepare for the transition to college.

· The business school has a partnership with Black & Decker, where many students intern. A 3+1 MBA pathway is also offered. Other local university partners include Aetna and Cigna.