College Spotlight: Marist College

Last week, I visited 10 colleges and universities in Connecticut and New York. Over the next two weeks, I will discuss my thoughts on these schools, share valuable information, and post a few pictures from each school. The first school I want to share with you is Marist College, located in Poughkeepsie, New York. Located only 2 hours north of New York City, it is situated on a beautiful 200 acre campus on the banks of the Hudson River. As soon as you pull off the main road onto their campus, you are struck by the beauty of their surroundings. Lately, Marist has put a lot of time and money into their campus and buildings, and it shows. Most of the buildings are a similar color of gray stone, all of the Division 1 sports fields are located throughout the campus, and their center of school is a gorgeous lawn on a small hill facing the Hudson River.

General Information

Marist College has just under 4,800 students, which is a really nice size, and boasts a 16:1 student to faculty ratio, allowing a ton of personal attention between professors and students. Today, Marist is an independent private school, but it does have a Catholic background, as it was founded by the Marist Brothers. Their retention rate from freshmen to sophomore year is a superb 93%, and the total cost of attendance (tuition, room and board, fees, etc.) is $47,000, which is actually pretty good compared to many private schools in the country.

Academic Information

• Students just apply to Marist, and then they can choose a major, and typically once in Marist, it can be relatively easy to change majors. 
• Marist has 6 academic schools, housing 35 Bachelor's programs and 12 master's Programs.
• There are no lecture halls on campus and the biggest class is only 35 students.
• School of Communication and the Arts has really great and unique internship opportunities. They offer a Marist in Manhattan Program and Art Internships in Florence. They have very close connections with NBC, Guggenheim, MSG, New Line Cinema, and ESPN. They also have a very popular fashion program and are often a big part of fashion week in NYC.
• The School of Computer Science and Mathematics is very demanding and their most competitive program on campus. Marist has a very close relationship with IBM, as they have given over $95 million in technology to Marist. Close to 95% of information and technology and computer science majors secure jobs before graduation at companies such as IBM, USAA, UBS, and Goldman Sachs.
• The Marist School of Management  is AACSB accredited and offers degrees in areas such as economics, accounting, and finance management. There is a full, live trading room on campus, and they have many internships with Fortune 100 and 500 companies.
• The School of Liberal Arts offers majors in areas such as English, History, and Political Science. They also have a pre-law advisory program with a 100% acceptance rate to law schools. Marist is also 1 of 6 schools in the country that works directly and grants internships with presidential libraries (FDR Library and Museum). 
• The School of Science has most of the common majors, and also has medical track programs including pre-dental, pre-medicine, pre-veterinary, and an athletic-training program. The School of Science also has a great medical-technology program that has a 100% job placement rate by graduation since 1982.
• The School of Social and Behavioral Sciences  has majors in education, psychology, social work, criminal justice, and more. All students in this school are required to do an internship by the time they graduate. They also offer good partnerships with the United Nations, NYPD, FBI, Homeland Security , and the CIA.
• Finally, some students have the option of spending their freshmen year on the Marist campus in Florence. This is through the Freshmen Florence Experience, and is completely up to the student if they want to do .

Admissions Information 

• Their middle 50% for the SAT is 1600-1840 and their average GPA is about a 3.5, and they have about a 32% acceptance rate
• When reviewing an applicant, strength of program is very important, as are the letters of recommendation
• Marist is a test-optional school, although 77% of students do submit scores
• Demonstrated interest is very important to Marist, as is the 'Why Marist" supplement on the Common Application
• They are in the process of building a brand new science building, so it may be a bit easier to get into Marist for those students interested in pursuing a science related degree

Personal Feedback and Pictures

I have always known a good amount about Marist, but I was honestly blown away when visiting the school for the first time on an official visit. This school has a little bit of everything and I think it is a perfect fit for many students. The location is ideal, only being 2 hours from the city, but located in a stunning part of New York State. You can tell administration has the students' best interests in mind, and they are committed to ensuring students have a great overall experience while at school and are prepared to get a great job upon graduation. This is truly a school I believe most students should check out at some point for its location, beauty, academics, career development, and overall community. 

Joseph D. Korfmacher

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