Overview
Alma, Michigan, the Home of Alma College, is Well-known as Scotland, USA
The city of Alma (population of about 10,000) is well-known as Scotland, USA, for its annual Highland Festival. Alma College has stayed true to it Scottish roots by featuring a marching band clad in kilts, a Scottish dance troupe, student pipers, and its own tartan.
Alma's relaxed, safe, small-town atmosphere enables students to concentrate on educational priorities, while both the metropolitan and recreational areas of Michigan are readily accessible. Saginaw and Lansing airports are nearby for easy access to travel. Yet the community aspect of life at Alma College is strong; eighty-eight percent of Alma's students live on campus. First-year students and upperclassmen live together in a complex of residence halls.
A Close Student-Faculty Relationship Fosters Achievement and Academic Success
Alma students work closely with dedicated faculty members. The college has a 13:1 student-faculty ratio and an average class size of 19. Independent study and faculty-sponsored research projects abound, and virtually all students find faculty mentors who help them explore and discover, learn and grow.
In addition to 28 majors and pre-professional programs in law and medicine, Alma College offers students the ability to create their own personally constructed majors called Programs of Emphasis. Popular majors at the Michigan institution include business, biology, exercise and health science, education, and English.
Alma's Study Abroad and Leadership Programs Encourage Students to Make the World their Classroom
Alma's one-month intensive Spring Term supports faculty members and students traveling together across the globe. Some examples include high-altitude physiology in the Rockies; economics, photography, or education in Argentina and Ecuador; Shakespeare or medieval literature in London; and cross-border issues between Texas and Mexico.
In February 2009, Alma College signed a formal agreement with Equatorialis University in Quito, Ecuador. Alma students can explore the environmental wonders of the Galapagos Islands, practice Spanish language skills, study Ecuadorian culture, and complete coursework and internships in Ecuador.
Study abroad programs are not students' only opportunities to expand their horizons. The Center for Responsible Leadership provides opportunities for all students to improve their leadership abilities through guest speakers, seminars, service trips, and a fellows program that offers in-depth training and development.
Alma has also had a large number of nationally competitive scholarships to celebrate. Since 2003, Alma students have garnered 15 prestigious Fulbright scholarships for international study, five Udall Scholarships for work in environmental issues, and five Truman Scholarships for study leading toward a career in public service.
Alma students pursue overseas study from India to Scotland to Spain; undertake practicum experiences in jobs or programs in Philadelphia, Chicago, or New York; and embrace uncommonly rich courses that link service with learning. Students at Alma College regularly discover skills, passions, and careers they had not previously imagined.
Alma Offers Students the Best in Athletics, the Arts, and Various Student Organizations
The Alma lifestyle combines academic challenges with favorite activities and opportunities to develop new interests. With more than 75 student organizations to join, intercollegiate and intramural sports for the competitive spirit, performing and visual arts for creative outlets, and a vital Greek system for active social lives, Alma students have a dynamic co-curricular life.
Nearly 35 percent of all students participate in intercollegiate athletics. Alma College competes at the NCAA Division III level in nine men's and nine women's sports. All students have access to the Stone Center for Recreation, which features a climbing wall, fitness center, four courts, and a suspended three-lane track.
The arts are also a prevalent part of student life at the college. More than a third of all Alma students typically take part in at least one cultural performance each year. The campus' Heritage Center is the region's premier performing arts facility.
Alma Students Have Access to Numerous Scholarships and Financial Aid Programs
At Alma, students can achieve scholarship recognition regardless of need on the basis of outstanding scholastic achievement. Several academically competitive scholarship programs provide awards for eligible students, including a full tuition scholarship for National Merit finalists. The college also offers performance scholarships in recognition of individual talent, as well as grants, loans, and deferred-payment plans.
