Dickinson College is a strong liberal arts college in central Pennsylvania with a business program, a global focus, and a deep commitment to sustainability.
Dickinson was my first college visit on my recent east coast tour of schools, and it was a beautiful day, the trees were in bloom, the campus looked beautiful! I also enjoyed that the campus was integrated with downtown Carlisle, PA, a nice town with a historical district in its center. All students live on campus, and there is a strong sense of community walking through campus, but also one that is open and connected with the town of Carlisle.
Here’s what stood out to me about Dickinson.
Sustainability: Dickinson seems to be doing more than most schools to really integrate sustainability into their culture and their curriculum. There’s a school farm that students can work on, do research in, and harvest food from. In addition, there’s a requirement for each student to take at least one course in sustainability related to their major.
Business degree: Not many liberal arts colleges offer business, but Dickinson decided to introduce it as a major in 1995. The most popular major is international business and management, which is aligned with the fact that Dickinson teaches 13 languages and has a more robust language requirement than many other colleges. The focus on business and economics as they relate to global issues is an attractive combination for students who want to have global careers.
Career focus: The school is doing a lot to support students to find meaningful careers after they graduate, including providing externships during winter break for students to get real world experience, encouraging students to visit the career center as freshmen to start talking about career planning, and providing strong research opportunities for current students.
