AGNES SCOTT COLLEGE
Atlanta, Georgia
The College
For more than a century, minds have sparked minds at Agnes Scott College, a highly selective, independent, national liberal arts college for women, located in metropolitan Atlanta. Agnes Scott College educates women to think deeply, live honorably, and engage the intellectual and social challenges of their times. Founded in 1889 by Presbyterians, Agnes Scott College is a diverse and growing residential community of scholars, with one of the largest endowments per student of any college or university in the United States. In offering the world for women, Agnes Scott's curriculum encourages students to become fluent across disciplines, continents, and centuries.
Agnes Scott was the first accredited college or university in Georgia, and the College's Phi Beta Kappa chapter is the second oldest in the state. Agnes Scott's tradition of academic excellence continues today with a student body numbering 1,027. Students come from thirty-seven states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and twenty-nine countries, and 90 percent of traditional-age students live on campus in residence halls and apartments. More than 30 percent represent diverse ethnic or cultural backgrounds.
Students may pursue special interests in the arts (music, dance, and theater); with clubs for international cultures, politics, cultural awareness, religious affiliations, and foreign languages; and through student publications, sports, and volunteer community service. Social Council plans dances, mixers, and parties with neighboring colleges. Traditional annual highlights are Black Cat (the culmination of first-year student orientation), Senior Investiture, and Sophomore Family Weekend. The College sponsors a variety of events, from lectures by noted authorities to concerts by world-famous artists; each spring, the Writers' Festival brings well-known authors and poets to the campus for readings and informal meetings with students.
The College is a member of the NCAA Division III and sponsors seven varsity sports: basketball, cross-country, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, and volleyball. In cross-country, Agnes Scott College was the 2004 Great South Athletic Conference champion. Club and intramural sports are also available. The Woodruff Physical Activities Building features an eight-lane swimming pool, a large weight and aerobic exercise room, a gymnasium, and an athletic training room. The Gellerstedt track is an all-weather, six-lane running track circling varsity soccer's game field.
Location
The 100-acre wooded campus is located in metropolitan Atlanta and the historic residential community of Decatur. Six miles away is downtown Atlanta, accessible by a rapid-transit rail station two blocks from campus. An international city, Atlanta offers a multitude of opportunities for personal contact with most of the world's cultures and for study, through internships and volunteer work, with art, business, educational, and political organizations. Atlanta is the cultural center of the South, with entertainment and cultural events and facilities ranging from rock concerts to performances by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, from local theater to touring Broadway shows, and from recreational parks to major-league sports.
Majors and Degrees
Agnes Scott College confers the Bachelor of Arts degree with majors in art history, astrophysics, biochemistry and molecular biology, biology, chemistry, classical languages and literatures, classical civilization, economics, economics and business, English, English literaturecreative writing, French, German studies, history, international relations, mathematics, mathematics-economics, mathematics-physics, music, philosophy, physics, political science, psychology, religion and social justice, religious studies, sociology and anthropology, Spanish, studio art, theater, and women's studies. Students may design their own interdisciplinary majors. Through a dual-degree program, a student may combine three years of liberal arts studies at Agnes Scott with two years of specialized engineering studies at Georgia Tech, receiving a bachelor's degree from each institution. Also available is a 3-4 Master of Architecture program offered with Washington University in St. Louis and a 3-2 nursing program with Emory University.
Academic Programs
Agnes Scott's curriculum is designed to help students gain an understanding of the humanities and fine arts, natural sciences and mathematics, and social sciences, with particular competence in one or two disciplines. The graduation requirement of 130 semester hours includes specific standards in English composition, physical education, and foreign language. The Language Across the Curriculum Program links foreign languages with other disciplines. Students prepare for world citizenship through a curriculum with international perspectives. In the last ten years, Agnes Scott has had 5 Goldwater Scholars, 1 Gates Millenium Scholar, 5 Gillman International Scholars, and 1 Pickering Fellow.
The Atlanta Semester program in women, leadership, and social change provides an opportunity for Agnes Scott students to combine internships with independent research projects, interdisciplinary academic course work, and a weekly speakers' forum. The Preparatory Program for Business is designed to facilitate a student's entry into the business world. The state-approved teacher education program leads to the Georgia professional certificate, which is recognized and accepted by most states. The Woodruff Scholars Program provides women beyond traditional college age with the opportunity to complete the Bachelor of Arts degree.
Off-Campus Programs
Study abroad enriches classroom learning experiences and expands world views. Agnes Scott offers two faculty-led programsGlobal Awareness and Global Connections. Recent destinations have included China, Cuba, France, Ghana, Greece, India, Ireland, Japan, Jordan, and Mexico. Agnes Scott has a scholarly exchange agreement with Japan's Kinjo Gakuin University and is the only women's college admitted to the International Student Exchange Program (ISEP), which provides study-abroad opportunities with more than 123 institutions in thirty-three countries.
With opportunities to cross-register at member institutions of the Atlanta Regional Consortium for Higher Education (ARCHE), Agnes Scott students enjoy the advantages of a small-college environment while benefiting from a variety of programs at neighboring schools, including Emory University, Spelman College, and Georgia Institute of Technology. ARCHE shares courses of instruction, library services, and visiting scholars. The Air Force ROTC program is available through cross-registration. An exchange program with Mills College in Oakland, California, enables students to study for a semester or year in the San Francisco Bay area. Students may participate in the Washington Semester program, coordinated by American University, or the PLEN Public Policy Semester, both in Washington, D.C.
Academic Facilities
A $120-million building program to enhance academic and student life facilities is complete. A new $36.5-million Science Center and tennis courts recently opened in 2003. The Alston Campus Center, which includes meeting rooms, a 24-hour-access Cyber Caf, and a computer lab, opened during the 200001 academic year. Other enhancements include a renovated and expanded Evans Dining Hall, with a marketplace servery, and a new 500-car parking and public safety facility, both of which have opened within the last three to five years.
The new Science Center has laboratories and computer facilities for experimentation and research in biology, chemistry, physics, and psychology. These include a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) machine/lab; high-end computers for scientific computing, teaching, and research; walk-in controlled environment rooms; a neurophysiology laboratory; and animal physiology workstations. Bradley Observatory has undergone extensive renovation and addition. The new Delafield Planetarium has a computer-controlled Zeiss projector, one of only ten in the United States, as well as its 30-inch Beck telescope, one of the largest in the Southeast.
McCain Library has been completely renovated and doubled in size, with access to the Internet available at every seat. The library contains 220,041 volumes, 15,505 audiovisual items, and 32,677 microforms and receives 1,264 periodicals. It also provides a home for the Center for Writing and Speaking. The library holds several noteworthy collections of rare books and manuscripts, including one of the leading Robert Frost collections and the papers of alumna Catherine Marshall. Agnes Scott's reciprocal library service gives students direct access to the libraries of eighteen other institutions in the Atlanta-Athens area. Extensive electronic resources are available through the GALILEO project of the University System of Georgia.
Personal computers are available to students in the technology commons, Cyber Caf, Academic Computing Center, Center for Writing and Speaking, Science Resource Center, Macintosh lab, and residence halls. An interactive learning center, multimedia classrooms, and a computer network with one port per student in residence hall rooms are part of Agnes Scott's commitment to keeping pace with current technologies.
The Dana Fine Arts Building houses the departments of theatre and art; its facilities include a thrust-stage theater, two floors of balcony art studios, pottery and sculpture studios with kilns, and a darkroom. The Dalton Gallery exhibits the College's permanent and traveling collections and student and faculty member exhibitions. Presser Hall contains soundproof recording studios and practice rooms for music students. Gaines Chapel, with a 3,000-pipe Austin organ, has a large stage for dance, music, and theatrical performances. Maclean Auditorium, which houses a Schlicker organ, is used for chamber music concerts and student recitals.
Costs
Tuition for 200405 was $22,050. Residence costs, including room and board, were $8200, and the student activity fee was $160. Personal expenses, including books and supplies, are estimated at $1600.
Financial Aid
Agnes Scott admits most students without regard to financial need, and the College makes every effort to meet the need of qualified students whose resources are insufficient to meet expenses. More than 60 percent of students receive need-based financial assistance through grants, loans, and campus employment. Outstanding first-year students are offered renewable merit-based Honor Scholarships, and music scholarships are available for new students intending to major in music. Community Service and Leadership Awards, Middle Income Assistance Awards, and Transfer Scholarships are also offered.
Faculty
An 11:1 student-faculty ratio allows for small classes with lively participation and individual attention. One hundred percent of Agnes Scott's tenure-track faculty members hold the highest degree in their field. Senior faculty members teach first-year students as well as upperclass students. Every student is assigned a faculty adviser to assist in course selection and academic counseling.
Student Government
Agnes Scott is a self-governing community, and each student is a member of the Student Government Association. A strong honor system places responsibility for integrity, honesty, and judgment in self-government on the individual and allows unproctored tests and self-scheduled final examinations. Regulations governing student life are made by the students with approval of the Judicial Review Committee, on which the Student Government Association, Student Senate, Honor Court, and Judicial Board presidents serve as voting members. Policies are formulated with the goal of maintaining an individual's maximum freedom within the framework of community responsibility.
Admission Requirements
Agnes Scott admits, without regard to race, color, creed, national or ethnic origin, or physical handicap, students whose academic and personal qualities give promise of success. Transfer and international students are welcome. Each applicant's school record, SAT or ACT scores, recommendations, and essay are reviewed carefully, and interviews are recommended but not required. Arrangements for an interview at the College, a campus tour with a student guide, and visits to classes may be made through the Office of Admission.
Application and Information
An application for admission and supporting credentials should be filed with the Office of Admission by the following dates: November15 for early decision, with notification by December15; January15 for scholarship candidates; March1 for regular decision; and November1 for the spring semester.
