When it comes to Catholic communities – there are secular private and public schools that have Catholic Newman Centers on campus and then there are Catholic colleges.  

Best Colleges  conducted their research in search of the 45 Best College Holiday Events. Coming in at # 1 on this list, I found none other than Seton Hall. What caught my attention, more than the plethora of Christmas events, is a tradition started by a former nursing student. According to the Seton Hall website, in 2013 – Hilary Sadlon conducted 21 acts of kindness to celebrate her 21st birthday. Her selfless acts sparked the community to do the same during the Christmas season. 

What I love about this tradition is this: You do not have to be Catholic or Christian to offer the world simple acts of kindness. 

Here are a few suggested Acts of Kindness listed on Seton Hall’s website: 

• Write your mom and dad a thank you note 
• Donate blood 
• Pick up trash you see in the street 
• Help an elderly person load their groceries into their car 
• Walk the dogs at a local animal shelter 
• Send a holiday card to a current soldier overseas 

In my experience, I have found that when students and families begin to develop a list of colleges to apply to, they begin with their head. Logic begins the process, answering questions of WHO else do I know that goes there or went there? WHAT majors are offered? WHERE is the college located?

The Truth is YOU MAY MAKE YOUR LIST BASED ON YOUR HEAD, but - YOU WILL CHOOSE A COLLEGE BASED ON YOUR HEART. 

The HOW do I feel, and WHY do I feel this way comes so much later in the process, but really should come at the front end. That gut feeling you have when you meet “the one” – THAT comes from the heart. 

That being said, if your religion and/or your spiritual journey is important to you, take the time to research what is offered and get to know how the community on campus. 

Located in South Orange, NJ, Seton Hall is a diocesan Catholic university and is home to 5800 undergraduates with all 50 states represented. Worth noting – SHU is just 14 miles from New York City. 

Here are THREE THINGS I FOUND COMPELLING AND IMPRESSIVE. So – take note.

FIRST: 81% (8 out of every 10) complete at least one career-related internship. SHU is ranked in the top 5 by International Business Times for undergraduate internships – along with Duke and Penn. Seton Hall has a 20% HIGHER job placement rate than the national average. PARENTS – this should be music to your ears. Parents not only want their child to go to college – but to also know they will likely have a job after graduation. 

SECOND: The Stillman School of Business is ranked #8 for return on investment by Bloomberg BusinessWeek. This school is home to The Gerald Buccino Center for Leadership Development which was recently ranked #1 for the 3rd year in a row ranking in the LEAD Awards. LEAD recognizes the world’s top leadership programs committed to developing leaders. Hundreds of programs nationwide apply the prestigious award each year.

THIRD: Seton Hall seems to have a robust and aggressive merit and need based financial aid program, with over 83 million dollars given out each year. 98% of the student body receives some aid. In order to be eligible for Merit Based Aid, your application must be filed by December 15.  Private colleges are often taken off the college list pre-maturely for the sticker shock – my visit last week proved you really need to look closer. Seton Hall offers a merit scholarship known as the “Public Tuition Rate” which takes off 23K off the total bill for each of the four years. 

You can learn more about Seton Hall by clicking on this link.

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