Thousands of educational consultants, high school counselors and admissions professionals will be calling St. Louis their home for the annual National Association For College Admission Counseling (NACAC) conference. Participants from around the world are gathering over the next few days to network with colleagues, attend professional sessions as well as visit local campuses. Two clear winners in terms of conference highlights: campus visits to both Washington University (www.wustl.edu) and Saint Louis University (www.slu.edu). A popular college list choice for many superior students,  Wash U offers a stately campus for its 6,000 plus undergraduate students. Ninety percent of the matriculants are from out of state, with 40% of the freshman class identifying themselves as international or multicultural. One of the most distinguishing characteristics of the school: the lack of red tape regarding intercollege course selection. Wash U encourages (not discourages!) students to cross over in their studies within five colleges: Arts and Sciences, Architecture, Business, Art, and Engineering. There are over 90 undergraduate programs and 1500 classes. Not as well known as its neighbor but equally as impressive,  SLU is the second oldest Jesuit school in the nation with  a population of  8,000 undergraduates (50% Catholic). The beautiful campus attracts B+ students who enter with a choice in major most often as “still deciding”, biology or nursing among the 100 undergraduate degree programs. Colleges include Arts and Sciences, Engineering/Aviation, Business, Education, Health Sciences, Nursing, Philosophy,  Social Work, and Professional Studies. SLU is a generous school, offering scholarship money to 96% of the freshman class.

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