5 great liberal arts colleges you should consider applying to

Imagine a college where the professors are more focused on the students than the research and that has a small enough student population to foster a tight-knit community.

You just imagined a large number of liberal arts colleges, which, according to U.S. News & World Report, are institutions that emphasize undergraduate education (as opposed to post-graduate) and that award at least half of their degrees in liberal arts fields.

Liberal arts degrees include subjects such as literature, history and philosophy and the programs are lauded for teaching students skills such as critical thinking, writing and analysis.

Sound perfect? Then consider applying to one or more of these five great liberal arts colleges.

1. Amherst College

Amherst College, which is located in Amherst, Massachusetts, is ranked the second-best liberal arts college in America by U.S. News & World Report. It boasts a student to teacher ratio of 8:1 and an average class size of 16, which means increased access to professors and fellow students. With 38 majors and more than 115 student organizations, Amherst College has a lot to offer students academically, professionally and socially.

Also, if you happen to sing, the school has a large number of a cappella groups, and it’s considered by many as the “singing college.” Even if you don’t sing, that’s a fun perk to experience.

2. Reed College

If you combine the image of Reed College in the book/film Blue Like Jazz with the image of Portland from the TV show Portlandia, then you’re probably picturing a hipster party school.

Sure, there’s Renn Fayre, the three-day celebration after the last class of spring semester that has included everything from naked slip ‘n’ slides to bug-eating contests, and optional grades for students doing at least satisfactorily. But Reed is also filled with brilliant minds (the average student had a 3.9 high school GPA), and it gives you the freedom to study pretty much anything you want, rigorously.

Plus, did you know Steve Jobs went to Reed? He didn’t graduate, but it’s still saying something and a fun bragging point.

3. Wesleyan University

Ranked No. 15 nationally on U.S. News & World Report‘s list of the best liberal arts colleges, Wesleyan University, located in Middletown, Connecticut, is both prestigious and accessible.

The student to teacher ratio is 9:1, the student body under 3,000, and there are around 200 student organizations. Talk about a close-knit, yet active school. And, according to the school’s website, they offer more than 900 courses in 40 departments, with 44 major and seven minor fields of study.

That’s a lot to explore.

To top it off, much of the fictional gang of “How I Met Your Mother” went to Wesleyan, so you’re in good company.

4. University of North Carolina at Asheville

Located in the friendly, quaint, tolerant town of Asheville, this branch of the University of North Carolina (known as UNC Asheville) is ranked No. 8 by U.S. News & World Report for best undergraduate teaching and included in the “best buy” list in Fiske Guide to Colleges 2015.

In-staters pay less than $7,000 a year in tuition and fees for an excellent education that encourages original research projects, studying abroad and dabbling in subjects from one of the more than 30 majors the school offers.

UNC Asheville is also tight-knit, with 40% of undergrads living on campus and another third living within a mile of campus, according to its website. And it doesn’t hurt that the school has 15 NCAA Division I teams, for those who love sports.

5. Southwestern University

Southwestern University has a lot to brag about.

For one, there are barely over 1,500 students, leading to not only small classes and close community, but also a lot of undergraduate collaborative research opportunities. This small number of students also makes the fact that the school has more than 90 student organizations and over 20 NCCA varsity teams all the more impressive. The students are also quite impressive, as more than 70 percent volunteer on campus and in the community, and more than 50 percent study abroad.

Another selling point of Southwestern is its location of Georgetown, Texas. It’s a friendly, adorable town with lots of history and nice parks that’s about 30 miles from Austin, a major live music destination and the quirk capital of Texas.

This means lots of internship opportunities nearby and being part of a small-but-active community. Pretty ideal!

Of course, there are hundreds of other liberal arts colleges you can choose from, with as much prestige and community as these five.

That’s the beauty of liberal arts schools: They’re quite often academically rigorous and tight-knit. But if you’re not sure where to start looking, try this list, as each of these five colleges has a unique character and excellent academic and social offerings.