Linfield University says it adopted its Wildcat mascot in the 1920s because students felt they attended a “small school with a lot of fight and scratch.” Today, the Oregon liberal arts college’s small size remains one of its key selling points. With enrollment numbers under 1,300, Linfield’s students are able to get to know professors (the student to faculty ratio is 10:1) and do more hands-on projects. The average class size is just 14 students.
Linfield’s campus includes a 1,500-square-foot gallery where people can check out art exhibits and a theater where they can catch plays like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Academically, Linfield offers 55 undergraduate majors in subjects like anthropology, digital art, French language and culture, public health and neuroscience. Nearly all (99%) of Linfield’s students receive some sort of federal, state or college grant.
The school has study-abroad programs in more than 25 different places, and it pays the airfare for every student’s first trip, a benefit likely made possible by the college’s relatively small size. Why not spend a term in Chile, New Zealand or Norway?
