Ave Maria offers a beautiful atmosphere in which to study. It is not a normal college campus because it has a town literally across the street from the campus itself. Most of the college employees live in town and open their homes to students on a regular basis.
Do you have any tips for prospective students?
By all means, make a campus visit. It is an absolutely wonderful tool to help make one's decision for college. The admissions staff could not have been nicer to me when I visited. If you stay overnight, I would highly recommend Xavier Hall, the dorm building the University uses (for the time being) as a hotel of sorts for guests. Also, prospective students can choose to sit in on classes. This is also a recommended step, even if you visit during the summer, since Ave Maria offers summer classes. The professors are willing to speak with you about your plans for college and beyond, whether or not you are certain of your career path.
A campus visit will help you gain perspective of the food, the atmosphere, the faith presence, and the size of the campus better than any virtual tour can.
Do you find there’s enough academic rigor at your school?
The University offers all classes at four credits per semester, rather than three credits. Students only take four classes per week instead of five, but the extra credit per class makes up the difference.
Describe the dorm life at your college.
As a Catholic University, Ave Maria has a strict policy concerning intervisitation. Men are absolutely prohibited from the women's dorms, and vice versa. The policy is so strict that not even fathers are allowed in their daughters' buildings and mothers are not allowed in their sons' buildings. This is in effort to prevent near occasions of sin among the students and visitors and preserve a state of grace.
Honors students have a section of a dorm reserved just for them, so that they can live in community with one another. Due to the aforementioned intervisitation policy, Honors men room in one of the men's dorms and Honors women room in one of the women's dorms.
Describe the food and dining at your college.
The food is pretty good, as college fare goes, but it definitely isn't home cooking. Options abound, however, as there is both hot and cold breakfast food every day, and a variety of options at lunch and dinner. One can choose pizza, a sandwich, or full-fledged meat, starch, and vegetable meal at lunch or dinner. Soup and salad are also available, as well as fruit and yogurt. The dessert options are rather lacking, however, with only one or two choices per meal. As a Catholic college, fish is a prominent option on Fridays. For drinks, one can choose from soda, water (plain or with orange or lemon wedges added), soda, juice, milk (chocolate or white), and coffee.
There are other options for dining, should one tire of the regular cafeteria. There is another small eatery in close proximity to the main dining hall which offers sandwiches, wraps, and paninis. There is also a Tropical Smoothie Cafe in the town square which sells (you guessed it!) smoothies, as well as salads and sandwiches, among other things. For a cup of morning joe, nothing beats The Bean of Ave Maria, also in the town square. The Bean offers coffee, water, juice, muffins, bagels, and other light breakfast fare, as well as an inspirational quote on your coffee cup's cardboard sleeve. In the mood for ice cream? Scoopz is the place to be, offering a wide selection of flavors and toppings. Keep in mind, however, that only the main cafeteria and its neighbor are included on the meal plan; students must pay at the other eateries in town.
There is a Publix grocery store in the town, too, if you wanted to eat in your room. Students are allowed a small refrigerator and a microwave, so you could buy some basic food to heat up in your dorm. There is a kitchen available in each residence hall, as well. Availability of cooking pots, pans, and utensils is questionable, however.
What’s there to do for fun at your college?
Intramural sports are big at Ave Maria. You can choose from just about anything, from Ultimate Frisbee to Soccer. There is a pool on campus (Ladies, please leave your bikinis at home. College modesty policy does not allow them.) and a waterpark within walking or biking distance. The flat campus make for wonderful biking, running, jogging, or walking. On weekends, most students pile into cars or vans and travel to Naples, just a few miles away, for a few hours at the beach. There are competitions among the dorms, as well.
Share any unusual traditions or locations on campus
At 11:00 PM every evening, there is a Rosary walk around the campus for any and all students interested. It is highly recommended for all students. Even if you can only do it once a week, it is a great spiritual benefit.
How would you describe campus safety? Do you feel safe on campus?
The campus has the blue-light boxes (seen at an increasing number of colleges nationwide) at intervals along the walking paths and the roads, where one can call for security to come and pick them up if they need help getting back to the dorms.
Ave Maria offers a beautiful atmosphere in which to study. It is not a normal college campus because it has a town literally across the street from the campus itself. Most of the college employees live in town and open their homes to students on a regular basis.
By all means, make a campus visit. It is an absolutely wonderful tool to help make one's decision for college. The admissions staff could not have been nicer to me when I visited. If you stay overnight, I would highly recommend Xavier Hall, the dorm building the University uses (for the time being) as a hotel of sorts for guests. Also, prospective students can choose to sit in on classes. This is also a recommended step, even if you visit during the summer, since Ave Maria offers summer classes. The professors are willing to speak with you about your plans for college and beyond, whether or not you are certain of your career path. A campus visit will help you gain perspective of the food, the atmosphere, the faith presence, and the size of the campus better than any virtual tour can.
The University offers all classes at four credits per semester, rather than three credits. Students only take four classes per week instead of five, but the extra credit per class makes up the difference.
As a Catholic University, Ave Maria has a strict policy concerning intervisitation. Men are absolutely prohibited from the women's dorms, and vice versa. The policy is so strict that not even fathers are allowed in their daughters' buildings and mothers are not allowed in their sons' buildings. This is in effort to prevent near occasions of sin among the students and visitors and preserve a state of grace. Honors students have a section of a dorm reserved just for them, so that they can live in community with one another. Due to the aforementioned intervisitation policy, Honors men room in one of the men's dorms and Honors women room in one of the women's dorms.
The food is pretty good, as college fare goes, but it definitely isn't home cooking. Options abound, however, as there is both hot and cold breakfast food every day, and a variety of options at lunch and dinner. One can choose pizza, a sandwich, or full-fledged meat, starch, and vegetable meal at lunch or dinner. Soup and salad are also available, as well as fruit and yogurt. The dessert options are rather lacking, however, with only one or two choices per meal. As a Catholic college, fish is a prominent option on Fridays. For drinks, one can choose from soda, water (plain or with orange or lemon wedges added), soda, juice, milk (chocolate or white), and coffee. There are other options for dining, should one tire of the regular cafeteria. There is another small eatery in close proximity to the main dining hall which offers sandwiches, wraps, and paninis. There is also a Tropical Smoothie Cafe in the town square which sells (you guessed it!) smoothies, as well as salads and sandwiches, among other things. For a cup of morning joe, nothing beats The Bean of Ave Maria, also in the town square. The Bean offers coffee, water, juice, muffins, bagels, and other light breakfast fare, as well as an inspirational quote on your coffee cup's cardboard sleeve. In the mood for ice cream? Scoopz is the place to be, offering a wide selection of flavors and toppings. Keep in mind, however, that only the main cafeteria and its neighbor are included on the meal plan; students must pay at the other eateries in town. There is a Publix grocery store in the town, too, if you wanted to eat in your room. Students are allowed a small refrigerator and a microwave, so you could buy some basic food to heat up in your dorm. There is a kitchen available in each residence hall, as well. Availability of cooking pots, pans, and utensils is questionable, however.
Intramural sports are big at Ave Maria. You can choose from just about anything, from Ultimate Frisbee to Soccer. There is a pool on campus (Ladies, please leave your bikinis at home. College modesty policy does not allow them.) and a waterpark within walking or biking distance. The flat campus make for wonderful biking, running, jogging, or walking. On weekends, most students pile into cars or vans and travel to Naples, just a few miles away, for a few hours at the beach. There are competitions among the dorms, as well.
At 11:00 PM every evening, there is a Rosary walk around the campus for any and all students interested. It is highly recommended for all students. Even if you can only do it once a week, it is a great spiritual benefit.
The campus has the blue-light boxes (seen at an increasing number of colleges nationwide) at intervals along the walking paths and the roads, where one can call for security to come and pick them up if they need help getting back to the dorms.