CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (CBS2/FOX28) - When you're a student looking at colleges, there are a lot of doors you can walk through. Iowa private college week is all about opening new ones. Its always the highlight of the entire year for us to see all these guests on campus! begins Rod Pritchard, Director of Marketing and Public Relations at Coe College. Just down the road, the Dean of Admissions at Mr. Mercy University, Terri Crumley, agrees with the excitement: Because we don't have big football teams, or big sports teams, sometimes folks think, 'oh, who are you people?' This week, private schools get to answer that. Mt. Mercy University and Coe College are just two of 26 private schools in Iowa getting the chance to do a little well-deserved bragging. We believe we offer an excellent alternative here at Coe College - a really good education, Pritchard says. It's just a great way to get on Mt. Mercy's campus and see if this might be a place for you, Crumley tells us. Pritchard begins to list the positives: We have small class sizes; we have a low student-faculty ratio. We think we offer an excellent alternative to the public education that's out there. If you could have more of a one-on-one relationship with people, you're just going to learn better, that's just the way it is, Crumley points out. Both schools say they understand to some, 'private' is code for 'more money, but they say, this is the best time to enroll in a private college. We offer millions of dollars in scholarships each year and we compete very well with the cost of a state university when it comes down to what a student actually has to pay, Pritchard says. And while Coe offers financial aid, Mt. Mercy was just listed by Money Magazine as one of the top 150 schools in the nation for affordability and value. We are listed among the Harvard's of the world, that kind of thing, Crumley tells us, and we are only the second one in Iowa, along with Grinnell, in terms of that kudos. So, no matter where you're from or what you want to do, both these schools say a private education might just be the right path. Crumley ends saying, This can be a great opportunity for you if this is the type of education that you want and of course, I'm biased, but I think it's a great opportunity for every student in Iowa! Iowa Private College Week will continue all week. Both Coe and Mt. Mercy have two tours every day through Friday.
