Hey, guys. Welcome to Purchase College. I'm Levon Harvey [phonetic] and we're in the suburbs of New York. I'm inviting you to join us on this exclusive tour of the campus. Let's go.

Purchase College is just 35 miles from New York City in the suburban county of Westchester, New York. With Manhattan to the south, the [inaudible] mountains to the north, and the ocean to the east, fun expands every which way.

Basically, the strategic location of the school is really good.

It's only half hour away from New York City, so you can get there pretty quick.

You can jump on the railroad and go downtown and see a Broadway show or a concert, and indeed it's the heart of the world.

The lush green campus sits on over 500 acres with academic buildings located on one central mall and plenty of trees and grass for students to enjoy. Students study, paint, play music, or just hang out on the large grassy areas overlooking the surrounding woodlands.

I would say traditions at Purchase are pretty much to hang around in the hammocks. We're gonna put them up in the fall and to lounge around in the quad, which is the nice area to hang out for most students. This campus was a working farm until 1967, when New York State Governor Nelson Rockefeller purchased the property. Purchase College has an undergraduate population of approximately 3800 students, 20 percent from 40 states and 35 countries, 44 percent of the student are minorities, 56 percent are female and 44 percent are male. The student to faculty ratio was around 17 to 1, and the average class size is 16.

It's a very dynamic campus and in fact the Purchase student embodies creativity, and they're very dynamic.

You know, they are free thinkers. They're open thinkers, really, really intelligent kids.

They're fantastic. They're--somebody once described the students here as like everyone who comes here was one of the most unusual kids in their class and I think that's really true in the best possible way.

The passing of the brick is a tradition that happens before freshmen year. It starts when a student is given a brick before orientation. The student holds on to the brick for 4 years and returns it to the University President during commencement. Admission at Purchase College is looking for a solid B GPA, and a combined SAT score of 1100 or an ACT of 24. Because of considerable stay support, Purchase College is able to keep tuition affordable with one of the lowest rates for a state university system. Estimated total yearly cost for an instate resident is 15,000 dollars. For an out-of-state student, it's 21,000 dollars. Purchase College has close to 50 majors to choose from. Students can also select from a number of minors including art and design and music.

What you get at an elite liberal arts institution, you're getting here from a state, you know, at state college prices.

If you are interested in the sciences, we have that as well. As a rule, the hard sciences involve either field work or lab work. I think we're unique in that we couple the two. It's so important to get out there and actually see and feel and pick up the things that they are studying, the organisms, the plants, and the animals.

Purchase has a rigorous general education program including a writing program focused on cultural thinking, research and collaboration in the writing process, and the year-long interdisciplinary program in western culture and society. Purchase also features highly-selective programs in conservatory of music, the conservatory of theater, arts and film, the conservatory of dance, the school of art and design, and the liberal arts and sciences.

I love my professors at Purchase.

The faculty here is world class, in every single school, every single division.

Several members of the 373 dedicated faculty boast awards such as Tony's, Emmy's, Oscar's, Guggenheim's, Fulbright's, McArthur's, and numerous grants.

I just enjoy teaching. I wanted to be involved with students, and obviously that was one of the major motivating factors in coming here because I enjoy teaching.

Purchase faculty's work is widely published, exhibited, recorded, and viewed, and has received more than 36 Chancellor's Awards for Excellence.

The Purchase College Panthers compete in the NCAA Division III Skyline Conference. Sixty-five percent of Purchase College students reside on campus. Styles of housing include 5 residence halls and 3 apartment complexes. The majority of the freshmen live in the area known as the quad while upperclassmen have the opportunity to live in one of 3 apartments complexes, including the newest facility, Alumni Village.

I mean one of the benefits about dorm life is you really get to know people and it's like living with them 24 hours day and night. You really get to bond with them.

Residence halls are usually named by Purchase College students, with names like Outback and even Fort Awesome. Fort Levon Harvey, now that's an awesome name.

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There are many on-campus student groups and activities. Students are strongly encouraged to participate actively in social, cultural, recreational and governmental life.

Well, I'm not in the acting conservatory but I do act which is a really great opportunity on campus even if you're not in any of the conservatories. I've done about 2 or 3 shows now and I'm also in the women's coalition. So, I would definitely tell students to come to Purchase to definitely get involved, go to the student center which is just kind of local hangout in the coop.

Graduate from Purchase College and hold your alum status along with stars like Parker Posey, television [inaudible] star, as well as Edie Falco, Emmy winner and Tony Soprano's wife on the Sopranos. Get in tune with some of the brightest minds of the day and learn to reflect what's going on with society at Purchase College.

People, we need to run, out of time for this tour. Get it? So we've given you an exclusive look at Purchase College, and now it's time for you to book your tour. For Youniversity TV, I'm Levon, catch you next time.

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