Verto Education partners with college and universities around the world to allow students to spend their first semester of college abroad while staying on track to graduate in four years. Hear from our partner colleges about how our relationship works and why they are excited to be partnering with Verto Education.
Video Transcription
Scott Friedhoff, Vice President for Enrollment at the College of Wooster: Hi I’m Scott Friedhoff and I’m the Vice President for Enrollment and College Relations at the College of Wooster.
Kerr Ramsay, Associate Vice President for Admissions at High Point University: [00:00:10] Hi I’m Kerr Ramsay I’m the Associate Vice President for Admissions at High Point University in High Point, North Carolina.
Amanda Ryan, Director of Admissions at DePauw University: [00:00:15] I’m Amanda Ryan our Director of Admissions at DePauw University in Greencastle Indiana.
Gareth Fowles, Vice President for Enrollment Management at Lynn University: [00:00:19] Hi, my name is Gareth Fowles and I’m the Vice President for Enrollment Management at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida.
Why were you excited to partner with Verto Education?
Kerr Ramsay, Associate Vice President for Admissions at High Point University: [00:00:28] Yeah we’re really thrilled to be one of the first partners with Verto Education. We see it as an amazing opportunity for students to truly have a global education and an incredibly contextualized environment. At High Point we’re the premier life skills university and we can think of few life skills more important than compassion, empathy, global competence, and Verto does that in a nutshell.
Gareth Fowles, Vice President for Enrollment Management at Lynn University: [00:00:51] Lynn University is very excited to partner with Verto because Verto’s philosophy is very similar to that of Lynn University where we believe that the liberal arts is extremely important to students in today’s day and age.
Amanda Ryan, Director of Admissions at DePauw University: [00:01:04] Myself and our Vice President of Enrollment immediately saw this is an excellent opportunity for us to bring in students who already have a real world experience onto this campus.
Scott Friedhoff, Vice President for Enrollment at the College of Wooster: [00:01:15] We’re thrilled to be partners with Verto Education. It’s been a partnership that we’ve been developing over the last several months. To provide the opportunity for students to spend a full semester studying abroad, becoming global citizens, developing independence and motivation, and understanding of the world and different cultures – then being able to come to Wooster – is an opportunity we are just incredibly excited to provide.
How does the application process work?
Amanda Ryan, Director of Admissions at DePauw University: [00:01:51] They can apply to Verto and if they select they’re interested in DePauw, Verto sends us all their information and we go ahead and take care of your application on the back end. We will review the application if they’re admissible to Verto and they’re admissible to DePauw they get into both programs at once.
How do you handle student reentry?
Scott Friedhoff, Vice President for Enrollment at the College of Wooster: [00:02:13] Students who will come here will, after having spent that first semester abroad, will join us as second semester first year students with a full load of credits that will transfer seamlessly meeting general education requirements. And then when they arrive at the start of the second semester we have created a special orientation just for the Verto cohort. They’ll come together, we’ll be able to celebrate their arrival, and then integrate seamlessly, smoothly into the community as second semester first year students.
What are the benefits of doing a semester with Verto Education?
Gareth Fowles, Vice President for Enrollment Management at Lynn University: [00:02:58] We value the opportunity to integrate Verto students here at Lynn University because we believe that after having had the opportunity to study abroad for a semester they will enrich their experiences. Students will gain a broader understanding and appreciation for different cultures, values, religions, and beliefs, and also get a better sense for who they are as an individual. They will have the opportunity to study and learn more about what they are passionate about and what they were interested in. We believe that they will come to Lynn University better prepared for the academic rigors associated with a Lynn University education.
Kerr Ramsay, Associate Vice President for Admissions at High Point University: [00:03:36] So we think one of the biggest benefits of doing a semester with Verto is a chance to have a different kind of freshman year to do something that’s out of the box. At High Point we talk not about just thinking out of the box, but actually throwing the box out the window and Verto has done that. It’s creating a whole new type of educational experience. It allows students to do something that hasn’t been available before, that most of their friends aren’t doing, and that for the right student will help make that transition to college even more meaningful.
Amanda Ryan, Director of Admissions at DePauw University: [00:04:06] I feel like it puts you in a position to really take a step back and appreciate, and understand that there’s so much of a bigger world out there than just yourself. You can get so caught up in the day to day, in the minutia, in what seems to be a difficult week a difficult day or really not taking a chance to appreciate what you have around you. Traveling just opens your eyes to so many different cultures, different realities, and different perspectives that really make you take a step back and appreciate not just what you have around you, but also what the world has to offer.
Scott Friedhoff, Vice President for Enrollment at the College of Wooster: [00:04:48] The other benefit of the coursework to the colleges is that students become global citizens. They have lived abroad. They are bringing experiences and knowledge that will enrich the educational institutions that they join in that second semester. The students come so much better prepared. They are more motivated. They are more knowledgeable. They are more worldly. They have become global citizens. And now they become part of our communities to really enrich the educational experience for all of our students because of the experience that they had through Verto.
How do academics compare to a semester of college?
Kerr Ramsay, Associate Vice President for Admissions at High Point University: [00:05:32] So another thing we really appreciate about Verto is how intentional they’ve been about developing the curriculum for students. This has been a huge advantage for us being one of the earliest partners we’ve been there from the beginning. We’re able to offer feedback and insight on the types of courses that would make the most sense for students, not only while they’re traveling with Verto, but as they transition back into the college environment here at High Point. We’re really pleased with the courses that have been developed. It’s been fantastic to be a partner throughout and see drafts of syllabi, to be able to offer feedback to make sure that those courses really help students as they come to High Point. We’ve been incredibly pleased and just thankful for the intentionality that Verto’s had in developing these classes and making sure that students not only have an experiential trip but one that does have real academic meat to it. One that helps them develop as students, as academics, and prepare for that transition to college.
Scott Friedhoff, Vice President for Enrollment at the College of Wooster: [00:06:32] The other real benefit for this is that the student to staff ratio is one to five. They are getting personal attention throughout that entire semester. The opportunity for educational growth and maturity is just extraordinary.
