COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. — Two Minnesota colleges have become the first schools in the state to be featured on a national TV show highlighting campus life.
Kobe Forbes is one of 10 students and alumni from the College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University who will tell their stories during the 30-minute show. The goal is to make the college selection process more accessible and inclusive.
Forbes came to Minnesota to study engineering physics from the Bahamas, a country with which the institutions have a relationship of more than 100 years.
“This school actually played a very crucial role in our country’s history trying to get us out of black depression and oppression,” Forbes said.
Claire Moonen, a political science graduate who grew up in Delano, had her own reason for choosing the Benedictine liberal arts schools.
“It was the U of M or St. Ben’s-St. John’s and SaintBen’s-St. John’s was significantly cheaper,” she said.
Rising travel costs make ‘The College Tour’ more relevant than ever, says host and executive producer Alex Boylan.
“For an average family going on a college trip outside of their area, the average cost is $2,500, and so it’s very few people, a small percentage of people who have the ability to just travel around to whatever college they want to look at, Boylan said.
Luke Budzyn landed in St. John’s after a friend from the Johnnie’s football team invited him to visit. The now rising senior immediately felt a sense of community.
“After a year I said, damn, I really made the right decision here because of the uniqueness and the community, the small class size and the passion that all the professors have here,” Budzyn said.
Another advantage: the natural beauty surrounding the campus.
“I can go after class, grab my backpack, grab my fishing rod, walk to the beach and catch some great fish,” he said.
The numbers show that CSB and JSU graduates have great careers.
“Ninety percent of the students at both institutions graduate in four years. They really try to make that accessible and make it happen, and how many of them are offered jobs while they’re still in school has amazed us,” Boylan said.
Current and former students say they put aside nerves to inspire others by sharing their experiences.
“The College Tour” episode featuring the College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video. This new season also features one school in Wisconsin: UW Stevens Point.
