Salina, KS: As high school seniors, a lot is asked of us – pass your classes, set a good example for underclassmen, be active in school and sports, and most importantly, find and decide on an institution of higher education that will best serve your future. Translated? Find a college you like, and one that won't leave your parents broke. Now, I admit that most colleges offer various types of financial aid, but never have I found a college so determined to help students afford and attend their school than Kansas Wesleyan.

Located in the picturesque college town of Salina, Kansas Wesleyan holds a truly innovative, student-based view of education. The classes are perfectly sized (the average ratio is 14 students to one teacher) for a personal feel. Ninety-nine percent of students who apply to this school receive financial aid – and it's not just a couple hundred dollars. This is a testament to the fact that a private education can be just as affordable as a public one.

Now, that's not to say that Kansas Wesleyan is perfect for everyone. It's not the largest school, with about 800 new students per year, and it is a faith-based, private college. However, on my visit I felt no pressure to conform to their beliefs, and they respected my ideas about religion. Cheap and understanding? Sign me up!

Most dorms are not co-ed and come complete with a kitchen on each floor, free laundry, and wireless Internet. Sophomore dorm rooms even have their own bathrooms! The student union has a library, weight room, coffee shop, student-professor ping-pong tournaments, two large HD TVs, and “Guitar Hero” tournaments on a regular basis. Clubs and sports include the amazing theater program, legendary debate and forensics/speech team, basketball, the arts, the campus literary magazine The Catalpa, and much more.

Kansas Wesleyan also has brand-spanking new facilities. Did I mention all of this is cheap? Academic scholarships start at $8,000 and end at $12,000, along with discretionary scholarships, work programs, and with the assistance they give you with federal loans, you can cut the $24,000 admission fee in half.

All in all, Kansas Wesleyan presented me with the image of a college ready to accept, engage, and assist any and all who really want to attend – which sets it apart as a genuinely progressive college.