| Thomas Aquinas College (abbreviated 'TAC,' by those in the know) is a tiny Catholic college in Santa Paula, CA. When I say tiny, I mean tiny...280 students, at last count, about 20% of whom are graduated homeschoolers. The college issues only liberal arts degrees, and is unique in that no textbooks are studied; only the original works of great thinkers through the ages are read. Plato, Aristotle, St. Thomas Aquinas, Mendel, Kant, Euclid, Descartes, all those dudes. Also, none of the classes are lectures; everything is taught by means of the discussion method (e.g. the students read the assignment and then discuss it for an hour and a half under the guidance of the tutor). The program is challenging, and, far from focusing solely on literature and the like, is actually very math intensive. Those who are interested in a very thorough education which will ground you in theology, philosophy, logic, mathematics, Latin, etc. should check out this college.
Socially, the campus is far more lively than one would expect for a rural Catholic college. TAC tends to attract very pleasant intellectual eccentrics and not a few geeks, who make for good company...also, the campus is possessed of great natural beauty and is near a huge wilderness area, so the less social students can just head for the hills and hike on weekends. The spiritual life on campus is incredible; well attended Mass three times a day, an evening rosary, and so forth. Most students are Catholic, but even those who aren't feel comfortable with the social atmosphere.
The only thing one can complain about is the expense; tuition is very high, since it is a private college, and there are no scholarships based on scholastic merit. Damn. Other than that, it is more or less the Dream College for those who are willing to sacrifice time and financial resources in the quest for truth and knowledge.
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