Students Interested In New Orleans Colleges Should Visit Xavier Louisiana University
If your high school student is preparing for college one of the most important part of the process is the campus visit. This should take place during the junior year or in the fall of the senior year. If you are scouting for colleges in and around Louisiana be sure you don’t overlook Xavier Louisiana University.
Xavier is a school that will appeal to a special type of student. It was founded by St. Katherine Drexel who was the second of only two Americans to be canonized by the Catholic church. Growing out of her ministry to the children of former slaves Xavier is the only university in America that is historically Black and Catholic.
Born into a wealthy family in 1858, Katherine Drexel was well educated and traveled extensively. As a young woman she developed a strong desire to serve the needs of Native Americans and Black children who had little access to the benefits of good education. Rather than merely donate money and pray for others to do the work she founded an order of missionaries and teachers and went, herself, to serve where the needs were greatest.
Xavier University is one of the many schools founded by Katherine Drexel. Her heritage lives on here, both in the school’s dedication to the Catholic faith and in its stated purpose to contribute to the promotion of a more just and humane society. Students here are expected to excel academically.
Xavier trains students not only to excel academically but also to prepare to become leaders and agents for positive change in society, particularly in the health professions. Xavier’s crown jewel is the School of Pharmacy which graduates a large percentage of the black pharmacists in the United States.
Academics is the top priority at Xavier. There is no football team. However there is a robust athletics program that provides everything from personal fitness to intercollegiate competition.
A great time to visit is during Lagniappe Summer Weekend, usually held late in May. This weekend serves as Freshman Orientation for new students and as an introduction for prospective students and their parents. Students will stay in campus housing but parents will need to make their own arrangements for lodging. Fortunately that isn’t difficult.
Located in the Triangle section of New Orleans, Xavier is close to a number of fine hotels. The Holiday Inn Metairie New Orleans Airport hotel is only about five and a half miles from the Xavier campus. Visitors will enjoy a good night’s rest after a long day of meeting, greeting and sight seeing.
Guests will find complimentary WiFi throughout the hotel. There is also a fitness center and outdoor swimming pool for guests who want to get a little exercise before they turn in. They will also find refrigerators, coffee makers and 32inch HD TVs in every room.
Get inside info on why you should visit Xavier Louisiana University now in our comprehensive online guide to the best hotels in Metairie Louisiana .