“It’s not about the sweatshirt!” said Cathedral Catholic counselor Mrs. Ashley Bascom. As students have recently gained college sweatshirt privileges at Cathedral Catholic high school, seniors with ‘Harvard’ and ‘Stanford’ written on their sweatshirts can be seen walking around campus. But what exactly does Mrs. Bascom mean? She said, “We don’t want students to limit themselves based on the schools that they’ve heard of.” Your dream school could be one you haven’t even heard of yet. Below are some that the Cathedral Catholic counseling team and I have determined as the coolest, less well-known colleges you might regret not applying to.

Bryant University is a private univerrsity in Smithfield, Rhode Island, that has a business program ranked among the top 10 in the U.S., according to College Factual. 98% of the class of 2013 was employed or enrolled in graduate school within six months of graduation. For example, a Cathedral Catholic alum attended Bryant University and became a school ambassador.  Because of  her leadership skills, the school set her up with a program that allowed her to work all four years in a Fortune 500 company for which she was then hired right after graduating. It’s a small school, for the expected fall enrollment is 867 students. However, they recently reached Division I eligibility for their sports; in addition, nearly 50% of students gain a global perspective through Bryant.

Louisiana State University (LSU) is prominent for its research opportunities, especially for its undergraduate students. For any prospective engineering students, LSU is notable for its petroleum engineering program, which is the highest-paid engineering job. This notability partially stems from it being the only school that has a working oil well on campus. Cathedral Catholic counselor Mr. Dave Silva said, “getting into the program is just as easy as getting into the school,” so LSU is recommended for any student interested in petroleum engineering, or any engineering focus.

Babson College is located in Wellesley, Massachusetts, right out of Boston. Babson College’s focus is on entrepreneurship, and its entrepreneur programs are top ranked in the Princeton Review. The reason this college is remarkable is because of its freshman pitch program. Basically, as a freshman, students start their own businesses. They pitch idea to the class, team up, pitch the idea to professors who pick some and fund them. Students create and run functioning businesses, and even though all the money made goes back to the school, the real-life entrepreneurship experience is priceless.

Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, is different because it is a private Liberal Arts school with an engineering program and it’s all offered there at the same school. So if you have a wide variety of interests, this school is for you. There are 2300 students enrolled and the degrees offered are a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, and a Master of Arts.

For Cathedral’s blossoming artists, Cal Arts in Valencia, LA County, is the college equivalent of CCA. Renown film director Tim Burton is a Cal Arts Alumni. It is known to have one of the best animation programs in world and has great drama programs as well. Mr. Silva said when he went to visit Cal Arts, “People were walking around in costumes on campus.”

Colorado College in Colorado Springs is located in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. It’s a liberal arts college with a unique “Block Plan.” This plan means students take one class at a time, but each class is 3.5 weeks long. After each class, students get four-day block breaks. Students can also create their own blocks and independently study. These classes tend to be small, discussion-based, and are intensive, calling for students to be fully invested for the entire 3.5 weeks. Many courses involve travel. As Mr. Silva recounted, one course focused on the Odyssey and the class studied abroad, following the same route as was described in this epic. Colorado College has an 18% admissions rate, reflecting its unique course offerings.

Another option that gives students a global perspective are international schools. Sometimes, stepping out of your comfort zone means leaving California for college, but other times, leaving an entire culture behind is what it takes to get the most out of your college experience. If you haven’t expanded your comfort zone this far yet, there is no need to worry, as many international colleges have partner schools in United States.

St. Andrew’s in Scotland is a highly acclaimed university that has a focus on being one of the most culturally diverse universities and providing an unrivaled student experience. Only two hours away from major hubs inItaly, England, Spain, and other countries, travel and international internship programs are more easily attained at this university than many others. If being out of the country for four years doesn’t sound like the best plan for you, there is a partner school in Virginia called the College of William and Mary, where you can study for two years and then attend St. Andrew’s.

The University of Aberdeen, Scotland is a public research university where 90% of research activity is of international quality with experts in their fields and multi-disciplinary research centers. It is ranked in the top 10 universities for UK experiences. It consists of three colleges: College of Arts and Sciences, which includes business, law, social science, education, and more, College of Life Sciences and Medicine, which includes medical sciences and psychology, and the College of Physical Sciences, which includes engineering, geosciences, and natural and computing sciences.

These schools and many others have unique opportunities that can be easily overlooked. Some are cut out for the USC lifestyle, but others can find greater opportunities abroad or at small liberal arts colleges. Ultimately, if a school is the best fit for you, you’re going to end up loving the sweatshirt.