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Mills College, a small Oakland college for women and gender non-binary students, delivers a top-quality liberal arts education to its just 700 undergraduates at a great price; the school recently reduced its tuition for new and continuing undergraduate students by 36%. This school provides a cooperative learning environment, and 鈥渆ven lecture-based classes have opportunities for engagement and discussion.鈥� The college鈥檚 small size gives students the advantage of 鈥済etting to connect with professors who encourage us to speak our minds to advocate for ourselves鈥�; students 鈥渒now that someone is listening to what we have to say.鈥� This is truly a hidden gem, and the support from fellow peers and strong academics 鈥渁re constantly underestimated by鈥� those who haven鈥檛 experienced Mills.

The professors at Mills 鈥渁re so passionate for their material鈥�; they 鈥渒now what they鈥檙e doing and they do it very right.鈥� They are able to connect students to mentors or other faculty that could 鈥渉elp you on your journey to fellowships, internships, or even job opportunities.鈥� The faculty 鈥渁lways have research opportunities that are open for students to join in and help with,鈥� and constantly encourage students 鈥渢o step out of [their] comfort zone in order to critically think and problem solve.鈥� If extra help is needed, professors are 鈥渧ery accessible and creative,鈥� and make learning in the classroom 鈥渋nteresting and understandable while still making the course subject matter challenging.鈥� They 鈥渁ctually care about you,鈥� and will 鈥渃all you by your first name and remember you had a job interview the week before.鈥�

While Mills College is historically female, there are some men enrolled in its graduate programs. There is a sizeable LGBTQ+ population, and the people here are 鈥渁ccepting and brilliant.鈥滱 good portion of Mills students are 鈥渞esumers鈥� (over the age of 23) and 鈥渢here is an independent living community that helps with older students.鈥� Forty-three percent of undergraduates are first-generation college students, and sixty-three percent are students of color. 鈥淪ocial justice is very important to the student body鈥� at Mills, and students here are 鈥渦nafraid to share their opinions and are active in their community.鈥� Most here are 鈥渓iberal/progressive鈥� and 鈥渘ever take anything at face value,鈥� instead taking 鈥渆very aspect of things into close consideration.鈥�

The Mills College 135-acre campus is 鈥渂eautiful,鈥� and when students visit, it is 鈥渆asy to fall in love with the campus and the overall Mills vibe.鈥� There is a 鈥渟trong residential community鈥� here and the school creates an environment where 鈥渁ll students, potential, undergraduate, graduate, or alum, can take pride in their connection to Mills.鈥� 鈥淚鈥eel like my academic experience at Mills has caused me to be a better advocate for causes that I feel passionate about,鈥� says a student.

Work is the dominant activity here, and students use the campus to study throughout the day, 鈥渋n the Tea Shop cafe, the dining hall, the library, the lawns, Mills Hall, and other places.鈥� If students have extra time outside of their classes, they are 鈥渙ften working on projects or community events,鈥� and there are 鈥渕any science talks, art collectives, and spoken word events throughout the year鈥� that students will organize and orchestrate. 鈥淲e are all very busy people but still happy people,鈥� says a student. Oakland itself is a 鈥渄iverse and culturally rich city,鈥� and there are many street fairs and farmers markets around 鈥渨hich are fun to go to.鈥� Off campus, students picnic at Lake Merritt, 鈥済o out for food at one of the many incredible restaurants in nearby Laurel [District],鈥� or visit Jack London Square, the Oakland Zoo, or Tilden Regional Park. San Francisco is also just 20 minutes across the bay, and 鈥渋t is very easy for students to access the many things the city has to offer.鈥�