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What is a motto? According to Merriam-Webster, it's a sentence, phrase, or word inscribed on something as appropriate to or indicative of its character or use; more simply put, a motto is a short expression of a guiding principle.

What that definition in mind, a motto appears to be a particularly important piece of information. If you were to craft a personal motto, you would likely labor over each word, attempting to highlight what you're all about.

If you're looking for that level of disclosure from the nation's  

top colleges and universities

 , however, you probably won't find it in the college motto. Truth be told, college mottos do not always correlate with their present-day mission.

Check out the mottos (English versions) of the top colleges and universities known as the Ivy League:

Brown University: In God we hope.
Columbia University: In Thy light shall we see light.
Cornell University: I would found an institution where any person can find instruction in any study.
Dartmouth College: A voice crying in the wilderness
Harvard University: Truth
Princeton University: Under the protection of God she flourishes.
University of Pennsylvania: Laws without morals are useless.
Yale University: Light and truth

The references to God and religion in these mottos of top colleges and universities (Brown, Columbia, Dartmouth, and Princeton especially) point to the disconnect between ancient verbiage and modern reality. In these college mottos we find history, and the foundations upon which each university was built. But we don't often find a school's true vision in its motto.

The fact is, most of the nation's top colleges and universities' mottos will tell you where their school began, but little about where they are today. To find that out, you'll have to spend time at the school in the present day.

Better yet, when you're trying to come up with a brilliant (or at least non-insipid) question to ask in your admissions interview, consider this one: "If your school were to adopt a new college motto that more accurately reflects its modern mission, what would it be?" At the very least, it'll get your interviewer thinking, and you'll have an interesting conversation that will give you greater insight into the school. Plus, your interview may be a memorable one, which could serve to bump your application higher on the list.

Then maybe the mottos of top colleges and universities will prove to be relevant after all.


Robyn Tellefsen is a frequent contributor to The CollegeBound Network. Learn more about finding a school that's right for you.

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