April 06, 2023
Meghan O’Toole
Bringing the world home: Lake Forest ranks second in Davis Cup for third consecutive year
When spending years abroad to get a degree, what makes a campus feel like home? In light of Lake Forest College’s third year as the runner-up in the Davis Cup, Sara Martinez ’23 and Mac Chan ’25 shared their perspectives on the significance of this recognition.
Each year, the Davis United World College Scholars Program releases a report that combines each participating university’s updates and achievements in supporting Davis Scholars. For the third consecutive year, Lake Forest College was recognized as the first runner-up in the Davis Cup, underscoring the effort the College puts into supporting students matriculating from United World College (UWC) institutions.
For many Davis Scholars matriculating from UWCs, environment and access are the broad brushstrokes they seek out when considering which universities to apply to. Chan, a Davis Scholar who previously attended UWC Li Po Chun in Hong Kong, was drawn to Lake Forest because of the easy access to Chicago, focus on career preparation, and the diversity on campus.
“Because we international students don’t have our families nearby, we become each other’s support system,” Chan said. “We rely on each other as students. I know a lot of domestic students choose Lake Forest because of our diverse population. It’s nice to meet people who grew up in the US but have multiple layers of identity.”
Of all 99 partner schools, Lake Forest College has the largest Davis Scholar population per capita and the second largest overall in the nation.
Martinez, a UWC Maastricht graduate whose home country is Costa Rica, identified Lake Forest College as an institution that would offer her the most opportunity.
“At first I was really attracted to the big universities with lots of sports and school spirirt, but I realized a small liberal arts school would really enrich my academic experience and help serve my career in a more fruitful way,” she said. “I wanted a school that was close to a big city, had a strong athletics program, and had robust science and business programs. Lake Forest hits all of those marks. This is a rare combination for schools on the Davis list, which is why a lot of us choose to go here.”
Molly Noyed, Senior Associate Director of Admissions, International Recruitment highlighted the importance of ranking second in the Davis Cup: “My team and I interviewed well over half of the Davis Scholars who will enroll in the Class of 2027, and we consistently heard positive reviews of their peers’ experience as Foresters. This means so much: the lived student experience speaks for itself, and I’m proud yet again that we are lucky enough to be the four-year home for Davis United World College Scholars from all across the globe.”
Currently, 16 percent of the Lake Forest student body are international students.
“As a Davis Scholar, it was important to me that Lake Forest had a strong international community because it made me feel welcomed and supported. I knew that it meant that the school would be familiar with my situation and help me navigate international processes like jobs and taxes,” Martinez said.
One thing that sets Lake Forest College apart from other universities is the location near the third-largest city in the United States. This is appealing to international students not only because of access to a major airport, but also because of the culture, entertainment, and cuisine offered by a big city.
“Many of the UWC global campuses are in relatively, if not very, remote locations, so Davis Scholars that are looking toward Lake Forest are often excited about not only our proximity to Chicago, but the public transportation access to the city,” Noyed said. “Independence is afforded to everybody at Lake Forest because of our natural proximity to Chicago, and students will find restaurants from their home cultures in the city as well as plenty of other cultural opportunities and world-class museums.”
Martinez is graduating from Lake Forest College this May, but she expressed gratitude for the opportunities she found at the College. She studied abroad, worked as a videographer in the Athletics department to hone her marketing skills, participated in student research through the Richter Scholars Program, and is currently enjoying an internship at Bluestone Staffing Solutions.
“I am very grateful for my time here. Lake Forest is a small community, but we have such a large percentage of international students, which shows how attractive the College is to people across the world,” Martinez said. “There’s really something special here.”