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Sarah Lawrence College is a private, coeducation liberal arts college located in the city of Yonkers, around 25km north of central Manhattan and its innovative approach to education allows students to design their own course of study, a feature that puts it among the most prestigious liberal arts colleges in the state.Real-estate magnate William Van Duzer Lawrence, who named it after his late wife, Sarah Bates Lawrence, established the college in 1926. It was built with the intention of providing education of women in a similar style to Oxford University in the UK, where students receive intensive instruction from a diverse range of faculty members.Despite discussions in the 1960s about merging with Princeton University, the college remained an independent institution and became coeducational in 1968.There are 12 programs of graduate study, while most students are able to create their own programs of study tailored to their own specific goals. The university also offers a range of study abroad options, allowing students to travel to cities including Havana, Beijing, Paris, London, and Tokyo to pursue their studies.Notable former students include author Ann Patchett, whose novels include Bel Canto and Taft, as well as director J.J. Abrams, who counts the Mission Impossible franchise, Star Wars: The Force Awakens and TV series Lost among his famous works.Other famous faces who studied at Sarah Lawrence College include Yoko Ono, Vera Wang, actress Julianna Margulies and Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel.