Academics and Course Load

Colleges and Universities A-Z Furman University
1

<p>Hey, I've looked through some of the past posts about the academic rigor of Furman but couldn't quite find the answers I was looking for. I've already sent in my enrollment deposit, etc. to be apart of the Furman Class of 2012 and am extremely excited! As of now, I plan on double-majoring in Political Science and History. Can any current students comment on the difficulty of their classes, for these majors and other GER courses as well (in addition to being actively involved in extracurricular activities). Especially the math and science classes for non-math-and-science-oriented people. I'm taking AP Physics this semester and plan on taking Descriptive Astronomy and Math 15, Ideas in Mathematics to satisfy my math and science GER; can anyone elaborate on these courses as well? I really want to do well at Furman and am taking a difficult courseload this year to try to prepare myself as much as possible for college-level work. I'm considered a good student at my school (VERY studious, 9 AP courses by graduation, the rest Honors-level, 3rd in the senior class etc.) but I'm just extremely nervous about not being able to obtain a "decent" GPA (preferably 3.7 - completely impossible?) for placement into Law Schools (Duke is my ultimate goal! lol).</p>

<p>Any and all answers are appreciated!</p>

2

<p>Honestly the most important factors to get into law school is the school, courses, GPA and LSAT scores with the last two being the most important. FU has a good rep so concentrate on your grades and LSAT score and you will do find. Take the Kaplan course the summer last semester of junior year, take practice tests til you drop before then Take the June LSAT and if you don;t get at least high 160s take it again in Sept. Worklaod at FU is tough but doable. Time management is the key. Get involved in a few activities but don;t join everything you've always wanted to do. Some quick advice. Good luck!</p>

3

<p>Furman, as you may know, is changing from modified trimesters to the semester system next year. Students will take 4 courses per term rather than the current 3-2-3. Classes at Furman are held every day, which is different than most schools. My D tells me that some people find it very difficult, while others can handle the workload just fine. It just depends on your preparation & your personal habits.</p>

<p>You may have to adjust your idea of what constitutes an acceptable gpa. Furman is not known for grade inflation. Relax, though, because grad schools see the school profile.</p>

4

<p>Go to the Furman website & select Academic Records from the dropdown menu. When you get to that page, click on "obtain forms & worksheets from Academic Records." On that page, click on "Degree Requirement Checklist" under Advising & Degree Information. This form guides you through the course selection process. You can see what you can take to fulfill requirements.</p>

5

<p>Thanks for the replies! Any more input?</p>

6

<p>Congratulations on your decision to attend Furman! </p>

<p>First, Furman will be going to a more traditional calendar this fall, which means four courses a semester and classes not meeting everyday. That will change the experience for many students compared to previous years of attending everyday.</p>

<p>That said, I don't think this will affect the rigor of the classes. Furman uses graduated grades; that is, A, A-, B+, etc.... A grade of B+, for example, yields a 3.3 toward your GPA. By the same token, an A- gives you a 3.7. So, it is hard to obtain a perfect 4.0 after 4 years; last spring (class of 2007) only 3 students graduated with perfect GPA's. But, a perfect GPA is a challenge at any school. Furman also has higher standards than many schools for the award of "cum laude (3.4 pverall GPA)," "magna cum laude (3.65)," and "summa cum laude (3.9)," and this adds to the reputation for academic rigor. </p>

<p>The workload for each class shouldn't change. What causes the problems for most first year students is simply learning to manage their time. If you are a serious student who wants that "summa cum laude" or "manga cum luade" tag, you will have to always place coursework first. But I know lots of succesful Furman students who have found time for sports, the greek life, church, and dating and still manage to have 3.5+ GPAs, and you will too! Like adult life, success is all about priorities, time management, and efficiently working at your tasks.</p>

<p>It sounds as if you may be able to gain credit for some of your core courses due to your APs. This would be great for you. In any case, you will have to take the freshman composition class (my D tried to takea more advanced class in lieu of the compostion class as she received a "5" on the appropriate AP test, but it was way too complicated and cumbersome to work it out).</p>

<p>As for the PoliSci department, ask around as to which classes/professors are the best for your personality and goals. Most of them teach at a pretty demanding level, with a solid "A" grade an achieveable, but challenging goal. The PoliSci department (like the music department) is large with many talented (and polite, but competitive) students.</p>

<p>If you send me a private message, I can have a PoliSci major (a couple of seniors graduating this year) correspond with you and answer any questions you may have. </p>

<p>Hope this all helps and have a wonderful time at Furman!</p>

7

<p>Thanks for the help! I sent you a private message.</p>

8

<p>I have been reading entries regarding how difficult it is to earn a grade of 'A' at Furman. As we all know, premeds need a high GPA and high MCAT score. What makes it so difficult for students to earn high grades? Is this why the medical school admissions rate for Furman is 70%? Help with these questions, please. The decision deadline is in a few days and my child is still undecided about attending Furman. He was all set until we learned of these statistics. He has the 'typical' profile for a premed student and works very hard. Furman is the only university that has had this 'red flag'.</p>

9

<p>Only you can decide what to do. Personally, I believe the med school advisor at Vanderbilt who said that students do NOT need all A's to get into med school. If you doubt the truth of this statement, then by all means, choose a college based on where your child has the best chance of getting all A's. If you want assurances that your child will be able to get a 4.0, you might want to choose a school with that reputation.</p>

<p>Please realize that there is more to college than strict preparation for the next level of academia. At some point, the student needs to develop him/herself as a person. If Furman seems like a place where the student will bloom, perhaps the prospect of a B or two might not be such a big deal.</p>

<p>As for the med school acceptance rate, some schools actively discourage students who are not sure bets from applying to med school. These schools are able to boast a very high acceptance rate simply because they don't let students with mediocre scores & experiences apply.</p>

10

<p>The Meds schools know which universities/colleges are known for inflated GPAs and which are known for grade deflation, such as Furman. They have a "method" of adjusting the GPA's of candidates to account for the difficulty level of the schools. I have heard (rumor mill stuff here) that the med school admission boards add points to a Furman GPA when reviewing admissions to account for the deflation at Furman. Similarly, the admission boards subtract points from those schools with known inflation (some of the Ivies are among this latter group). That being said, I'm not sure why the admission rates are at only 70% unless it has more to do with the fact that a larger percentage of Furman students apply to med school than at other schools. You'll have to ask Furman about that, and I would if you are concerned. </p>

<p>I think kelsmom above has hit on an excellent point about this. Many Furman students are the children of medical and legal professionals, I suspect, and by percentage, they may apply in larger (percentage-wise) numbers to med school.</p>

11

<p>Thanks, Kelsmom and iflyjets. You both have offered very good information and advice regarding FU. We were not aware of grade deflation. Your students seem to be very happy at FU. If either of you are from the Midwest, please explain the very best way to handle shipment of items to FU for move-in day, etc. We also appreciate the hotel recommendation. On the two trips to visit Greenville, we traveled via the airlines; we probably live 12-13 hours away from FU.</p>

12

<p>
[quote]
The Meds schools know which universities/colleges are known for inflated GPAs and which are known for grade deflation...

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Unfortunately, that's only true for Tier 3 colleges, such as Podunk state U. Two of the most grade-inflated colleges in teh country (one on each coast) have extremely high acceptance rates to professional schools. Conversely, students at Reed and UChicago, two schools known for grade-deflation, don't do that well in the professional admissions game. The first cut is all about numbers, gpa and mcat. Thus, a 3.2 at Furman (or any other top college) will be way behind a 3.5 at grade-inflated (fill in the name).</p>