Hi all,
I am a first-year undergraduate student looking to transfer for personal reasons you can read about here (http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/17954948). I have a few questions about Earlham and I was hoping some students/alums/parents could fill me in.
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How LGBT-friendly is the college? If I came out, would students be accepting? Can I obtain gender-neutral housing?
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How good is the financial aid?
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What is the neuroscience program like? I know they have a program for it, but is it a major, minor, concentration, or something else? Do you think it is a strong program?
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Lastly, what are the disability services like at Earlham? I had no trouble transferring my learning disability accommodations from my high school to my current institution - is Earlham a supportive environment for people like that?
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How is the campus vibe? Is it laid-back, high-stress, preppy, hippie, or something else? What kind of students does Earlham usually attract?
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Is alcohol/drinking prevalent on campus?
Thank you for taking the time to read my post.
Hi! I’m currently a first year at Earlham and I think I can help with some of your questions.
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Earlham is super LGBT-friendly. We have an LGBT house too, and many people are very open about their sexuality and it’s openly accepted. I’m not sure why anyone who didn’t accept people’s sexualities would go to Earlham. Usually for first-year housing you have to live with a roommate, but if you’re a transfer I think you can request a single. There are coed floors, and also single sex floors in some dorms.
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The financial aid is really great mostly and is a big reason most of the students attend. If you have good grades and/or low income, the likelihood is that they will be generous. Dealing with certain offices can be a little stressful, though.
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I’m not sure about the exact program, but I know my roommate is considering a major in neuroscience. Earlham has strong science and humanities programs.
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I know there are ways for students with learning disabilities to let their teachers know about them, and the teachers are very open and available to work with you.
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The vibe is super chill. For such a small campus it’s pretty diverse, and does have an underlying “hippie” (for lack of a better word) feel, but there are a lot of different types of people. Academically, it’s very laid-back and people are always willing to share notes and stuff like that. People here are smart, a lot of them are the type who kinda didn’t do well enough in high school to get into better-known liberal arts schools, or did get in to those but didn’t get enough aid to afford it.
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There’s a good amount of smoking and drinking on campus. This is probably in part because there’s not a whole lot to do in Richmond, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t people who don’t drink. Plenty of people are happy to chill with their friends and watch movies on the weekends.
I’m a first year also and the other person covered everything pretty well. However, I do have learning disabilities and Earlham has accommodated and accepted them, with proper documentation, much better than my high school did. They give me additional time on tests, a separate room, and some fancy pen to take notes that I haven’t figured out how to use.
There are gender neutral bathrooms in Bundy, but some dorms lack them. They aren’t available in most academic buildings.
Also, there is a neuroscience major. However, I believe it is mainly just biology and psychology with some other science classes. Our science programs are very strong.