<p>I've been reading about Rhodes with interest, here and in the Loren Pope book--We're from NY and I have a son at Vanderbilt (which we're extremely happy with)--It sounds like Rhodes draws mostly from the South. Are there northerners attending? How would the atmosphere compare to that of Vandy? (I realize it is a lot smaller...but in terms of student body, atmosphere, location etc.).</p>
<p>My D is a rising junior and I am starting to do some research. She will probably have a 3.5 gpa--so I'm looking for some good match schools!</p>
<p>Since no one is chiming in who is from New York, I thought I'd at least say Hi. Howdy. I'm sure you know that Rhodes like Vandy is overwhelmingly out of state kids (77%). I wouldn't doubt that Tennessee is followed by Texas and Florida, and that seems to match with my D's perceptions of being on campus.</p>
<p>My D had very specific school requirements and one of the most difficult to find was that "all" the kids stayed on campus on weekends. She was convinced that the vast majority of Rhodes kids stayed put. In fact, the "locals" all said that Memphis is where they would come to from home for entertainment events.</p>
<p>I am sure that the weekend she attended was not indicative of the student body as a whole but she found lots of "fly-in" kids and that made her happy. </p>
<p>She may have never been as happy as she is right now. She is so pumped about starting her college life. I hope your D finds someplace to love.</p>
<p>Thank you so much for your answer...We had a hard time considering Vandy at first because it seemed so far removed from the schools that are familiar here--and it has been a great experience all around for my son and for us! (next year several more kids from our HS have decided to go to Vandy so I guess we started a trend)--but Rhodes I'm sure no one has ever gone to from our school. It is important to us that there is a real campus community feel and, I would hope, a fairly national student population and that a northerner would not feel hopelessly out of her element! I think we'll go for a visit sometime next year when we visit our S in Nashville. (We love Nashville and think its a great place to go to school...how does Memphis compare? Is the school in close proximity to town? Is there a "college town" area around the school? Does the area feel safe? Also, is there school spirit? do kids go to games? how big are sororities/frats? )</p>
<p>Hope you don't mind me picking your brain!</p>
<p>Thanks Curmudgeon! (btw, I always enjoy reading your posts!)</p>
<p>Rhodes is in a nice residential area of Memphis , near the Zoo and park, but like many older southern cities, that means that it's just blocks from not so nice. Midtown (and all its hospitals) is not far and the bustling downtown is easy to get to. No college service businesses built-up around campus that I remember and I've been there 4 times. No eateries and that type of thing like at Vanderbilt. The campus is insulated, fenced, and guarded. It feels infinitely safe. </p>
<p>Prepare to be impressed with the campus, it is one of the most beautiful I have ever seen. They do collegiate gothic very well. The facilities, especially the new library and student life center, are top shelf. D says the dorms are almost as nice as Scripps (high praise).</p>
<p>I am kind of in the same spot. I am coming from California (live 4 mins from so/cal beaches), but have fallen in love with the look and small classes of Rhodes. I would love to know how the energy is on campus? Do students really love Memphis that much? Can you survive and not be from the south?</p>
<p>im going to rhodes this fall, and i thought i might be able to help out a bit. after all our orientation papers came in a couple of weeks ago, about half of our incoming class has shown up on facebook, and there seem to be quite a bit of northerners in the rhodes 2010 forum. the only area i dont see much of is the midwest. hope that helps</p>