<p>Hey everyone. I recently got accepted into Sweet Briar College and I'm very excited as it is my first choice school. The campus is gorgeous and it has the academics I want. It's a perfect fit for me. The only thing I'm worried about is actually fitting in with the students that go there. Since I got accepted I was invited to join the Sweet Briar facebook group and it gave me a chance to talk with and interact with other girls they are or might be attending. They all seemed very nice, genuine and seemed to know what they want out of college. But the one thing I noticed is that the vast majority of the girls came from private/boarding schools, have their own horses, and come from big or affluent towns. I didn't come from a private school or boarding school, don't have my own horse and I didn't come from a big or "wealthy" town. I guess I'm worried I won't fit in with them when I attend the school next year.</p>
<p>You might view/treat that as part of the educational experience.</p>
<p>The best thing you can do is visit on the accepted students day. Check out not only the other accepted students, but the current students, the campus, the classes, and the overall vibe. My kids both knew within a short time whether or not the felt comfortable on a campus.</p>
<p>I don’t know anyone who went to Sweet Briar, but I do have two close friends who graduated from Hollins, a similar school. They went to public high schools and came from solidly middle class families, but both women absolutely LOVED their experience and emerged from graduation confident, connected, and employed.</p>
<p>I remember reading about how Sweet Briar has made a real point of recruiting young women from working class and middle class backgrounds, especially women of color. I think you need to visit the school and see if you will fit in. Not everyone on the FB page will matriculate, nor will everyone in your class join the FB page.</p>
<p>The people who post on the admitted student group on Facebook are not always representative of the actual student body: for one of the schools I was accepted to, literally 50% of the admitted students’ Facebook posts, after the initial rush of acceptance died down, were about musical theater. I was like UHH what. Turns out musical theater kids are just more open about posting All The Time than regular kids. Same may go for the public/private if your fellow public-school admittees are also self-conscious about posting things.</p>
<p>Hi There! </p>
<p>I am a current sophomore at Sweet Briar and I’d love to talk about some of my experiences here thus far. I understand your concerns regarding the ‘affluent student body,’ I think it’s a stereotype that is given to a lot of private liberal arts colleges in general. While we have students that come from affluent backgrounds, I have friends that do, a lot of our students don’t, I certainly don’t. I graduated from a public school and I have also received scholarships. 92% of our student body receives some sort of aid; more than half receive need-based financial aid. We are certainly not the type of school where the women flaunt their wealth. We have students that come from various backgrounds and you will find a place to fit in. I was initially worried about fitting in because it was a culture shock for me but I came to find that I adjusted very quickly and very well. I have friends that come from various financial, geographic, ethnic and social backgrounds. </p>
<p>I hope this helps! Let me know if I can answer anymore questions/concerns. :)</p>
<p>My daughter has been accepted and has decided to attend Sweet Briar. She does not own her own horse, we are middle class, from a small town in a larger urban area and she has been a little worried about attending a “southern school”. However, so far she has been very happy on her visits to the campus. Everyone has been friendly and she is eager to start in the fall. I also have a former student who is currently a freshman and she loves the school.</p>