<p>As we look at colleges our student has mentionned that he's also looking at Rhodes. The kids at the other schools say how beautiful the campus is there but that it's "dead" on, say, a Friday night. They bash Memphis as a place to explore. I don't have a comeback to this although I've heard great things about Rhodes. What's the story here?</p>
<p>Good grief…people who say that either have some extremely narrow interests or are just inclined to be unhappy.</p>
<p>If there’s not a party on campus, there’s probably a party off campus at someone’s house or at one of the local dives nearby. </p>
<p>If there’s not a party to be had, there’s probably some kind of lecture on campus or a multiculutural event or a Big Diehl event. Often there’s a play at the McCoy on campus or the Orpheum/Playhouse on the Square/Circuit Playhouse/Theatre Memphis off campus. The Memphis Symphony might be playing at the Canon Center or Ballet Memphis might be performing at their facility. </p>
<p>There are big-name concerts at the Forum and the DeSoto Civic Center, and smaller concerts at a half-dozen venues around the city. In the warmer months there’s concerts in the Botanical Gardens. There’s jazz at the coffee house a couple of blocks from campus. And of course there’s blues and rock all along Beale Street.</p>
<p>Rhodes as well as the U of Memphis Tigers will both start playing basketball soon, and the NBA Grizzlies are already playing. Redbirds (AAA baseball) games are a lot of fun. </p>
<p>I dare a student to eat at all the restaurants in Memphis before graduating. Heck, they couldn’t cover downtown in that time. You can hit the famous places like the Rendezvous or Gus’s or you can hit the hole in the walls like Cozy Corner. Pub grub in the Pinch district, barbeque all over the place, sushi a few places downtown, fine dining in all the neighborhoods. </p>
<p>There’s a movie theater about 2 miles from campus that does a lot of indie flicks, and a huge 20-screen theater down Poplar that has all the mainstream stuff and all the 3D stuff that’s coming out now. There’s also an IMAX at the Pink Palace.</p>
<p>Then you’ve got your tourist traps. Gotta do Graceland, obviously, but the more intrepid will go see Graceland Too down in Mississippi. There’s the art galleries on south Main and south Front. The casinos are an hour south in Tunica. There’s Victorian Villiage, Tom Lee Park on the Mississippi River, more Beale Street. The zoo just had ZooBoo and later they’ll have Zoo Lights which are both at night. </p>
<p>So, that’s a long-winded answer to say that a) the campus isn’t dead ever really and b) even if it was, there’s more than enough to keep you entertained for four years in Memphis.</p>
<p>hope that helps.</p>
<p>There’s constantly something going on, even if it’s just hanging out with friend in someone’s room. I honestly can’t believe someone would even suggest that there’s nothing to do on campus or in Memphis.</p>
<p>Just in the last two weeks, I’ve been to Memphis Ballet’s interpretation of A Midsummer night’s Dream and a Memphis Grizzlies game, both for only $5. And I went to a concert in Nashville for only $15. That’s actually one of the things I love about Memphis, is that it’s a great jumping off point to go to other cities. Little Rock is 2hrs, St. Louis is 5hrs, New Orleans is 5-6 hrs (definitely worth it for Mardi Gras), Chicago is 9hrs (again, very worth it for a long break like Fall break), and Nashville is 3hrs. So if you want a change of pace from Memphis, it’s easy to get.</p>
<p>And lynxinsider is right, the food is incredible. AND cheap. It’s really a paradise for a college student who doesn’t want to eat Taco bell. I eat great local food for under $8-10 per meal all the time. I really like finding new restaurants too (and now, thanks to lynxinsider, I have a couple more to add to my list).</p>
<p>Whoever you talked to must not have been trying hard enough (or at all) to take advantage of this amazing city. I’m really going to miss being in Memphis when I graduate in May - that’s for sure.</p>
<p>D. is a junior at Rhodes and although she complains about some things (food in cafeteria being #1) one thing I have NOT heard is that there is nothing to do on campus on Friday (or any other) night. Without a car, Memphis can be a little hard to explore, and the under 21s can’t take advantage of some of the Memphis music scene (which is mostly in bars) but from my perspective, the lack of social life at Rhodes seems like a non-problem.</p>
<p>My DD is always busy. Can’t imagine anyone saying that Rhodes is ‘dead’ on a Friday night!</p>