Anyone out there with questions? I would be more than happy to honestly answer them.
We just visited Elon and our reaction doesn’t seem to be typical of those posting here. I guess my question would be “what did we miss” during our tour?
We had high expectations and were very disappointed.
The school is certainly beautiful. What we found missing was an energy or “buzz” that we’ve found on some other campuses. The campus seemed eerily quiet, even though classes were in session.
The information session wasn’t particularly helpful or insightful. It was given by a recent graduate and not a senior admissions officer. The tour itself was pretty generic and my attempts to find out anything that wasn’t perfect about the school were essentially ignored.
We walked around campus after the tour and even came back later in the day, but the solitude remained. In total we spent about 5 hours on campus and had virtually no interaction with any of the students - and not for lack of effort. It occurred to me later that we hadn’t even gone inside the dining hall during the official tour. We just walked past the window. That seemed to sum up our day.
Of the more than 15 college visits we’ve taken this was by far the strangest. We don’t know anything more about the school than we did before the visit. Using the same evaluation methodology we’ve always used for campus visits we have reluctantly removed Elon from consideration.
Still I’m left wondering…
What did we miss?
All thoughts are appreciated.
Wow! I am surprised. My daughter is a Jr and your experience was quite different than ours when she was looking at schools. I have certainly experienced a buzz of energy whether it was our first campus tour, accepted student’s day, convocation or Parents’ Weekend (Parents Weekend I’ve spent time with her friends, met her advisor, etc and all seem to be so enthusiastic and active people). I have found that the school attracts “doers” ; these kids are active and involved in all kinds of campus clubs and organizations, both academic and social. Classes, too, are rarely lecture only. Many involve group projects. These are all reasons why my daughter is at Elon! She learns best by “doing”.
If on paper, Elon still seems a good fit for your child, I would encourage you to visit again, especially if you are in the area looking at other nearby schools, and perhaps schedule an interview.
But ultimately, if your student didn’t feel a click, there may be a reason why. I have an older student who went to a very different school, and neither of my children would have felt at home at the other school. However, I loved both schools, because each was/is a great fit for that child…
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I agree spinart. My daughter is a freshman this year & has loved it since the minute she set foot on campus for her tour. That said, not every college appeals to everyone. Sounds like you visited the first weekend that school was in session- I know my daughter was hunkered down with new friends getting to know them this weekend (& many were off partying, I’m sure). We visited during the summer & it was clear that the campus was somewhat deserted, but we were expecting that. I could say glowing things about the campus & my daughter’s first week, but If the campus didn’t feel right for your child, it probably isn’t and it’s good to figure that out early. We visited some schools that my daughter took an instant dislike to (though I liked them okay) & others that I immediately hated, but she loved. Ultimately she has to spend four years somewhere (Yey Elon!) so her opinion is the one that mattered to me. I’m glad she picked a school we both loved though- it definitely makes things easier. Good luck in your college search- it’s a whirlwind!
My daughter is a junior at Elon and could not be happier. Just as other touring students find, it just does not click at every school you choose to tour. Don’t fret. Move on to another school and find your fit. It sounds like you investigate the schools well. Elon is not for everyone. Just like visiting a new city… not everyone has the same experience or enjoyment at every stop. Good luck.
I’m really surprised by how your admission session and tour went. What a bummer. My S ended up choosing Elon partially because of the great session and tour. We still talk about Barry Bradberry! During the info session another mom whispered to me - “I want to go to this school” and so did I!
Sounds like they’ve changed things and not for the better.
I don’t think one person’s bad tour experience means Elon has “changed things and not for the better”. I’ve been around Elon for a long time and it continues to grow more vibrant and exciting. I’ve never been on campus and not had interactions with students. Unfortunate timing, a bad info session or tour guide - these things happen, and seemed to all happen at once for the earlier poster.
As others have said, different schools click with people for different reasons. Who knows if a visit on a different day would have been a better experience? As long as students find the right school for them, that’s what counts.
We did thoroughly enjoy watching The Second City at Elon last week! Certainly the students at the shows were very engaged…
Thank you all for your thoughts and comments.
Your collective experience is consistent with what we had heard, and why we took the time to visit.
Perhaps we just visited on the wrong day, or maybe it’s just not the right fit for us – or both.
No matter. As you have all found the best school for your kids in Elon, I’m certain we will find the right fit as well.
@InigoMontoya When I said “they changed things and not for the better” I was referring to the admissions information session and tour that the poster experienced - not the school itself. I’m a big Elon fan and don’t want my post to be taken out of context.
@ACollegeFan Understood, but still a bad information session and bad tour don’t necessarily mean Elon has changed anything. There are so many factors that could have contributed to this one particular experience being less than optimal - sometimes you get that perfect storm of small problems adding up to a negative overall experience. Sometimes, for whatever reason, experiences just don’t click. That doesn’t mean that now significant numbers of people experience negative information sessions and tours. I wish the OP had seen Elon at its best - but also recognize that the right fit is different for every student.
I am an Elon Mom X 2 - my D is currently a fanatically happy sophomore. I agree with spinart’s assessment about the students being do-ers, and wonder if sometimes that effects how many kids are just hanging out around campus, because they often have somewhere to be - especially during the first week which is when the OP seems to have visited. I know D has had a lot of meetings and practices this past week; also spending time catching up with friends and setting up her room/apartment. And ordering books, filling out her app for Winter term study away class, digging into required reading, etc. Also, one observation that my D has had is that Elon is a very late night campus - she says parties start later than they do on other campuses. And she thinks nothing of going to the gym at 11:30 pm! I have noticed when on campus that the mornings are indeed pretty quiet - so time of day could affect how much buzz there is during a tour. As a parent of 2 Elon students, I can’t say enough about the great experiences they, and we, have had.
Hi there. My daughter and I just visited Elon on September 7th and 8th. We had our college tour yesterday afternoon and we really enjoyed it. When we did the tour, we had 2 tour guides (they are just gearing up for the tour) and it was just my daughter and I. The guides answered all of our questions and were very honest and real about their experiences there, which made the tour all the more charming. They also put us in touch with a local contact person and he has already responded to us. What we loved about the tour was that the students kept coming up to us and telling us little tidbits about the school as we reached each department. So, it may have been your impression, but it could have also been that the admissions tours weren’t in full force yet?
Interestingly, we toured the college the evening before and it was incredibly quiet. But, then we went towards the dining hall (it was between 5-6) and found everyone there warm and welcoming. We were like lost tourists and students approached us, all with smiles, to help us find our way. We even talked with faculty while having coffee and people were just nice in general and gushing with enthusiasm for Elon. It was blazingly hot, so it seemed more students were gathered in the buildings - clusters of kids studying at the library, students singing in the Theatre department, etc.
Anyway, hope this helps!
One thing that may have affected your perception is that Elon has a lot of green space and is very spread out compared to a lot of other campuses. So the concentration of students may not be as great as what you’d see somewhere else. There was definitely a different energy at Vandy where our son went, but it was in a city and relatively compact. But even there, at certain times of the day it was quiet. This is one of the things our daughter loves about Elon, than it’s not congested and there are open spaces and trees everywhere. When we visited we found the students to be very friendly and happy, and our daughter has found that to be the case as a student as well (she’s a senior this year and loves Elon). I grew up near UW Madison and there was certainly a “buzz” there – but they have 60,000 students. Like so many have said, the feel of a campus is an important part of the fit so definitely go with your gut on that. Good luck!
what are the best frats
@lancetjay The real answer is that the best frat is the one you feel most comfortable in. It’s completely subjective. Sure, they all have reputations, but it’s been my experience that if you join a fraternity or sorority because of it’s reputation rather than the people who you meet there (& connect with or don’t) you won’t be happy.
do the frats tend to be homophobic on campus or more accepting due to Elon’s left-leaning reputation?
Maybe some of the younger people can answer but I suspect that you won’t find a homophobic frat so much as people within a frat that are homophobic (which will likely contribute to whether or not you feel comfortable somewhere). Unfortunately, that seems to persist everywhere but these days I truly think that most of them don’t care & are welcoming of people who are different than themselves.
Thank you very much for offering to answer questions. My daughter loved her visit to Elon and is almost ready to ED there,but has become concerned about the role of Greek life on campus. She isn’t sure she wants to try for a sorority and is worried about clique-ishness cited in some online reviews. Is it possible to fit in without joining greek? Any insight would be appreciated!
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My daughter is a freshman, living in a large suite in Danieley (10 girls). out of those 10 only 3 are remotely interested in rushing. She has some older friends there who went to her high school & only 1 of them is greek. While I think that there is a large percentage of students who rush, the number of non-affiliated students outnumber them. There is plenty to do without rushing a sorority & your daughter shouldn’t have any trouble finding her people.