<p>Carolyn's report on her visit was great. I showed it to both of my daughters (I've got a 12th grader and 11th grader- both of which want to go to Earlham! ) and they agreed with all she said.</p>
<p>My oldest said that Earlham has a real feeling of community that she hasn't experienced anywhere else. She also mentioned that she found the teachers very accessible and involved. She was very impressed by the history class she took during the summer. She esp. appreciated the emphasis on class discussion and the care the professor took to make sure all voices were heard and that no one (or two) more aggressive students dominated the discussions. The only thing she hated was the food :) Certainly not a deal breaker, but it was bad enough for her that she still talks about it with horror! I think that they had very limited food sevice during the two week summer program. I'm counting on it being better during the school year! At least the co-op will be open then. </p>
<p>My 11th grader is very into community service and pretty much an activist. She feels Earlham will be a good place to be for those interests. </p>
<p>Likes2draw- we are upstate NY. Indiana feels far from home though doesn't it? I know my kiddo would be happier at Earlham, but the NY state schools would be so much closer for visits. She likes the history dept. at Geneseo, but was pretty unimpressed with the school as a whole. Binghamton is far too large and cold, but it's very close by and she could graduate debt free! If Earlham doesn't work out for her she's going to have a hard choice.</p>
<p>I am looking at Earlham as a potiential school to transfer to. I have a couple of questions:</p>
<ol>
<li>Are the students into learning and academics/ serious about academics?</li>
<li>How is the social scene? is there a big party/drug culture and are kids more into doing other things to have fun?</li>
</ol>
<p>I am looking for a student body of smart intellectual down to earth kids that value more than just partying and drinking and hooking up with every guy they meet.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>How is the music/ theater depts/ choirs?</p></li>
<li><p>I used to horseback ride and the program sounds great. Anyone have any knowledge of it?</p></li>
<li><p>How is Jewish life?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>My daughter, a second year at Earlham, says that most students are pretty serious about academics. The social scene is varied, but the party/drug culture is low profile. You will detect the odor of pot, but that's characteristic of college life.
She agrees that the student body is composed of smart, intellectual, down to earth kids from all over the US and about 12% international.
There's a strong choral tradition, but the theatre department only has two professors.
The student-run equestrian program is a unique feature of Earlham. There's a new indoor arena, paddocks, riding trails and you have the option of bringing your own horse. Very cool to take a break from classes and commune with your horse.
My daughter has no information on Jewish life.</p>
<p>Defying, I can offer info on the Jewish life question--my senior D was very interested in Earlham and we visited in October--this was an issue for her as well. There is no Hillel. There is a "special interest" house but not all the kids who live there are Jewish--some are just interested. I met with the faculty advisor who serves as a sort of scheduler for Jewish activities and her assessment is that Earlham is a sort of a tough place for Jewish kids. There are a number of them there, but they don't seem interested in doing much Jewishly--there are currently no Jewish students who are interested enough to make the effort to get any sort of significant activities going. They do have Shabbat dinner at the special intereste house, regularly attended by about 30 kids, but many of those kids aren't Jewish. There is a (monthly or weekly--I forget) Torah study class led by the rabbi (who is paid part time by Earlham, and is only available because her husband is the rabbi of the small synagogue existing in Richmond). While the school is very accepting and respectful of its Jewish students, it didn't seem to us that there was much Jewish life to speak of.</p>
<p>Thank you to both of you!
beltarmi has your D. enjoyed her experince at Earlham so far? If she had to do it over would she chose it again?</p>
<p>Dg- Is your D. still interested in Earlham? Did she apply? I am not a very religious Jew but my current school has basiclly no jewish life to speak of ( ie. they had a Hanukah celebration but put up flyers after the fact, they do have a JSU but it is not the most organized). I would def check it out if I tour. There seems to be more activites at Earlham and such, I mean even though the majoirty of the kids are not Jewish that attend Shabbat Dinners , 30 is alot for a small school, I think. My Dad is just worried because we are from NYC so I guess he doesn't want me to feel ostracized as a Jew in the midwest/ outside of the city.</p>
<p>Defying, my D applied ED I to Dickinson, which evolved as her clear first choice, and she was accepted. Dickinson has a small but active Hillel, housed in a very nice building right next to admissions. Dickinson really had everything my D wanted--good art facilities, especially for ceramics, good biology/botany/environmental programs (a brand new science complex is being finished as we speak), good study abroad opportunities, big emphasis on experiential/hands on learning, involvement with the local community, and very nice, down to earth kids, ranging from more mainstream to quirky. There is a Greek presence, but only about a quarter of kids are involved, and girls can't even pledge a sorority until sophomore year. She's open to that but is also realistic enough to understand that by her soph year, she might be too busy with other things. Also, Carlisle is a cute little town and only 20 miles from Harrisburg.</p>
<p>I have to say that Richmond Indiana was one of the most depressing towns I've ever seen--my D and I went together, and at the B&B where I stayed the restaurant they recommended that I eat dinner at was a cafeteria--which was good but you can't eat fried chicken for every meal.</p>
<p>D's close second choice was Skidmore, which I assume you are familiar with since you are from NY--they actually have twice as many Jewish kids as Dickinson with an active Hillel. D also really liked the kids she met there as well as the facilities--and Saratoga Springs is probably the BEST small town I've ever seen!</p>
<p>Congrats on your D. choice of Dickinson! I don't think I have the grades for it, but I have heard good things about it. My doctors D. who is a ballerina applied to both Dickinson and Skidmore. Aww that is sad about the town of Richmond :( . I guess I will have to see for myself. Then again if the life on campus is good and kids dont feel a need to move off campus that is good also right? I have a friend at Skidmore who is a freshman , she applied ED and she really likes it. Is your D. going to be a bio major? What other schools was she going to apply to if she did not get in ED?
Besides the town, did you or she have any impressions of the campus physically or the classes facult kids etc?</p>
<p>Defying, my D liked the kids she met and enjoyed the classes she attended. She also liked the look and feel of the campus--it's just that she liked other schools more. Had she not gotten in to Dickinson, she would have applied to Skidmore, Muhlenberg and probably Earlham. Muhlenberg has tons of Jewish kids and a gorgeous campus; is that a possibility for you?</p>
<p>Bumble Bee, what did you think of it when you visited? I am a bit concerned about their low retention rate from freshman to sophmore year compared to the other schools I am looking at ( Knox,Beloit). Collegboard says Earlham retention rate is 82%, Knox is 91 and Beloit is 89. Does anyone have a feel for why their retention rate is in the low 80s? I am not sure what an acceptable retention rate is ( I have seen everything from 97-75). I guess this will be a question to ask when I visit.</p>
<p>As a former Earlham parent I'd guess that some kids may find Richmond less than they'd hoped for. The campus is very pretty, and there are some new dorms and a beautiful athletic center, but otherwise it is kind of bare bones compared to other LACs. (A few example: the food service is run-of-the-mill Sodhexo, there is a lack of alternate and late night food venues, and the college only provides transportation to and from the airports on major vacation dates; otherwise it's a $75 taxi.) The student body is only about 1100 and lots of kids study abroad so the number on campus during any semester is considerably lower than that. The campus community can be a 'bubble' -- especially during the long winter -- so some students may feel that it's just too small and incestuous after awhile. Perhaps another reason kids leave is that the admissions selectivity percentage is very high and, while Earlham isn't U Chicago, it's a place where students work hard so the workload and expectations may prove too demanding. </p>
<p>Jewish community: Positive: There's a fair number of Jewish students and the Jewish student org works hard to get and keep students connected. Negative: Two years ago a campus group invited the leader of the New Black Panthers to speak. He's a notorious and outspoken anti-Semite and his visit was understandably threatening to many Jewish students. Some people felt the College admin was a tad too silent on the matter. During Passover a student found his matzoh box defaced. </p>
<p>In my mind, what distinguishes Earlham are the faculty, who are dedicated to teaching and give students enormous personal attention, and the students, who are idiosyncratic, enjoy learning, and seem ethically motivated and service-oriented, even if they are not from Quaker families or high schools. </p>
<p>It's a very special school, and I'd suggest that anyone interested sign up for one of their 2-day open houses, stay overnight in the dorm. Also there is an active Live Journal online community -- a good place to post questions to current students or just lurk and get more of an inside feel for the school.</p>
<p>likestodraw- Did your student graduate already or transfer out? If so why?
That is disconcerting about the Jewish stuff. How recent were those incidents?</p>
<p>So if I am reading that correctly, there is one main dining hall (Sodhexo is what my current school uses and while it is not Horrible it is not good either) are there no alternative places to eat on campus? I heard there was a coffee shop on campus, is that correct? I am assuming it is not open late though?</p>
<p>Also I heard there was a 24 hour diner in town?</p>
<p>I think someone mentioned when asked for recommendation to eat in town they were directed to the school cafeteria...</p>
<p>I am evaluating colleges very carefuly this time as I am a transfer and do not want to have to go through the process a third time :/</p>
<p>There is one dining hall on campus, and it is serviced by Sodexho. The food is mediocre. There is also something called Meal Exchange -- I'm not entirely clear how it works, but it allows you to eat dinner in the campus coffeeshop, where you can get Subway and burgers and some other things. My daughter uses that frequently. In addition, there is a vegetarian co-op on campus (Clear</a> Creek Food Cooperative in Richmond, Indiana) that sells health food groceries and serves lunch every day. My daughter eats lunch there a couple of times a week. We pay extra for that, but it's cheap and we reduced her meal plan accordingly.</p>
<p>There is a grocery store next door to campus and full kitchens on every floor in the dorms, if you want to cook for yourself. The restaurant options in town are reasonable: a variety of coffeeshops, fast food places, chain restaurants, and a few nicer restaurants. A student favorite is a Mexican restaurant that isn't bad (I've eaten there). My daughter is somewhat of a foodie when at home (in the SF Bay Area) but at school she says food just isn't that important.</p>
<p>I found it very interesting to read about the "loneliness" of being Jewish at Earlham. Does anyone know if the same scenario holds for Catholics there? Is there some kind of Catholic student organization on campus? My guess is that there is not a Catholic church in Richmond... My HS Senior is very interested in Earlham, and this would be good information to have. Thanks</p>
<p>I've been absent for most of a year and owe a post or two here and there...I'm busy, but I just can't resist this.... </p>
<p>Earlham deserves more attention on here from what I can judge, so it bothers me that anyone might dismiss it as too provincial to be considered. </p>
<p>I have seen a reference to Catholicism in a student group on the Earlham site. I can't imagine that there isn't a Catholic church there-- the population is probably somewhere between 30 and 40 thousand, it's an old town, and it's on the old National Road & Interstate 70. I know there is an Episcopal church (much rarer) that I pass-- I think I pass a Catholic church with perhaps an elementary school soon after I pass the other church. </p>
<p>When we were looking at schools two summers ago, we had at least one student leading the tour who was from either NYC, NJ, or Philadelphia and made a point of saying that as a Jew he was very comfortable with his participation in things Jewish at Earlham. I think he was very involved in that way, perhaps in a leadership role. The tour leaders were from all over-- one from Russia, one from Indiana! (It's been almost a year and a half and memory has faded, so don't trust me. My background is pretty waspy, too.) </p>
<p>Please, someone with some direct knowledge sign in here to disabuse searchers of misconceptions about Earlham.</p>