I’ve read through all of the posts in this thread and am compelled to say it is exceedingly strange to me that a parent with no genuine connection to Elon would be so committed to post a number of times about all of the things they perceive to be wrong with Elon. So much negativity without first hand experience. I wish you and your child success at whichever university you choose. I hope you are able to focus on the positives there.
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I live about 40 minutes from Elon and have been to the college several times. My kids had friends that lived in the town of Elon, and I’m pretty familiar with the area, so just wanted to offer my perspective as a local.
I think most of us here in NC know a bit about Elon and other similar schools. I do not think anyone here has been overly critical of the school but it is important to know what one is getting into. I am not going to speculate or comment about location etc. However, for most of the kids in NC, Elon is considered only if UNC, Duke, NSCU, Davidson, Wake are not in the running for one reason or another OR they have a very good reason, which could be touring and falling in love with one or more things about the school.
I’d say it attracts a lot of kids that qualify for schools like App State, Campbell and others in that bracket. I think for many coming from OOS/Northeast, with some tuition discount, $30-$35K per year is very palatable when you consider how much in state options cost say at UNH or UVM. State flagships here by contrast cost $19K in state.
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Most of the students at Elon are not from NC. The Boston-DC corridor is well-represented there, along with an increasing number from California. The student body is more national in character than at any of the NC public universities. I think it appeals to students who would have liked Wake Forest but need a less selective school.
Disclosure-before she attended I wanted my kid to spend a year at Elon then transfer to Wake. By the end of the first year she had the grades to do so but so loved Elon she was thrilled to stay there and I was happy to have her there. In terms of career opportunities, Wake and Elon seem similar.
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Yes, very popular in the northeast. My husband’s cousin from Connecticut is there now.
I know Elon students who chose it over more selective colleges, including Wake, Davidson and UVA. Some students want a dedicated business school and enjoy the small class sizes and fellows opportunities. It has been a great fit for my D, who chose it over many colleges, including Kenyon, Denison, Syracuse, UMD-CP and UDel. - all with merit aid.
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Wow, talk about an overgeneralization! UNC and State were not in the running for my FD, she wanted to go a little farther away and everyone she knows at UNC complains about seeing people from HS everywhere they go (hello, 75 kids from our HS go there every year). No one who can get into Duke is considering Elon, sorry. Love Elon but it’s not in the same ballpark. My son hated WF on the tour and Davidson was never on the radar.
We started out as looking at creative writing schools with a film component so UNC Wilmington was actually in the running.
I realize CC is full of people who must categorize all schools but we are parents who fall more into “find the right fit for you and don’t worry about what everyone else does”. My FD is way happier than her pals at UNC. State kids seems happy and that would have been the transfer school if Elon didn’t work out. Friends at Charlotte all seem happy. She doesn’t have any friends at App or Wilmington.
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Agree. Mine isn’t even applying to NCSU or Davidson because of the sizes. Duke isn’t a possibility for the great majority of students from anywhere. UNC and Wake are the only other NC schools besides Elon that my son is applying. Elon checks a lot of boxes especially if there is interest in the performing arts.
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I think this is accurate.
I live in Wake County, NC. I do not know (m)any that made such a choice but if the fit is right, then so be it.
I do know UNCW has a good film program and it is also more affordable. $20K versus $55K. Also, my DD goes to UNC and is very happy with the school even though it is academically very challenging. Her school sends about 15 kids each year to UNC-CH. Maybe 2-3 to Elon. I have no bone to pick here. If someone is happy at a school then that’s great. Elon was never on the table for either of my kids. DD visited and did not like the vibe. DS refused to even visit.
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Every region has schools like this. I’m in the Northeast- I hear about kids in Texas who are “dying” to get into Hofstra or Pace or Quinnipiac and I think “huh?” But truth be told, there are happy kids at these colleges (some deliriously so) so folks need to do their homework, figure out what their kids are looking for, and then find some affordable options that meet the criteria.
Sure- you could ask a kid from New England “why aren’t you applying to Yale instead of Quinnipiac?” But it’s not just that most kids can’t get into Yale (just look at the numbers), it’s that they are very different places despite being a few miles apart. They have different academic offerings, majors, vibes- so the question is not to the Elon kid “why aren’t you applying to Duke?”, the question is "tell us what excites you about Elon and perhaps we can make other suggestions that could be a good fit as well.
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I guess I don’t understand why some CC posters think it’s necessary or important to comment on schools that their kids were not interested in. My kids applied to a handful of the thousands of colleges out there and only to one in our state - our state flagship. I’m a big believer in fit over perceived prestige and fortunately both of my kids chose schools that they liked and are excelling at and did not want or need to transfer.
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Because people might want to listen to why some kids were not interested would be my guess. This is a public forum. Not trying to be rude here but the point of this community is to listen to different opinions.
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Ok, I don’t find those posts helpful, so I just see them as unfortunate and yes rude so I guess it’s good we chose different schools. Different strokes for different folks😉
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Much as someone upthread mentioned, “locals” often have very different views than those from several states away or across the country. Why? Because locals sometimes hold on to the reputation of a school from years back, whereas, those further away most likely had never heard of it at all until the internet and the marketing initiatives that made possible put those schools on the radar of GCs and potential students everywhere.
We are not in NC but are in a nearby state and were familiar with Elon… as a school my dad’s good friend attended in the late 60s! Talk about out of date information! When we planned my D’s tour of the Carolinas and VA, her CC suggested we look at Elon. We were surprised but decided to sign up for a tour and cancel if we changed our minds. Well, Elon stepped up. They reached out to my D about scheduling a private meeting and tour with her major’s department head and she received multiple personal communications before we even toured. The standard tour was good but unremarkable; however, the follow-up tour with the department head and a senior in her major who had been accepted to Duke med school (my D is premed) was beyond impressive.
I commend Elon for making itself known, identifying a niche and excelling at meeting the needs of that niche.
ETA: I am commenting on a school my kid ultimately did not apply to… but I recommend Elon without hesitation and let kids decide for themselves. So I guess take my opinion for what it is worth with that caveat.
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Another issue that may be overlooked by some here is that for the Jewish student looking at the smaller NC schools like Wake and Davidson (if they are competitive for admission), a quick look at Hillel.org, for a rough estimate of undergrad enrollment, shows 3% at Davidson, 6% at Wake and 13% at Elon. That can make a big difference.
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Nice sized and active Jewish population at Elon for sure! They also offer Hebrew to fulfill their language requirement.
@blossom to be fair, Elon is higher ranked higher on US News than either Quinnipiac or Hofstra (89 vs 166) and has high ranks on some individual lists, if you care about those things. https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/elon-university-2927/overall-rankings
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The question that started this thread is “Elon got “Hot” – why?” The question wasn’t ‘Is your kid interested in Elon?’
I think people in NC have an inside view of why it got hot compared to folks in many other regions. It got hot because they had to market themselves outside of NC because the publics in NC are such a good deal. They had to find parents elsewhere who were willing to pay for what Elon can offer. And they did. They did a great job marketing themselves to the NE primarily. And it is a good solid school, but they are working it in the NE and that has got them trending. They don’t really do much here in NC that I have seen. Have a 21 yr old and a 19 yr old so we have been seeing lots of love from colleges in the past several years, but not a whole lot of effort by Elon to get our $$.
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Why would Elon want any more students from NC or market there? It has a nice number already. Actually, Elon got “hot” not because of marketing as much as because of its extraordinary president ( now retired) who deservedly won the accolades for best-run college in America. He made it his mission to transform a regional Southern college into a top 100 national university, and to his credit, succeeded.
The success of its business and communications programs, within a liberal arts college model, proved very appealing. As did its price point for donut-hole families who were full pay but uncomfortable spending 80k/year. In any event, with its expansion over the last decade and addition of engineering and nursing programs, it seems to retain its popularity
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For those interested a snapshot of where Elon students are from by state
About 16% are in -state, and I expect Elon doesnt see any reason to increase that number
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That’s what I’m saying. I agree with you. Elon wanted to grow and knew they couldn’t do it in NC so they marketed themselves to the NE and elsewhere where Elon is a good deal for what they offer. As I have said many times in this thread I think Elon is a good school and their career placement and the way they nurture their students is especially nice.
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