My D is looking at Elon and we have a few question.
How is Elon academically. D was looking at Wake, Richmond, & Villanova but got waitlisted/rejected with 32 on ACT. Would love to know how Elon compares to those school and our second tier of Sewanne, Furman, JMU. Rankings for Elon are kind of all over the board so hard to tell.
Second, socially it seems like a bit of a party school, however that term seems to be very over used (I.e everyone thinks they are a party school). What is the social scene really like? All Greek parties, or are there others? Is there anything off campus for those over 21? Concerned with same social scene for 4 years straight.
Also, housing? Anything for juniors, seniors off campus?
Finally student body seem white and wealthy. Are they inclusive or are they snobby? Need a community feel or a school with some type of spirit.
Thanks!
My D is a very happy freshman there. I think that Elon compares well with all of those schools academically, but you can do a google search comparing them directly & it will get you side by side test score/gpa/size, etc comparisons. Look at that & see what’s important to your daughter.
We didn’t visit a single school (including Elon) where someone didn’t say, “you know that’s a party school, right?” Basically unless it’s a commuter campus where everyone lives at home, it’s going to have a party school reputation. I don’t find Elon’s to be any more obnoxious than most. There are drinkers and non-drinkers & the two seem to mingle just fine.
There is housing for juniors & seniors on campus & off. Again, it depends on what your child is looking for. Lots of great opportunities.
My daughter’s freshman suite had 2 African Americans, 2 Asian Americans, & 6 Caucasians- the 10 of them were from all over the country & a few were athletes. There were a diverse group not only in culture, but also in background & it’s been a great experience. Elon is as inclusive AND a snobby as every other school depending on the group of kids your child chooses to associate with. My daughter does think that Elon has a great community though & overall they seem to look out for each other.
Good luck with your decisions!
Kempette,
Thanks for your insights. Definately hard to decide at this point. Seems like every school left on the list has a lot of positives in terms of what my D is looking for, but each has a few question marks as well in her mind. Ultimately academics are an important part of the equation for her and now that she didn’t get into what she would considered her top schools acedmeniclly, she wants to make sure that the academics do not fall through the cracks as she chooses from what is left.
She is also very social but not a huge drinker, so she gets a little overly concerned when she hears party school. She is obviously still in high school and I believe that comes with age and social scene you are exposed to. So trying to make sure she does not overlook a school because of that stigma, but at the same time I don’t want to send her somewhere with too much pressure.
And then there is the sense of community that is another big part of the equation. Like you said the group of friends she surrounds herself with will determine a lot about how she feels and every school of any size will have a bit of everything. And while she understands that, in the decision making process the student body in general (or as stereotyped) is weighed. Sounds like your daughter’s experience was more diverse that what might be written.
Thanks again!
My S graduated from Elon in 2016. He is not a drinker and neither were any of his friends. He had a great social and academic experience at Elon.
I’m a mom of two Elon students, one who is currently a thriving sophomore. If your D is seriously considering Elon, she should visit (again?) and learn more about the school. Elon’s academics focus more on experiential learning and a bit less on intense rigor and workload than Wake. There is a lot of emphasis on being involved in organizations, and most Elon student are very busy with activities, in addition to their coursework. The kids who love the school chose it for this reason. Our experience/observation is that if you are engaged in the Elon community, you will find that it has a great community feel and spirit. But if you’re looking for school spirit to come from football games, then it won’t fit that criteria (at least not yet, they are working towards that!) Most of the parties are actually off campus, as the Greek houses on campus are dry. The parties are in apartments/houses and are hosted by any type of affinity group/organization, including fraternities and sororities. Many juniors and seniors live in off-campus apartments, or in Station at Mill Point, which feels like it is off campus. The city of Greensboro is 20 minutes away for over-21 nightlife and a wider variety of interesting places to eat and explore. Both Raleigh and Greensboro are destinations for concerts with big-name artists. I don’t think the overall student body at Elon is any more wealthy or snobby than what you will find at Wake or Richmond. Elon, JMU and Furman (can’t speak for Sewanee) are all very different in size and feel, so I think the visits are important. Her anticipated major is important too; my D is a Strategic Communications major, and Furman’s comm program doesn’t hold a candle to what Elon has to offer in it’s School of Communications. Good luck, these are all great schools in their own way!
Thanks AcollegeFan & Embracethemess. Glad to here the students are active and involved. Great way to meet new people and spread your wings a bit. Also glad to hear the social scene has a good variety of options.
We have not visited but are planning this month. Ran out of time when we made our trip south (probably needed more focus early on as we were visiting USC and Clemson along with these smaller schools).
D is interested in studying Phycology, but we will see after she explores a bit more where she will end up. I like there is a core curiculum early on. Any detail on what is expected from the Core.
Thanks again.
I know a couple kids at Elon as well as graduates., All happy, good experiences. Academically, there is a range of students. Some high stats, serious minded students and some kids who weren’t the top of their high school but still well prepared for college. It is a school that fosters community and a well rounded experience. Not a pressure cooker, not extremely rigorous, but you don’t need that to get a good academic experience. The business program is gaining a good reputation and the arts/theatre also are a strength. Don’t think it is more or less snobby than Wake, UR or Villanova.
Great commentary from Wisteria, spot on. Elon has a number of accepted student events in April; they are worthwhile and I recommend them if it works with your schedule. There is a lot to be impressed about once you visit the campus. Furman is a lovely school, my D visited and really liked it, but in the end it was academically too small, and the travel for her from Philly would have been pretty burdensome (10 hour drive and not nearly as many flight options as Elon.) I like Elon’s breadth of core curriculum; both of my kids have found plenty of interesting courses to take to fulfill the requirements. Another thing I like about Elon that you may not know - in addition to the academic transcript, graduates receive an “Experiences” transcript which highlights leadership positions, internships, study abroad, undergraduate research, and volunteer activities (the 5 “Elon Experiences” which they encourage for all students.) My D was (unexpectedly) asked by a professor to do research her first semester sophomore year; it has turned out to be an amazing opportunity for her, culminating in a trip across country to present the paper at a conference of post-graduate students and professors. She and her fellow Elon student were the only 2 undergrad presenters. These kind of stories are fairly commonplace at Elon; the professors are very invested in the success of the students.
My daughter is a freshman at Elon and is absolutely loving it. She does not drink at all, however, she has friends who do, and it’s a non-issue. If your daughter decides on Elon, I highly recommend one of their First Year Summer Experiences, which occur in June and July. Incoming freshman spend a week camping, hiking, canoeing and doing community service. My daughter participated in one and all of her current close friends are from that trip. It really eased her transition to college - on her first day, she already had familiar faces in the crowd. She chose Elon over Fordham and American U and she could not be happier!
Thanks all for the insight. Looking forward to our visit and hopefully a positive experience. Sounds like a lot of what she is looking for.