I recently visited Elon U and really liked the campus and everyone I talked to seemed super nice, faculty seemed dedicated to their work and students seemed relatively happy to be there. My question is, what do students at Elon do besides party? The campus seemed to be in the middle of nowhere, the “downtown elon” area they refer to is only about 5 shops and I feel like all everyone there does is party and drink (I’ve read that on some other forums). I like to party every now and then but not every day.
Also I am fairly confident I could be a leadership fellow which really interests me and I will be a pre-med student so I’m sure I will have a very busy schedule, but on the few occasions I will have time to spend outside of my schoolwork I don’t know what else I would have to do there?
My daughter is busy there every minute. The school organizes an amazing array of activities…glow in the dark volleyball, bingo, movies, late night snacking, service projects, camping trips, outside speakers. There seems to be something going on every night besides parties.
Roycroftmom, thank you for your response, appreciate the insight. Also, do you know about transportation to and from airports near Elon? Is there a shuttle or a bus? I live in RI so I would be flying home when I need to.
The school runs a shuttle bus to the airport at all breaks, you just make a reservation and it departs near the student center. Both raleigh and greensboro airports are covered and there are pick up points at both for the return trip. At other times I find it easy to use uber as it costs around 50 dollars and is easily available at both ends. If you prefer there is a local hotel, acorn inn, which will pick you up or drop you off at the airport. I think it was around 80 dollars for up to 6 people.
Getting rides to and from the airport is never a problem, as there are so many students who fly to and from. 45 minutes to RDU and 25 minutes to Greensboro. Elon is a very engaged community. Most students participate in at least one, and usually several, EC’s/clubs/jobs/internships. They are busy kids! So anything you have read that leads you to believe that all the students do is party is just not accurate. Not to say that partying isn’t prevalent, it is - as it is on most campuses. But as noted above, there are lots of activities on campus, and when Elon/Burlington don’t have enough to offer, road trips to Greensboro or Raleigh can fill in. Being bored has NEVER been an issue with my D, who is a current Junior. FYI, the Fellows programs are very competitive, so best not to make any predetermined assumptions that this will be your path.
Thank you for the info, really appreciate it. Definitely reassuring knowing that traveling won’t be an issue. Also, I don’t think I will have a car on campus at least for my freshmen year, will that limit my ability to spend time in the cities outside of Elon or are there transportation systems in place for that as well?
Many students don’t have cars freshman year, and they either catch a ride with someone who does, or take an Uber. I know there used to be Zip Cars available as well, not sure if they still have them. But truly, unless you aren’t interested in campus activities at all, then you aren’t going to be rushing off somewhere else all the time (except for local runs to Target, grocery store and restaurants in Burlington - which has tons of dining options including every possible chain restaurant. There is also a campus bus that does a loop through Burlington.) My D may go into Greensboro a few times a semester at most. She has been to Raleigh for concerts, sporting events and a campaign event, and always had someone to drive her. She is a junior and still doesn’t have a car with her at Elon.