<p>I'm from Ct and I am really looking for community in a school. I am going into Biology most likely.</p>
<p>Kinda hard to answer. I am very familiar with UR. I have driven past Elon. Your best bet is to visit each while class is in session to see if they feel like the “community” you are looking for. don’t just do the guided tour. Wander around on your own. Go into the dining halls and see how people are interacting. Look at campus activities on their websites. Ask specific questions here or on other boards. Nothing beats an in person visit though.</p>
<p>I’m from North Carolina, going to Richmond, but I highly considered Elon as well. It is a really gorgeous campus (Richmond is, tool; they’re just different styles). Elon is known around here for communications and business. Richmond, to me, is a lot about undergraduates studying everything or anything they want. The schools definitely are very similar so I see your dilemma. Elon also has a much smaller Greek like (if they even have one… I forget). Really, your best bet is to visit both. I loved both schools, but when I went to Richmond, it just felt more “me” than when I went to Elon.</p>
<p>me: If you are considering medical school or research, you want to look long and hard at Richmond…Do some research on the Biology Department: They have a huge percentage of majors who are accepted into medical school. They also do quite a bit of research for a school its size. The school is still small enough that you can dabble in other interests you may have…It is not unusual to hear about students who are some kind of science major with a minor (or double major) in Spanish, the Classics or even Dance. Also, Richmond, as a city has a lot to more to offer than Burlington. Of course, you can tell I am a UR fan. Both are beautiful schools and both are great schools. Listen to the others who recommend that you go visit while school is still in session: your gut will tell you what is the right choice for you. Good luck. Let us know what you decide!</p>
<p>We are also from NC and our D is at Richmond. We looked at Elon twice and Richmond twice. Spent a lot of time there. Richmond came out on top in all categories and our D did not end up applying to Elon. The friendly community, the depth of academic offerings, the campus, proximity to Richmond and DC, the research opportunities, size of school, study abroad, etc all came out on top. We looked at many (many!) LACs from Pennsylvania to South Carolina and more. She choose Richmond over all the others. It has been a wonderful experience. The advice on this board is great: go and spend the day there, sit in classes, get a feel for it. That is what she did and that is what gave her a true feel for the student community. A tour is not enough to decide your four years of college. Good luck.</p>
<p>investor is right…I forgot about sitting in on classes. My daughter say in on three classes. Two of them are in her major and one is not. The classes were small and the profs actually included her in discussions. She even took (and passed!) a test in one class. UR was her favorite but I think sitting in on the classes really got her.</p>
<p>I’d like to ask a question about how hard/challenging Richmond is. My son is looking at schools like Elon, James Madison and College of Charleston. They would all be matches/safeties. Not sure about adding a reach - but maybe Richmond would be that school. I am concerned that if he were to be accepted - it might be too much for him. His grades are B+/A- range - 30 ACT. </p>
<p>How much more demanding is Richmond than Elon? How does the workload compare?</p>
<p>rockville, I can’t compare workloads (that’s going to depend heavily on the major and even the individual professors) between those schools, but UR is perceived as being more difficult than those institutions.</p>
<p>That said, someone with a 30 ACT should have no problem with proper time management. I had a 33 ACT and didn’t have time management skills and graduated with a 2.6. My wife had a 27 on her ACT and graduated with a 3.7 because she had excellent time management skills. </p>
<p>The subject matter is the same at all the schools. If your son can pick it up at his local JUCO, he should be able to pick it up at Harvard.</p>
<p>Interesting viewpoint - thanks. I had not thought of it that way. I was sort of assuming the more difficult the admissions the harder the course content and workload.</p>
<p>Totally agree with Spiders. Our daughter works long and hard at UR and is a great student. She finds the classes very challenging but getting As is something she works hard to do. It does take great time management skills. My impression is the reading component at UR is very high. Her freshman year she read close to 20 books. A great number of these were the freshman required course, which they have altered significantly, but the reading part has not changed much at all.</p>