Elon v. Guilford

Colleges and Universities A-Z Elon University
1

<p>Hi everyone, I need some help deciding which one of these schools to apply to. They were both on my list as "safeties," but I got accepted to U Mich rolling. So i don't need a safety in an admissions sense, but I still want to apply to one of these because they're both pretty affordable, and would be even more so if I got merit aid (which I think I'd be a strong contender for). And I don't know yet where (if anywhere) I'll get FA. I have visited both schools and I like them both. If anyone could help me decide which one to apply to, i'd love you :D haha</p>

<p>Elon:</p>

<p>Pros:
-Overall it seemed that Elon not only had a lot of opportunities (research, study abroad, internships), but that it really made sure its students took advantage of them.
-Gorgeous campus
-Their Fellows programs (which I'd apply for) sound really cool, lots of good opportunities & good community
-5000 undergrads - small but not tiny
-App not due till mid-January
-Slightly less costly than Guilford</p>

<p>Cons:
-very preppy, conservative, and "Southern" (I'm liberal and from the Northeast. I'm open to other opinions, but I'd like a mix of viewpoints).
-supposedly mostly white upper-middle class kids? That's what my town is like now, and I really want to experience more diversity in college.
-heavy Greek presence (not something I'm interested in. Does it dominate the social scene?)
-location - suburban town, not as much to do, tougher to get around without car.
-essay for their app, plus an 800-worder for the Fellows app (actually the best prompt I've read yet, so I'm kind of pumped, but still really time-consuming).</p>

<p>Guilford:</p>

<p>Pros:
-big emphasis on community, tolerance, and and service (due to the Quaker influence)
-very nice campus
-location - in a small city. I'm not sure how much of a "college town" Greensboro is, but I'm pretty sure it's better than Elon. Students get free bus access, if i remember correctly - so easier to get around without a car.
-I read it was "liberal for a school in the South," (<--which hopefully means a mix of viewpoints?) and more diverse than Elon
-They're waiving my application fee and giving me a special application: "More Than an Application"
-Only 1 250-word essay on "why Guilford."</p>

<p>Cons:
-Size: only 1400 traditional students. The number doubles when you count adult continuing-education students. I'm not sure how big it would actually feel with those numbers. My next smallest is 2800. 1400 is pretty tiny.
-"More Than an Application" is due Monday (I've started it, but still.)
-Possibly not as strong academically as Elon? (I'm not sure about this).</p>

<p>Thank youu for your help!!! (oh and if it matters, I'm probably going to be a science major - possibly Chem).</p>

2

<p>I think you've summed up the differences fairly accurately. Though there are other posters with more and better (ie: first-hand) info than me, I will take a stab at 2 of your questions.</p>

<p>Yes, Elon is stronger academically than Guilford. I'm not sure how that plays out for you - - maybe you'll get a larger merit award from Guilford (larger even accountinf for Elon's lower sticker price). But then you'd have to complete the more-than-an-app that's due tomorrow.</p>

<p>Guilford is much smaller than Elon. But will some of what you want from a larger school be satisfied by the fact that Guilford is in a small city with at a large university?</p>

<p>YOu might also want to post on the Parent's Forum, since ther is no Elon board.</p>

<p>Good luck.</p>

3

<p>if you are worried about elon's social conservatism, you shouldn't be. when i visited, my tour guide was this awesome african american guy from new york city and he stopped by his dorm and introduced his friends, and none of them seemed preppy or republican( haha). my family and i ate at one of the awesome cafeterias/food courts, and everyone was dressed super casual, like sweatpants/sweatshirts, and i did not see too many "preps."</p>

<p>i think elon's awesome, but since you are looking for a more liberal school, did you ever think about c of c? its awesome there too.</p>

4

<p>I don't think anyone doubts that Elon is a good school, but since no school is right for everyone, social fit is important. And, I don't think one person's experience on an admissions tour is necessarily representative of what the campus is really like. </p>

<p>I haven't visited Elon, but I have visited more colleges than I care to remember. And, while the one word description are not fully accurate, they do generally capture the campus culture - - you will find more hippies at the thippie schools (Hampshire, Guilford, Pitzer, etc.) and while all the women at Smith aren't lesbians, the lesbian community is fairly large, vocal and active. I suspect that the same is true for Elon's social conservativisn - - not that there isn't a liberal element on campus, but that may be minority view on campus and certainly less so than at a school like Guilford.</p>

5

<p>Thanks everyone for your replies
I've decided to finish up my Guilford app tonight. The biggest drawback for me was the size, but I think being in a city with other colleges, as nyc pointed out, would help counter that. I may apply to Elon as well, on January 10th. I'll have time to think about whether I want to fill out the application. Thanks again for your advice :)</p>

6

<p>Keep in mind, the majority of Elon's students hail from the good ol' north.</p>

7

<p>Is that also true of Guilford (or was your point that they were Yankee liberals - - to be expected at Guilford, and also present at Elon, though perhaps unexpectedly)?</p>

8

<p>guilford is kind of a **** hole my best friend goes there and ive been there. no fun, all hippies apparently and food sucks</p>

9

<p>Most of the cons you listed for Elon are true for the most part except for it being "southern." The vast majority of Elon students are from out of state and although there are many kids from the south, I would say over 60% are actually from the north, especially MA. </p>

<p>As far as the Greek presence, as a freshmen I can tell you that probably 90% of the parties I have been to this semester have been controlled by some frat. That is one thing that has me really worried for next year as I am on the fence about rushing/pledging.</p>

10

<p>No -- over 50% are from southern states. Almost 2000 from NC. There are less than 300 from MA (but that's still pretty high for a southern LAC). </p>

<p>It's kind of an urban legend that Elon's northern contingent is much larger than southern students. But there is a large OOS and non-southern population at Elon, compared to many other similarly-located schools.</p>