<p>I'd love to hear the thoughts of any parents and/or students who are familiar with these two schools beyond what you can find in their websites and college books.</p>
<p>Thank you.</p>
<p>Personally, I consider Sewanee to be of a higher academic caliber than Elon. The downside for some, however, is that it is very remote and insular. Greek life is huge. It is a stunning campus and setting. My D thought it was just too remote for her but loved the academics. The schools reputation continues to rise as well. I think it is an outstanding option for the right person.</p>
<p>My D also looked at Elon and loved the campus. It is not in the same academic league as Sewanee but it is larger and less remote. They also have some great facilities, particularly their Communications and Business programs. They also have a very reasonable tuition. D initially liked Elon as a second choice but ended up getting accepted into her dream school.</p>
<p>Both schools, particularly Sewanee, really should be visited. Good luck to you!</p>
<p>I agree with everything in the above post and have little to add. </p>
<p>I’d encourage you to look into U Richmond and Rhodes as well. Both have stunning campuses, top-notch academics, and nice urban settings. I’ve only visited Rhodes but was VERY favorably impressed; my sister visited/applied to U Richmond as well as Elon and liked both.</p>
<p>^ For whatever it is worth, you can also add Furman. My D thought their combination of academics and campus setting was the perfect fit. It has the academic intensity and reputation you would expect from Sewanee while having one of the most beautiful campuses I have ever been to.</p>
<p>Agree with all the above. My D attends Furman, applied and would have attended Richmond if Furman did not work out. She also applied to Elon, it was further down the scale for her because of academics, however their Comm and Business schools are wonderful. One side note to Elon, we loved the town of Elon but wondered what would continue to appeal to the kids socially after the first year. Not too much to do there. Felt a little car dependant. (To us)</p>
<p>Good luck in your search.</p>
<p>Thank you all. </p>
<p>My niece is a current freshman at Furman and although she was a bit homesick at the beginning (did not know anyone going there), she finished the semester on a high note and is very much looking forward to next semester. Academically, she was quite challenged but felt comfortable reaching out to her professors for help. So Furman is definitely on my radar. </p>
<p>My S is a junior in HS, so I am just sending out feelers right now. I am also pretty familiar with Rhodes but have not visited yet. The only school mentioned on this thread that I have visited so far is the University of Richmond. I went a few years ago with my oldest D who is currently a second year at UVa and was favorably impressed.</p>
<p>Please keep your comments coming…</p>
<p>LOL. Love the comments about Elon not being in the same academic league as Sewannee. Wrong wrong wrong! They are becoming as exclusive as UNC and now harder to get into that NCState. Fact. Avg. SAT’s are mid 1200’s. </p>
<p>Sewannee is a wonderful school in the mountains of Tennessee, and Episcopal and small. Its also got a reputation like W & L as being frat/sorority oriented and with the usual drinking issues. Elon has some of that as well, but on a smaller scale and less social pressure to join the frats/sororities. Elon has Division I sports and they are much improving. Gorgeous campus. If Elon kids don’t date each other they often date Wake Forest or UNC kids. I know this from friends of friends.</p>
<p>Its a flip of the coin on many issues and really comes down to what you think about them yourselves as you visit both campuses. Elon is Disciples of Christ, but not overbearing in the least. They are HUGE into studying abroad and doing internships. I know for a fact their students/graduates are prized for work ethic and being prepared. </p>
<p>Many of these schools are in the same category and its up to you to decide where you fit in the best and will excel. Furman, Richmond, Elon, Sewannee, Wake, etc. Though Wake is a tad bit more exclusive. </p>
<p>Presbyterian College and Wofford in South Carolina are also very much worth a look see. </p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>Elon has an excellent reputation here in the northeast, and is getting better known every year. I’ve never heard of Sewanee. It may be a great school, but that’s something to consider if you’re considering working outside of the south after college.</p>
<p>Sewanee *is *far stronger than Elon academically, and that has nothing to do with its median SAT ranges, which look almost identical to Elon’s except for Sewanee’s higher 75th-percentile scores, and everything to do with its proud tradition in English and the humanities, and with its small, writing-intensive classes.</p>
<p>I think these are two very different schools, though, and much depends on what kind of environment the student is after.</p>
<p>While Sewanee does have a large Greek scene, it is very inclusive and the parties (I think this is still the case) are open to everyone. That makes a difference.
I love Sewanee, but it IS isolated and is not for everyone. I always thought one of my kids would go there, but neither did. Daughter (about to be ordained as an Episcopal priest) thinks it is a magical place now that she is a young adult and worked up on "the mountain) as a camp chaplain this summer. WildChild loves the beauty of it- for about a day. It is a highly regarded school- and not just in the south. I think you get a great education.
Rhodes is wonderful, too, but Memphis is pretty sketchy. I realize the Rhodes campus is beautiful, but there’s still Memphis…</p>
<p>LOL…Ghost is talking his/her own book. Nobody is accusing Sewanee of being weak in any department. But its not FAR stronger than Elon. For what its worth, Elon is also very well known for its writing, literature and communications departments. They have produced famous columnists for the New York Times, writers for SNL, a plethora of people who work for The Turner Channel and CNN. </p>
<p>And frankly, Elon is better known up and down the eastern seaboard. Its larger. </p>
<p>In many ways I hate these compare/contrast threads because it always turns into a spitting match between (frequently students) opposing forces. That is not the intent of the OP, I am certain. </p>
<p>Both schools are fabulous. Its about finding the right fit for the applicant, and that is highly subjective. I’ve got no dog in this fight, in case you asked. I just happen to know both schools (been to both) and liked them both and know people (as in plural) who went to both.</p>
<p>Um, I don’t go to Sewanee.</p>
<p>
I disagree. Memphis is one of my favorite southern cities and has a lot going for it in terms of food, culture/arts, and stuff to do. Parts of it are sketchy, admittedly, like some of downtown. The best parts of Memphis are as safe as you’ll get in a city, however (e.g. the Midtown and Cooper-Young area near Rhodes). I think it’s very much an underrated city.</p>
<p>I really disagree about Memphis. I know many, many people who live there and many who have moved from there to Nashville. There is a great amount of crime- even in the very nice areas. Yes, it is a fun city to visit, but as far as somewhere to live, it is less than desirable.</p>
<p>My apologies Ghostt. Its just the usual people who do that. </p>
<p>However, both schools are wonderful but also distinct and really on a fairly even ranking. USNWR routinely ranks Elon near the top in the South for regional schools. I know for a fact that kids from New Jersey, Long Island, Pennsylvania have “discovered” Elon as an alternative to the usual southern schools on their maps like Wake, Duke, W & L, UVa etc. The license plates in the parking lot I saw were a testament to that fact. </p>
<p>I dont trash schools. Its really bad form. If I don’t like a school I usually just say nothing or politely direct someone’s direction elsewhere. But when good schools pop up, I am happy to recommend them to people. In the end it is always the student/parent’s choice based on their own subjective factors, which is as it should be. </p>
<p>My kid had very clear opinions on her schools when she visited in the 05-06 cycle. That didnt make the schools good, better or awful. It was simply an opinion based on her criteria. I also have certain things I look for in a school, which may include architectural pleasing, as well as academic strengths. There are some really good schools which are really ugly out there! LOL. </p>
<p>We went to one school where the admissions counselor was a Harvard graduate and she trashed Harvard something awful. My eyes were raised, but I said nothing. </p>
<p>Some people love UVa, for example, and some people say “no thanks!”</p>
<p>A friend attended Sewanee about 15 years back, and says now that it was entirely the wrong fit for her. She’s more of the quirky/alternative bent, the liberal black sheep of a southern conservative family, and she found Sewanee too conservative (socially and politically) for her. She had no complaints about the academics. So, keep personal fit very much in mind. Clearly a great school for some students.</p>
<p>The Episcopal Church is apparently quite liberal which makes me wonder if the faculty and staff of Sewanee is generally more liberal than the student body. Also, the student body at Sewanee is conservative, but not monolithically so I hope. The horses there are probably not especially political which probably matters as much as anything else for us. :)</p>
<p>This is an interesting comparison, because Sewanee and Elon are very different schools. Sewanee is a Liberal Arts College, Elon a Regional University. My daughter is considering both - but for very different reasons. </p>
<p>Sewanee is an excellent academic school (aka The University of the South) - but might not be as well known in the Northeast. It’s very highly regarded in the deep south. It’s much smaller than Elon (1500 undergrad) and has has the unique distinction of being “owned” by the Episcopal Church (there’s a seminary there). Classes are small (11:1). Folks down here consider Sewanee to be fairly academically liberal (amazing Religion and English departments by the way) and I suppose it’s viewed as being somewhat politically liberal, too - but one must consider the source of that opinion! Non-southerners might disagree with that assessment. Everyone I’ve known who has attended Sewanee has loved it. It is definitely in a beautiful but very remote area. Something to consider. They welcome students of non-Christian faiths - but I’m not aware of what the demographics are. Something that is important to us since we are Jewish. Episcoplians are considered very “open minded” Christians (I can say that because I used to be one ;). Not evangelical in the least. </p>
<p>Elon is larger than Sewanee (approx 5000 undergrads) and really does have a strong Northeastern draw (we were told tons of apps from NJ, PA, NY, MA, MD, NC). We visited this fall and were very impressed. Elon’s acceptance rate is lower than Sewanee’s (but I think that Sewanee has a pretty small applicant pool). I don’t think they are affiliated with Disciples of Christ any longer (?). They are actively recruiting a diverse student population (student who gave us a tour was a Syrian Muslim - delightful - and very, very happy). It’s gotten a ton of national press in the last few years - and their applications have soared. Campus is really pretty. They are really doing something right there. BTW they have a terrific Communications program there. Surrounding area is very suburban (Piedmont area of NC so close to several decent sized cities).</p>
<p>Both schools are great - but again, very different. Sewanee seems to me to be closer to Kenyon than Elon as far as vibes go.</p>
<p>I think it’s important to note that Sewanee’s new President was the former President of Middlebury College - one of the best schools in the country. It will be interesting to see where this takes them.</p>
<p>Elon almost forces you to study abroad. And they are very service oriented. Sewannee is a fine school…but its prep city. And heavy drinking.</p>