Eon vs Furman

<p>Thanks for the welcome. They’re both great schools, no doubt about it. In terms of campus life, I’d say both schools are quite inclusive and orientation in particular is well done at both places - think Elon’s is shorter by a day or so. I’ve attended football games at both schools - I really like the best of both worlds aspect - it’s real football, with some talent on the field and real rivalries, good bands and so on - students really attend and cheer, even if football isn’t their thing. Furman’s stadium is nicer and bigger, but Elon has the hotter team right now. More on campus life - I hear some complaints about dining halls closing too early, but no complaints that are serious about the food. Furman just added Moe’s to its snack area, along with Chik-fil-A and Einstein’s bagels. Elon, being larger, has more different places to go to eat on campus, and they’re lovely - including a non-Starbucks coffeehouse.</p>

<p>Academically, while I perceive that Elon has made great strides, particularly in the caliber of its students, I think there is still a big delta between the academic rigor of the two institutions. Elon has managed its extraordinary growth by hiring lots of adjunct faculty, and it has a lower percentage of faculty with terminal degrees (highest degree in their academic field). But it is aggressively hiring, and the quality of the faculty is improving. And importantly, I have been impressed with the enthusiasm of the Elon faculty. Furman’s faculty quality is simply higher, and surprisingly diverse in background and point-of-view. Furman has significantly expanded its faculty numbers over the last several years, to serve its new curriculum and calendar. Furman’s class sizes are smaller, but Elon’s aren’t huge to start with. Furman has two freshman seminars, one writing focused, the other substantive - Elon has Elon 101, a great introduction seminar style class, but it’s more about socialization and study skills, not substance. I am a huge fan of the Furman seminars - amazing topics. You can see a list, I think, online. Furman’s track record on prestigious fellowships and graduate school admissions is better (med school, law school, so on). </p>

<p>And the person who talked about long, tired faces during exam season is right. There is an intensity to academic performance at Furman, but I would tell you it is not as intense as Davidson, for example. Exam intensity at Elon has more to do with students who’ve procrastinated.</p>

<p>My D is a freshman at Furman and we are from the great lakes area. She looked at W&M, Davidson, Elon, U of Miami, etc. She considers herself agnostic, liberal and not preppy. DD loves Furman. She says everyone is friendly and helpful. She fits right in and as I type this she cannot wait to get back from winter break. Yes, Furman is rigorous - but D keeps saying how much she learns and she loves the professors and small classes. When DD visited Elon and asked the guide what do you do if you don’t go greek - he answered by laughing. That turned DD off and Elon was off the list. It’s best if you can visit and see how a college feels.</p>

<p>Interesting anecdote. The guide on our visit, when asked about going greek, rather dismissively replied that one could do that, if one had time. I am left with the impression, from that and reading on CC, that greek life does not dominate at Elon. I hope this is true, since greek life is probably not DD’s cup of tea. Anyone have thoughts on that, such as Shelbymom?</p>

<p>Greek isn’t dominant on either campus - I think the reported percentages are in the 30’s - (forgive me if I’m off a bit; haven’t looked it back up), slightly higher at Elon, I think. Without Greek housing of any size (at Elon there are some small Greek houses, at Furman there are Greek halls in a couple of dorms and then some offsite Greek houses for up to 6 or 10 seniors, just for one or two frats), neither Elon nor Furman have an environment in which it is unpleasant or outside the mainstream to remain non-Greek. Greeks don’t rule student government in either place, for example, which is hugely different at other schools. I recall that both schools, fortunately, have delayed rush - which is the most important factor of all. Fall rush for freshman is a recipe for disaster - too much partying too soon. [Allow me to digress on the subject of alcohol. To the credit of this generation, they generally take quite seriously the notion of driving under the influence, and are very good about either using a designated driver (my 21 year old son tells me when he’s “DD”) or using college provided transportation - called SafeRides at Elon, and the Drunk Bus (maybe it has a fancier name, but that’s what they call it) at Furman. Back to my point - DUI is not the problem these days - binge drinking is - at every college.]</p>

<p>Both Elon and Furman have some town/gown issues related to offsite student housing used for parties, mostly by frats. </p>

<p>In short, I wouldn’t differentiate Elon and Furman on greek issues.</p>

<p>As a Freshma-Sophmo-Junior at Furman (more on this later), who looked at both Elon and Furman during the application process, who had a very close cousin who graduated from Elon and who is from Maryland and is religiously agnostic, I think that I can comment on a lot of concerns about the school itself.</p>

<p>The first thing that I would say to people when looking at colleges is not to believe the stereotypes. I’ve found in my first year here at Furman that while racial diversity is limited (I won’t lie, I’ve had classes that have been all-white, or nearly all-white), there is much more religious, cultural, and socio-economic diversity than many people will give the school credit for. Additionally, the incoming president, Rodney Smolla, is the current Dean of Law at Washington and Lee college and has stated that increasing Furman’s diversity is one of his major goals for his tenure here.</p>

<p>Yes, a significant number of Furman students do go to church on a nearly weekly basis. Yes, in the DH (Furman students abbreviate nearly everything, including Dining Hall), there is O God Thank You For This, Our Daily Bread (if I can remember correctly). Yes, we do have an amazingly gorgeous chapel on campus that is large, and very noticeable. Yes, the student body is, in many ways, conservative politically and socially. Yes, students do dress up for class, with Ralph Lauren, Vineyard Vines, Southern Proper, Southern Tides, Patagonia, North Face, and Mountain Hardware all being the most popular brands). Yes, Southern manners are important, and students will hold the door open for you. Yes, there are a large number of students who have a lot, lot of money (I know a guy whose father’s unfortunate passing two years ago has left him with a $36 million dollar trust fund). Yes, religious organizations play a large, but not annoyingly in-your-face, role on campus.</p>

<p>All of these factors play a role in shaping the culture of Furman. This is completely true. At the same time, my best friend at school is an avowed Athiest from Connecticut who never goes to church, who goes out on a near nightly basis, and who never gets dressed up unless we’re going downtown. One of my other best friends is a hippie rock climber from Atlanta who goes climbing four times a week and is a huge bluegrass music fan. Another of my friends is a Jewish guy who is a religious major and is the most warm-hearted and fun people I’ve ever been around. On my hall, Republicans are outnumbered by Democrats, and a bunch of people have signed “sustainability pledges.” My RA goes to church, and is always willing to accommodate people who also want to go, but he certainly isn’t knocking on anyone’s door Sunday morning.</p>

<p>To anyone who visits Furman and decides it is not the school for them, there is a very good chance it isn’t. Furman is an extremely difficult school. There is no way to sugarcoat the fact that if you come to Furman, you will spend more time studying than you thought humanly possible. Luckily, Furman has one of the best college libraries in the country, some of the best advisors in the country, one of the best tutoring programs, the incredible Freshman seminar program, professors who will come in to work on a Saturday if that’s what it takes for them to make an appointment with you, fellow students who will pause writing an essay due the next day to help you work on your Spanish homework, drop dead beautiful facilities, and an overall atmosphere of hospitality and hard work.</p>

<p>Furman doesn’t have the over-the-top party scene that many schools have. I would say that this is the greatest cause for student discontentment. I believe that the stress people have from the workload certainly can make people look unhappy, but I don’t think it really makes people unhappy with the school, overall. Furman has a strict dry campus policy. There is no way to get around the fact that Furman does not have big parties on campus. Last semester, because of zoning changes in Greenville County, most fraternities did not have houses, and because of upstate SC’s Phoenix taskforce, which was created to fight underage drinking, there were really no large house parties (other than the first week, when numerous students received citations). This means that the social life revolves primarily around smaller parties in the on-campus apartments (which are technically dry), and the awesome bars and other clubs downtown. I don’t see this as a bad thing, at all. In fact, because of Furman’s strict policies, I find that it is much, much easier for me to focus on my work. If I want to go out, I know exactly where to go, but if I need to study, I’m not distracted by on-campus drinking. Furman also has a four-year residency requirement that has few exceptions (for those living with parents, for four upperclassmen per fraternity, and for a few other programs).</p>

<p>Elon, on the other hand, has a much more developed Greek system, with on campus Greek housing. I saw this, and was a bit put off by the proximity of Greek housing to the other housing, and by the segregation of Greeks to the other students. Here at Furman, Greeks live next to independents, and are fully integrated into the school. The Fraternities throw a lot of parties downtown, but few at houses and no open apartment parties. The system leads to much more unity on campus, I think. </p>

<p>When it comes to academics, I don’t think there is really any comparison between Furman and Elon. To put it simply, Furman is far and away better. Our Political Science department is top-notch (albeit more conservative than not), and our Natural Sciences are phenomenal. While Elon has been improving recently, Furman is one of the best academic schools in the country. Because of Furman’s limited national name recognition, it’s a lot easier to get into than other schools of similar academic prowess, but it is a school that is incredible almost across the board. Some departments are fairly small, but almost all are great. I will say that there is grade deflation here, which makes students stress out, but grad schools know that, and will look at Furman students accordingly. As I mentioned earlier, I’m a freshma-sophmo-junior, which means that I came in to Furman with three semesters worth of credit from APs, so I’m in the graduating class of 2012, am technically a first semester junior right now, and am in my first year at the school. Last semester, I got the chance to take four primarily freshmen classes. This semester, I am in two upper level PolSci classes, which are amazing and rigorous, my freshman writing seminar (awesome), and Spanish (can’t lie, I really don’t like Spanish). I’ve gotten the chance to see the intro classes, which are of high quality, but aren’t too hard to be impossible for freshmen, and upper level classes, which are far more demanding, but are taught extremely well.</p>

<p>As for the surrounding area, Furman has the far and away advantage. Greenville is an international business hub, featuring corporations such as BMW, Michelin, and a number of prominent advertising agencies. The downtown is spectacular, with a huge number of mid-to-upper range restaurants, and a plethora of bars. The Reedy River runs through town, and there is a great park that straddles it. I go downtown about two-three times per week, which is probably slightly more than average. I could not go to school in a place that wasn’t within five miles of a major city. At the same time, the fact that Furman isn’t within walking distance of Greenville means that people have an incentive to find things to do on campus. Furman has the unique Cultural Learning Program that makes students actually go to on-campus events like lectures, movies, and presentations. To graduate, one needs to attend 32 events designated as CLPs. There are numerous CLPs available, and I was able to get 16 over last semester, alone. The school has a great radio station (which I’m a DJ at–you can listen to my show, and even call in with questions, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday nights 10p-12a. Hit the listen online link on the right-hand side of fuwpls.■■■■■■■■■■■■■), a great newspaper (which I write for), and a huge number of clubs and other extra-curriculars. Furman students are incredibly involved, which is really awesome.</p>

<p>I hope that I was able to answer as many questions, as I could. Obviously, I love Furman incredibly much, and will be happy to answer any additional questions that you post or PM me. When it comes down to it, I think that if you’ve really looked at both schools in-depth and spent time on both campuses, the decision will come naturally. That said, I’m incredibly glad I chose Furman, and hope that more people will in the future (especially Northerners! I’m tired of getting made fun of for my “merr-lin” accent!).</p>

<p>I’m a student who went to Furman for a year and a half and then transferred so I think I might be able to give a little insight. Although I am much happier now (I transferred to Clemson) I still think pretty highly of Furman as a whole. </p>

<p>Furman is a “southern” school but there are a lot of people that come in who are not southern at all and love it. There is a predominantly large conservative vibe on campus but there is also a growing number of outspoken liberals as well. I was attending Furman when President Obama won the election and the reaction from all of my friends at Furman was pretty much 50/50 if that helps at all.</p>

<p>Academically, Furman is tough. Most students study A LOT. Furman is a stressful environment but if that’s the kind of environment that you can excel in, you’ll do great. The professors are tough but also very helpful. They want you to learn the material and do well so they will help you. I was a music major when I was at Furman so I spent most of my time with those profs, and they are great. </p>

<p>I don’t remember who said Furman isn’t very Greek, but I’m sorry, your wrong. Furman has become much more greek after the last several years. It’s not really that way for guys but when it comes to girls, being in a sorority is important. I was not in one, and it was difficult to not be in one and sometimes I felt left out.</p>

<p>Furman says they are a dry campus. I have to admit, that it’s not. It’s a pretty damp campus actually. But, for most colleges, it has FAR less alcohol and partying.</p>

<p>The only thing that really bothered me about Furman (other than then not having my major lol) was that they seem to encourage students to overcommit. Like students are in every club plus a campus ministry, a sorority, Furman singers, and everything else under the sun and I personally believe that’s too much.</p>

<p>Even though Furman was not the right fit for me, It’s a great school!</p>

<p>When we visited Furman, we were struck by the number of Christian social organizations - but more importantly by the blank look we received when we asked if there were any Jewish organizations. No judgements, but I would think that you may not feel all that comfortable there if you are not Christian. Elon on the other hand has a vibrant Jewish community.</p>

<p>they were associated with the Baptists for 170 years and the founder Rev Richard Furman was one of the prominrnt Baptists of his time. They have tried for 15 year to shake that. It doenst happen overnight. But they are trying. Here’s their div statment:</p>

<p>Furman University seeks to reflect the diversity of the global community within which it exists and aspires to create an inclusive community of women and men of different races, religions, geographic origins, socioeconomic backgrounds, personal characteristics, and interests. As the university promotes understanding and mutual respect of all members of its community, the division of Student Life, in collaboration with the academic areas of the university works, strives to create both a social climate which is nurturing of new ideas and a community eager to learn and benefit from each other in an atmosphere of positive engagement and mutual respect.
The goal of all student life programs will be to reflect diverse perspectives of openness, honesty, tolerance and mutual respect, civic responsibility, global awareness, and bold intellectual inquiry. Freedom from discrimination, harassment, and violence against persons or property is respected as a basic right for all members of the university community. Any action disregarding this freedom will be challenged swiftly and collectively.</p>

<p>Appreciate everyone’s comments. D has a Furman visit lined up in April. She is not interested in Elon because she did not feel that it was as serious academically as Furman is. That is only her opinion as an outsider. Having an excellent library is really important to her so that really tipped the scales in Furman’s favor at this point.</p>

<p>Appreciate everyone’s comments. D has a Furman visit lined up in April. She is not interested in Elon because she did not feel that it was as serious academically as Furman is. That is only her opinion as an outsider. Having an excellent library is really important to her so that really tipped the scales in Furman’s favor at this point.</p>

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<p>^ My D also decided upon Furman over Elon, primarily based upon the academic strength of and reputation of her individual major at Furman. She loved the overall feel of Elon and the solid mix of academics and student life and as her parents, we loved the price and value. D, however, had her heart and mind set on Furman. Once she was accepted, her mind was made up. As I said in an earlier post, both colleges are great for the right fit. They are very different and difficult to compare, like comparing apples and oranges. </p>

<p>I think if you love Elon, you will do fine. If you love Furman, you will also do fine.</p>

<p>And wherever she loves is the right place for her to go!</p>