My son has been accepted to F&M but with no money, ditto at Northeastern, which is even more expensive. This is in addition to a an excellent state university and some others. I’m drawn to F&M because of its attention to the students and I especially loved their writing center. Son wasn’t crazy about location. Any recent thoughts and experiences with F&M to share? The last general string I found here was from 2008.
My son applied early and was accepted and he will be attending with the class of 2021 with no aid. It was his first choice, and we looked at lots of schools. Franklin and Marshall had record applications again this year (6700+/-) My son fell in love with the place when we visited and interviewed. I know Boston well living 30 miles away and having an older son who just graduated from Syracuse looking for work in the city. I also know a little about Northeastern and have heard very good things about how they integrate work-study into their course work. Of course, it is a huge school (good and bad…more selection of varied courses of study but more anonymity ), and Boston is a great city. As far as Franklin and Marshall is concerned, I see it as an excellent liberal arts college with a rising profile and desirability. Many recent initiatives are making Franklin and Marshall more well known outside of the mid-Atlantic. I don’t know first hand but I hear that there is a very open relationship between teachers and students. They have a large, solid alumni network even in the Boston area. Harwood Commons was just constructed and is a center for career counseling which has a strong focus at F&M. As far as the area is concerned, Lancaster is not Boston. However it is a vibrant small city, with lots going on downtown and certainly way ahead of locations of schools like Bucknell, Lehigh, Lafayette, etc… And the train runs close to campus for trips to Philadelphia. The thing is, most of the time is going to be spent with activities on campus. Franklin & Marshall also has the house system which helps to integrate new students into college life and there are still a variety of fraternities as part of the social scene…also the best dorms and housing options we saw anywhere. Lots of recent alumni giving including a new stadium and new Steven Holl designed arts building. So you know your son, his personality and interests better than anyone. I would suggest you and your son attend the open houses for admitted students on April 7th or the 14th before you make a decision. Hope this helps, I know how hard this is!
Tempkid has been accepted as well and is weighing it against two other options. I’m an alumnus and can’t speak highly enough about the school and the changes that they’ve made over the last 10 or so years have been transformational and their plan for further development over the next few years is just great. Lancaster too has gone through a transformation. For better or worse, much of the heavy industry has departed. The downtown seems much more prosperous and culturally vibrant than during my time there. And the surrounding Amish and Mennonite communities lend a unique cultural quality to the place.
My daughter’s a freshman at F&M and my husband went to Northeastern (albeit 25 years ago). The attention to students at F&M isn’t a myth, and my daughter is thriving there. And there is SO much to do; she’s constantly busy, but then she’s a joiner.
My husband has no particular love for Northeastern. It was a big, impersonal school. However, he got a great co-op job, and is STILL at the same company, 25 years later. That’s nothing to sneeze at.
I am wondering if anyone can opine on the premed support at FandM. My D likes the school but has read online that more than half the students drop their premed dreams because of the difficulty involved with chemistry and math classes. Would Unuon College, St Lawrence or Trinity be a better premed choice? She is a great student but has some difficulty with math/physics.
My son is premed and I think F&M is his current top choice. Lehigh and Temple honors are his other favorites currently. F&M seem to have a lot of premed support as far as a committee and advising. If you get through the classes F&M has a good reputation for premed.
Hi guys! I am a current F&M student so I hope I can help answer a few of these questions from a student’s perspective.
I think Lancaster is actually one of F&M’s strengths and the location is one of the reasons I like it so much. Lancaster is a pretty city with a young alternative crowd and bustling downtown. For a small city, there is a remarkable amount to do. It is not as safe as a suburb but the school has gone great lengths to mitigate this and I personally do not feel unsafe on campus or in the immediate surroundings, ever. I love Lancaster and I think it is a wonderful city to experience before moving on after college.
The professors at F&M are top-notch. I haven’t heard of anyone having a bad professor. The small class sizes are so helpful - the bond that forms between a class and a professor is something I know my friends at larger schools cannot compete with, and wish they had themselves. I LOVE that I am a first-year taking mostly general education classes, but they all have 15-20 kids and are run with a ton of professor/student interaction. A lot of the upper-level classes in my majors only have 10-15 on a regular basis. Class sizes and professor engagement is F&M’s biggest strength, in my opinion.
I am a humanities major so I can’t speak to premed that much. I do know of several people that have given up because F&M is a very hard school, and science classes are hard everywhere, so it follows that the level of rigor is not for everyone. That’s all I can say on it without speculating too much. If you have any more questions and want a student’s input, let me know!
@jaynebee - My D is prehealth at F&M, and the prehealth advisor seems quite helpful. It is true that F&M is not an easy school, and premed is not an easy major, so your D needs to be prepared for hard work. That said, I’m pretty sure a large percentage of pre-med students at any college give up on that dream for various reasons. That seems to be normal, and not something that’s specific to F&M.