Has anyone recieved word about getting the Duke or Hollingsworth scholarship?
@inquiry101 Thank you so much for the insight of campus and the surrounding area. We just got back from accepted students day yesterday and I have to say although I was extremely impressed with the campus and programs offered, I feel my daughter would be bored to death there. It was a Friday and there seemed to be very little activity going on at campus. I didn’t expect it to be a hopping party scene but the vibe seemed to be very dull if I’m being honest. Downtown Greenville is awesome but I can see how as a college student it may not be all its cracked up to be. Agree about directly outside the campus area. I heard that recently TKE lost their membership at Furman so that may also add an extra layer to the toned down atmosphere of the party scene as well. If you are saying it is highly regulated, Im sure that event has added to it as well. The kids there are very smart no doubt, but the atmosphere past the GORGEOUS CAMPUS is a bit dull if I am being 100% honest. Of course you want your student to be focused but you also want them to have a good experience in college as well. All about balance. Work hard, play hard. To make the decision even more difficult, she was just informed that she was accepted to the Fellows Program at ELON so this makes Elon a very strong contender now.
We are looking forward to our visit to Furman and Greenville - will be considering all that you all shared regarding academics and things to do on campus. It is important. My S1 goes to a small NE LAC but they do a lot to keep the kids busy and engaged and he loves it. A little off class of 2023 but as my S2 has Furman in his top 3 sights is anyone here a Business (Accounting) major or have any experience with the major there? We are looking at a lot of NE business type schools but S2 wants south and really is impressed with Furman so far. Thanks
@OFF2COLLEGE2 I am glad you got the opportunity to visit! And I have to say, I completely understand your opinions after touring, as those are all things I mentioned and even parts of Furman I continue to not like even as an incoming Junior. And yes, TKE did lose their membership due to an incident in the fall, however they were not considered a “top fraternity” to begin with in terms of the party scene. A lot of that, as you mentioned, has to do with strict regulation of social events or anything related to the possibility of alcohol. For example, Sigma Nu just got their formal canceled (which is a HUGE deal considering male formals are away at beach front hotels in places such as Tybee, Hilton Head, Myrtle, etc.) simply because the event paperwork was not registered far enough ahead of time to our Asst. Greek Director—who is notoriously disliked by the greater student population. The campus is pretty, as is downtown but then again, not really what we go to school for. Good luck figuring everything out in the coming weeks and congrats to your daughter on the Elon Fellowship!
@abfranklin you would need to decline your admissions offer and then be in touch with enrollment (it is easiest to call them) and reiterate the situation.
@msw2023 Thats great to hear that the city feel and size would not be any space of hesitance! On an academic note, I completely understand the programming struggle, however I would not say that Furman is “known for” our sciences. This is a liberal arts university, not a research university ( Duke, Lehigh, Johns Hopkins, Drexel, etc.) so curriculum wise, in no way is emphasis on the sciences. We have general education requirements and out of the 18 of them, only three are STEM related, all other 15 are in the humanities. Also, in terms of the neuroscience minor, we do not have that here. I am/was a neuroscience major and recently had to switch over because the program left no room for my other classes I needed for post-grad (neuro majors have 19 required courses, then the 18 general ed requirements to fulfill a total of 37 courses in four years and that doesn’t include any required pre-requisites). But nonetheless, no neuroscience minor available here. Buses only go downtown on weekend nights (6pm to 2:30 am) and for the purpose of dropping off students of age to bars and/or a night event, other than that there is no other provided transportation to downtown. Its good she is involved and connected, and I highly encourage rushing if she is interested!
@OFF2COLLEGE2 do you have the same worries about Elon? (Boredom) I admit we haven’t visited Furman yet but boy that town of Elon is tiny!!
I’ve read about a party scene at Elon which honestly might sway too far in the other direction (meaning DS is not really a partner but does like to have things to do and a social life). Furman and Elon are considerations for us too.
Visited Furman University last Friday with my wife and son. We have similar concerns that others have expressed. Very nice facilities and we like the idea of the smaller class sizes and opportunities that those present. He really hit it off with some of the other admitted students and enjoyed the day on campus. Son is concerned about location and lack of things to do. Greenville is very nice, but not that easy to get too without a car (limited shuttle service). Plus, Greenville is nice… but not sure how much it really offers college age kids on limited budgets for entertainment. Son is accepted at Elon too and he has even more concerns about options there too. I think there might be more on campus activities at Elon, but they are definitely limited off campus. We had hoped FU being near Greenville and the mountains would make the off campus options more plentiful at FU… after our visit, we are still not sure there is enough to make a 4 year stay interesting enough for him.
@OFF2COLLEGE2 ; @bballjones ; @TS0104 reaching out as my D will be heading down to accepted student’s weekend at Elon on 4/12 and 4/13 and to Furman for 4/14 and 4/15. She was waitlisted for her top choice school so it leaves her with these 2 to choose from (she was accepted to some great schools in the Northeast but she wants a southern school). I honestly haven’t shared these concerns you have shared here with her as I am hoping she will be able to see for herself and make her own decision about which she feels would be a better fit. It does concern me however, as she is looking forward to “the college experience” and I fear that neither might provide that to her in a way that frankly, I think she deserves. She’s work her butt off through high school with clear sights on what she can achieve and do in college and it worries me.
I heard that there was limited shuttle service to Greenville, that’s crazy - @inquiry101 - could that be changed if enough students tried to engage the school for more frequent transportation there?
@Msw2023 we are thinking of trying to combine Elon and Furman 4/11-4/13. Doesn’t Furman have an accepted students day 4/12 with optional overnight 4/11? You’d have to miss a day at Elon, but you could get one day at both in one trip. Not perfect, but we are thinking this might be the best we can do at this point. We’ve been to one admitted students day elsewhere and did find it helpful being around a lot of other prospective students.
Just a sophomore chiming in on things to do- there are TONS of possibilities on and off campus. The party scene is there, and Furman has a work hard play hard environment. It doesn’t hold a candle to Clemson or USC, but it’s definitely present. Some of my favorite nights have been in the dorms with my friends, and everyone is usually less than a five minute walk from each other so sometimes it doesn’t make sense to “go out” when we’re all broke lol. My friends from high school that chose to go to small schools agree that smaller schools in general can get monotonous, but it’s generally easy to find something to do around Greenville. From what I gather from people I know that go to Elon, partying is more prevalent because of the more isolated location, but they really enjoy Elon.
Sometimes I think about if I would still choose Furman with what I know now, and I really think I would. On the tour, admissions really likes to sell a picture of community and support. For the most part, I find this aspect of Furman to be accurate. Whenever I needed help, there was a resource. Professors have been amazing and always accessible (I can speak to the humanities professors). Housing can be very finicky and the lottery system is annoying. You have to advocate for yourself and make an effort to be engaged on campus, which is true for many small colleges. Sorry I sound like a salesperson, I didn’t intend on it haha
A side note about TKE since it was mentioned- the decision to remove the chapter came from their national organization. Honestly, their removal didn’t really impact social life and the decision was generally supported by students. I attended the party that got them removed and the sanctions were warranted, in my opinion.
A little more I forgot to mention:
Furman shoves “The Furman Advantage” down your throat, and the jargon and weird marketing makes it even more confusing. However, I’ve found that the resources regarding internships, study away and research are solid. Furman fully funded my unpaid internship in a different city last summer, and I probably will receive these funds again this summer. I’m studying abroad, which is exciting. Applications and spots on study abroad are getting increasingly more competitive, so being able to study abroad is somewhat of a “privilege” (not a good thing, in my opinion) and you have to have a good GPA. A professor outside of my majors recently reached out to me about doing research with him because another professor told him about my niche interest in the topic area. So, I can’t really complain. Everyone has a different experience and mine has been generally positive, but it is easy to see how some students don’t like Furman- It definitely isn’t for everyone. This feels weirdly preachy I’m sorry
Thanks @pineapple1203 , very helpful. It’s not preachy, it’s your perspective and your experience, and every student will have their own. It is good to hear more about how the Furman Advantage has worked out for you and how you are finding the social life.
For those in this thread considering Elon V Furman, there are a few older threads on the board on this topic if you would like to take a look. THey are quite old, and it’s my perception that both schools have changed since then (Elon raising its academic profile, Furman becoming less conservative/religious).
While we too have concerns about the tiny Elon town, every student that we have heard who is there loves it and is not bored, at all. These are multiple students with varying perspectives on partying…not just the partiers.
Greetings! @TS0104 and @pinapple1203 some really helpful information. My D has befriended a half a dozen kids from all over who were accepted into Furman (including one who was accepted into Harvard) and as a group they agree that they won’t let it feel too small. I spoke to them a bit last night and suggested that they try to influence things by encouraging more shuttles to Greenville on the weekends, coordinate some day trips, etc. that will make weekends and such so that it will feel less “boring.” She is visiting both schools 4/12 - 4/15 (she couldn’t make accepted students’ day at both) and will hopefully make up her mind following that. I did review a bit of curriculum with her - because at the end of the day, she needs to be sure that she can study what she aspires to as well as participate in research and internships. I think being a “big fish in a small pond” beats the opposite, so we are hopeful.
@msw2023 and @TS0104 I would be curious to know where in the North you both are from? We live north of Boston. I ask this because there seems to be a couple of differences between Furman and Elon from what I have heard locally. A lot of kids from the North and Massachusetts go to Elon. They call it the Northern school of the South. Definitely a work hard play hard atmosphere there. My daughter was talking to another girl who is a freshman their this year from her school and she said the great thing about Elon is if you want a party, it is always around, BUT if you don’t want a party you don’t have to worry about FOMO or as I have been told the Fear Of Missing Out. This also means that the parties are in locations away from the dorms. She also said that it is not a “skate school” so if you think your gonna come here and party all the time you will not last long either…
We went to the accepted students day at Furman in March and have to say as much as I loved the campus it seemed pretty empty and a bit boring. They set up a area in the center of the school that had basketball girls there and some other tents and when it was done, it felt like when the carnival comes to an end in your town and there is nothing but silence and emptiness the next day.The people packed up very quickly as if the show had ended and shot out of the area. Very weird… cant explain it. Not like they should have stuck around or anything but the place seemed very quiet with not much activity going on throughout the day.
I will be curious to see that Elons accepted students day will be like for sure. We too are going down on the 12th and 13th. One thing I DID like that Furman did was the SEPARATION of the parents from the students for a good amount of the day. I hope Elon does the same thing, as I think this really gives kids the opportunity to explore and be themselves and really see if the other potential students and the atmosphere is what they want. Lets face it, in the end we are not going to be there with them so this I think is crucial for accepted students day.
Maybe after the accepted students day we can brainstorm on what your students thought?
Thanks @OFF2COLLEGE2 ! We are from Columbus, Ohio. Honestly, in our suburb the vast majority of kids stay in Ohio, so we don’t hear much about ANY out of state schools. But some here have heard of Elon and only have heard great things from kids attending there. My neighbor works in one of our good LACs here and says Elon is fantastic. No one here has heard of Furman, and we hadn’t either until the college search.
Thanks for posting what your daughter talked to the Elon freshman about! We are also going to Elon next weekend…I’ll post back in an Elon thread.
My daughter is strongly considering Furman. We visited once when she auditioned for music. Initially she wanted a big school in a big city, but everyone we met at Furman was so wonderful! They have recruited her more strongly than the other schools she auditioned at. I am not worried about her being bored at Furman. I think parents and students get a little too caught up in that idea. These kids usually didn’t have a say in where they went to high school and most had a great time. My daughter enjoyed high school and her high school was under half the size of Furman. She finds a way to have fun where ever she goes. We live in a city bigger than Greenville and what does she take advantage of? Next to nothing. Her and her friends go to restaurants, coffee shops and the mall, all of which can be found in Greenville. She will not have a car there initially, but I understand that 90% of the kids do. With so many breaks, weekends to get off campus, summer, study abroad, I don’t worry that she will be bored. Bloom where you are planted is her attitude. When I remember my college days, the fun was in the dorm room or other places with friends, it wasn’t about where we went. My daughter is not a partier, but is super social so I think it may be easier for that type of kid to see themselves at Furman. These kids will change so much in the next 4 years that it is hard to pick a school according to who they are now. My daughter has lots of great choices, but the decision is completely hers. I’m glad that she doesn’t seem conflicted. She loved Furman right away. Will be going to the accepted student’s day this Friday and will stay overnight with a current student. Hope to meet some of these other students and parents!
@OFF2COLLEGE2 & @TS0104 we are from Milford, CT. My D is heading down to Elon’s Rising Phoenix weekend and is then headed over to Furman to try to mirror the same. She is planning to make a decision following this visit. I am a bit concerned about the recent news about the Furman student…makes me wonder if this is a side effect of being too strict. My D isn’t a big partier but does want to rush, and I brought this to her attention as it is a concern.
She too is a singer and wants to sing in an acapella group on campus. She’s friended a nice group of kids who are committed to Furman as freshman and she’s really taken a liking to them…Elon would have to come on pretty strong for her to lean away from Furman at this point.
Happy to compare notes after this trip!
@msw2023 @TS0104 so if you go to my comments on Elon you can read all about what I thought. In short, the weather was horrible, we felt trapped in the new athletic center for most of the weekend, but in the end she absolutely loved it, met a ton of people she hit it off with immediately, and has committed to Elon. I wish you all the very best of luck with Furman. It is a great school, just not the right fit for my daughter.