All those who got invitations for the duke scholarship, would you mind sharing your stats?
No SAT/ACT, 4.0 non-weighted, lots of APs, college courses, and what I think was the strongest part of her application were 2 reference letters from experiences she has had in the past. We are so proud of her…but I’m sure there are many, many equally or more qualified candidates out there.
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Top 1% of class, 34 ACT, 13APs, State level leadership, student gov officer, 3 season varsity athlete…etc.
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My D’s bestie was also invited. So excited for her!
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Congratulations! Good luck with the interviews : )
Just found out my OOS son was awarded the Bell Tower Scholarship at 30K per year! So proud of him and pleased with Furman’s generosity! 
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Congratulations! That is generous for the Bell Tower, I believe!!!
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I just got in as an in-state student. Also, I got awarded the Bell Tower scholarship.
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Just got the Townes scholarship as OOS!!!
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Anyone knows the exact decision for RD applicants?
By March 1
Hi all, following this thread with interest. Congrats on all the acceptances and merit scholarships!
My D is a junior, and I’m taking her next week during her spring break to visit Furman’s campus. We can’t get an official tour (they’re only allowing them for seniors right now), but I think we will be allowed to walk around campus on our own, esp if we stay masked and distanced. At least, I hope so. We’re only a couple hours away in Atlanta.
Question for you all – did you also look at Davidson, and what factors made your student choose Furman over Davidson?
Also, for the kids who received merit, were they high-stat kids who possibly could have applied to Duke, Vandy, Emory, etc?
My kiddo has very good stats (4.3 GPA, 36 ACT, weaker overall EC’s but with a couple of standouts) – and right now, Emory is her top choice. But it’s hard to get merit scholarships at Emory – and frankly, it’s a reach to get in, for anyone. Furman seems much more likely for her, and it checks a lot of her boxes – small, good contact with professors, not too far from home, nice weather, cute small city, etc.
I guess what I’m asking is, would it be a valid choice for a kid to choose Furman with a lot of merit over a school like Emory with no merit? What if cost were not a huge factor for us – in that case, does it always make sense to go for the higher-ranked school? (This is all hypothetical, of course, based on acceptances.)
We won’t qualify for any need-based aid. And we’ve told her that we will pay for wherever she wants to go – but we do have two younger kids, one with disabilities who might need specialized schooling, so we don’t relish the thought of paying $75K if we don’t have to, lol.
D really isn’t keen on any in-state public schools – big state SEC with rah rah football is the exact opposite of what she wants.
Just thinking out loud on this topic – sorry if it’s in the wrong thread!
Happy to provide our perspective. Be prepared to only get to drive through campus. I’m not certain that will be the case, but it is a possibility, as the campus is still closed to the public.
Our daughter did consider Davidson, but, in the end, didn’t apply - largely because she had already been awarded a Hollingsworth before the Davidson RD deadline. We are SC residents, so she would not be able to utilize her Palmettos Fellows funds at Davidson. She also participated in a few info sessions and decided Furman was a better fit for her. Greenville is a larger town than the area surrounding Davidson.
Our daughter is high-stats (5.3W GPA, top 2% of highly competitive HS, lots of community service) and currently has RD decisions pending at Emory and Vandy. If she gets accepted to either, we would then have the conversation regarding the value of each acceptance/offer. Emory nursing would be hard to turn down.
I think you have to evaluate each school in light of her anticipated major/career path. There are differences/strengths in each of these schools’ programs. Compare the programs, more than the schools as a whole, when comparing academics. Compare school to school for culture, fit, environment, cost, etc. Just my 2 cents!
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@SpreadsheetMom You are asking great questions I think many of us are facing. My D is a very high stats kid and indeed applied to Davidson, Emory, Vandy (and many others) as well as Furman. She got the 30k merit scholarship with her admission to Furman and was invited to the Duke full tuition scholarship competition (waiting to hear the results). With Furman having an EA option, she had her admit much sooner in the game while she’s still waiting on other schools with RD only. There is a lot to like about Furman, and if you are not eligible for FA, you could be looking at a considerable price difference, especially over 4 years. As a '22 you have the gift of time to really flush out what Furman could specifically offer your daughter and do a cost benefit analysis versus other potential schools. We are eligible for FA, so the water gets a little murkier as prices could be in closer range. I think it’s great you are going to visit, even if to just explore the area at this point. I have been incredibly impressed with all the opportunities at Furman. It is going to be a challenging decision once all the cards are on the table.
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Has anyone heard about the decisions from the Duke Scholarship at Furman? Interviews were last week.
Yes, we did consider Davidson. I have a friend that loves it, both of her kids went there. In the end, we are looking for a strong foreign language department and her daughter didn’t feel Davidson could offer what we were looking for.
At Furman your daughter will certainly get merit aid. We have a higher EFC and my son was offered $35,000 per year. That is $15,000 more than we received at Macalester, Union, and U Richmond. It is worth it to apply just to have it as an option.
Good luck!
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I went to Davidson, and our D21 is going to Furman. She applied ED because she decided that Furman was definitely her top choice after touring schools in Jan 2020. I loved Davidson, and my friends from college feel the same way and still speak highly of the opportunities Davidson provided. The Honor Code is truly special.
I think Furman will provide a lot of the same great opportunities. Our D21 preferred a slightly larger LAC with a larger student body, greater array of activities on campus, wider variety of majors, and ability to continue the ECs she loves. She preferred this over a “small university” with a larger population. She also really liked Greenville and the internship opportunities available. Every student will have their own preferences.
I think students can attain a great education at many institutions. We’ve encouraged our kids to find a place that is a good fit academically, socially, and for each of their special interests.
I hope the tours help your child decide what she really likes and help you decide how much emphasis to put on cost for each of the different options. Enjoy the tours with your child!
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Well, and Furman is a way easier admit than Davidson.
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Hi! Hoping I can offer some input as a high-school senior. I was admitted to Emory early this year as a woodruff scholar finalist. As a finalist, I have the opportunity to get a full-ride or other full or partial tuition awards. I was only given 25k from Furman, and the smallest scholarship I will get from Emory is 25k. Thus, the no-brainer would be to go to Emory right? But I actually plan on attending Furman unless I get the full ride from Emory. After so much research, Furman provides the same if not more resources than Emory or other top-notch schools.
Furman is a school with SO many connections and I just know that I would be successful if attending. Furman prioritizes ensuring that its students are on the right path for any grad school programs and hooks students up with research and internships (look into the Furman Advantage). Plus, I didn’t want the overwhelming atmosphere at Emory. I have friends that go there that say they have at least 7 hours of homework a DAY. I want to prioritize my social life and mental health, and I think Furman allows students to pursue their interests without being stressed out. Undergrad is for personal and intellectual growth… not for gaining a school on your resume that employers won’t even care about once you go to grad school.
At the end of the day… if your child wants to pursue graduate education after undergraduate… don’t go in debt at Emory or Davidson or any other school if Furman is offering a substantial amount. Employers are going to look at only the graduate degree program almost always. Furman has an amazing track record for sending students to grad programs anyways! You could certainly save money from going to Furman and then use it for the grad degree. Also, it’s going to be a lot easier to stand out to a graduate admissions team at Furman than at Emory or Vandy where there are a lot more amazing students. Of course, this is all assuming your student will pursue a graduate degree.
It took me so long to realize the unimportance of your college’s name in the long run. Have your kid do what feels right. The Emory opportunity I’m presented with is amazing, but I just know I would enjoy my time at Furman so much better! Furman doesn’t seem like that amazing of a school when put up against Vandy or Emory… but being from SC, I can tell you that here, everyone thinks highly of any student that goes to Furman. Furman is essentially the ivy league of SC haha!
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This is so timely and helpful for us! We went to Furman today to admitted student tour. My son is a Bell Tower Scholarship recipient, and has also applied and is waiting for Emory RD decision. We live in Atlanta. I was SO impressed with Furman today! It was lovely and so obvious how much thought and care they put in their student experience. What a calming and inspirational place!
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