<p>My S was just accepted to Furman ED. He is so excited, it is the first school we have heard from and one of his top choices. We are from CT. Now we need to hear from Elon on Monday and go visit again before 1/15. Can anyone give us any insights on Furman?</p>
<p>I got in to furman yesterday. Waiting to hear from elon Monday as well. What do you consider the pros and cons of each?</p>
<p>Congratulations Cwise5, my daughter was accepted ED at Furman at this time last year and just finished her first semester. Furman was her dream school and she absolutely loves it there. Like you, we are also from Connecticut. We thought that might be a novelty but there are 10 other Connecticut students in her freshman class. Furman has been expanding the geography of their student population.</p>
<p>D also applied and was accepted into Elon. We visited both schools twice and she sat in on classes at both Furman and Elon, met with professors from her department and did an overnight at Furman. Although she liked Elon, it was clear to us that she was going to pick Furman if accepted. We loved the tuition at Elon but D felt that the academics were stronger at Furman and she really loved the social atmosphere. She just got home last night and said she loved her decision to attend. The academics are intense at Furman, a lot is expected of the students, but if you stay on top of the work you will be fine.</p>
<p>As far as Elon vs. Furman, my D thought Elon had more of a party scene, was not as academically strong and reminded her too much of her high school. That is her opinion, not ours. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask or pm me. Good luck and congrats!</p>
<p>First off, congratulations on getting into Furman! It’s an awesome school, and I’ve absolutely loved my time there. </p>
<p>I also considered both Elon and Furman in my college selection, but ultimately decided against applying to Elon. </p>
<p>I’m not an expert on Elon, but I can give you a few things that stuck out to me when I visited there, versus what I have experienced at Furman.</p>
<p>The first thing has to do with size. Elon has about 5,000 undergrads, while Furman has around 2,700-2,800. Furman has just two graduate programs–in Chemistry and Education–neither of which have a significant presence on campus. I’ve found that Furman’s size is perfect for me. I love the fact that I know that I will have at least one or two friends in almost every one of my classes, but that I’ll also meet new people every week I’m on campus.</p>
<p>Similarly, Furman is about just 5-6 miles north of one of the fastest growing cities in America, Greenville, SC. I go downtown about twice a week, and there are a ton of great restaurants, bars, parks, and shops downtown. Closer to campus is Travelers’ Rest, which has various fast food, Walmart, and a small town Main Street. The close proximity of Greenville is a huge draw, I think. I’ve been able to get involved with volunteering with the youth of Greenville, I know that there is always someplace new to go on weekends, and I never have to drive more than 10-15 minutes to get anything I need. At the same time, I was really not attracted to campuses like College of Charleston, or Columbia University, that were directly in downtown. It’s great to be a short drive from the city, but not in it. That keeps people on campus, most of the time, and helps build community.</p>
<p>The biggest reason I chose not to apply to Elon was that I really didn’t like the fact that there wasn’t a major city nearby. You could argue that Burlington fills this role, but I don’t see it the same as I see Greenville. Burlington, for one, is not a particularly cosmopolitan and internationally renown city, and it’s not a major jobs center. The other closest big city, Greensboro, has never really struck me as impressive. I also love the fact that Asheville is just under an hour from Furman. I go there once or twice a month to see concerts. It’s a really cool place to go for a night.</p>
<p>There are also major differences in the kind of people that the two schools tend to draw. If you look at Elon, it’s student body primarily comes from the mid-Atlantic states (NC, MD (my home state), VA, PA, NJ). Furman draws from the south (SC, NC, GA, FL, TN, AL). This affects the campus culture in a big way. Furman is not as southern as some might make it out to be, but it is represented in large part by upper-middle-class kids from the south. </p>
<p>Academically, there are also key splits between the two schools. Furman’s major strengths are in its pre-law and pre-med programs, as well as its psychology department. Political Science is the largest department on campus, followed by biology, chemistry and Health Sciences. I’m a PolSci major, and I can fully vouch for the quality of the department. The professors are geared towards their students first, and foremost. Elon is much better known for its business and communications schools at the undergraduate level. If you’re interested in a pre-professional program, Elon would seem to be better on those levels. In terms of the Liberal Arts, or in preparing you for medical or law school, Furman has to take the cake. Our graduate school acceptance rates are astonishingly high.</p>
<p>The last point that I’ll make is on Greek Life on campus. At Furman, we have a very healthy percentage of students involved in Fraternities or Sororities. I think for females is around 50-55%, and males probably a bit under that. On campus, fraternities do not have houses, and there is no Greek village. The campus’ master plan does have outlines for this in the future, but that’s still 15-20 years away. So while all Fraternities and Sororities have their own halls on campus (and starting next year, all Greek organizations centered in three dorms on one side of campus), they do not have the same sort of Greek row that Elon has. In this sense, Greek life is not as all-encompassing as it is at other schools, Elon included. </p>
<p>I’d be happy to answer any other questions you have. Feel free to look through older posts, as I’ve already hit on a lot of things about Furman. </p>
<p>Good luck with the college search! I hope to hear you’ve chosen Furman!</p>
<p>I am happy to report that my S has chosen to attend Furman. Furman does a lot of things right, from small classes taught by caring professors to an active campus with lots of social events. We agree with you, BobbyCT, and felt that Elon has more of a party scene. My S actually felt much more comfortable on Furman’s campus. Also, we love our admissions director from Furman, she is the best! Thanks woody 2013 for your comments and we’ve gone back into past Furman posts which was very helpful.</p>
<p>Congratulations! Your S made a great decision.</p>
<p>hi cwise5: sent my deposit in today from massachusetts. really sure on my choice. way better academics than elon (my other choice, elon seems to be trying too hard to be a new england(ish) school).</p>
<p>Hi, I’ve applied to furman on RD. I am from Nigeria. I got a 1720 in SAT, but I have 3.85 gpa. I have plenty of EC. I had a job that was while my SAT was low. I have a lot of leadership roles and Comm. service. I got 2170 in subject test. 95 in Toefl. I applied for the merit based scholarship. I have God. Do you think I’ve a chance?</p>
<p>My D has been at Elon for 2 years now and we couldn’t be more impressed. The teacher quality has been outstanding (had a Pulitzer Prize winner as a Communications teacher last semester). The size of the school is great, the partiers are there if you want that but it isn’t an overwhelmingly popular scene. Greek Life is prominant (but not like a state school), but it is ok if you don’t want to be part of that too. They are starting a new Physician’s Asst. program that sounds interesting, and the Masters in Interactive Media (think digital) is excellent. I agree that Furman is a step up in academic rigor, but Elon has them beat in study abroad programs.</p>
<p>My D graduated from Furman in 2008. Now a graduate student completing her PhD at a national university, she looks back with very positive and warm memories of Furman and recognizes that her academic experience at Furman was absolutely top-notch. </p>
<p>For those of you planning on attending, have a wonderful 4 years there! It was a perfect decision for my daughter.</p>