<p>wyogal -- no football team. I didn't make the criteria about campus environment, but I do respect it. I've asked him about it a couple of times, and he still says he wants a school with a football program. Good school, though.</p>
<p>Furman my be a big reach, but a good fit for my freshman son in a few years. Mercer University in Ga shares some attributes. B'ham-Southern also has some requirements for attendance at lectures and other "enrichment" activities - an interesting idea, I'm not sure how it actually works out.</p>
<p>"We had gone primarily to see Davidson (which we both disliked intensely) and wound up really enjoying Furman."</p>
<p>Wyogal- What didn't you guys like about Davidson and how was it different than Furman? D is interested in both. Thanks!</p>
<p>"For lderochi and the responding Furman student, is the "boring on weekends" feel because many students go home on weekends, or because there is little to do without a car, or little available on campus?"</p>
<p>With most people being from out of state, very few people go home on the weekends. The reasons for the sometimes boring weekends are A)the school is so small, B) Greenville just doesn't offer much, if anything, for college students to do on the weekends, and, most importantly, C) most Furman students just aren't the 'party' type. To elaborate, a lot of people here don't like to go out and do things on the weekends, many of them don't drink or party(I've taken trips to Wofford and Davidson, and alcohol is MUCH more prevelant at both), and so many of them are 'I-have-to-get-up-for-church-in-the-morning' types. Also, I see the dry campus policy is a negative, because it forces most social events to occur off-campus.</p>
<p>To sum up, I'd say that if you wanted to attend a school where there was a big party scene and always tons of things to do, I wouldn't come to Furman.</p>
<p>"Another vestige of the strict past that we noticed was that the professors take attendance in class. The students "signed in" on the roster pinned to the bulletin board. There was no mention that attendance at class was required, so maybe it's just a subtle reminder that one is expected to be there."</p>
<p>Hmm, I've never heard of this 'sign in' policy at any classes here, and I'd say that most professors do not take attendance, although there are those that do. All in all, the small classes here are great, and I have been very pleased with the academics here.</p>
<p>My D is a sophomore at Furman. Among schools in the south that she applied to, she was accepted at Emory and Davidson (along with Tulane). Wound up selecting Furman and, after multiple visits including overnights at both, found she really disliked Emory and was disappointed with Davidson. Primary reason for choosing Furman over these others (after attending classes at all these schools)...she found the academics best at Furman (the other school that she liked because of very similar academics and involvement of students was her northeast school choice, Dartmouth). </p>
<p>At Furman, she is involved as a paid research assistant in 2 projects, has been an academic tutor, and...much to my surprise, went Greek, but is not a big party-goer...she joined for the fellowship. The #1 reason she loves Furman: access to professors, their mentorship, and the opportunity to conduct real research projects (something that will be a great benefit when it comes time for graduate school, something she is already beginning to look into for a PhD program). She's staying this summer on a funded research grant. So, Furman has met her #1 priority in a school: academics. </p>
<p>Good luck to all in their searches.</p>
<p>Dukeman and Iflyjets D are the current generation of Furman students and I am from the previous generation. The social scene may be hard to describe or not for everyone (I keep hoping that Furman will have that transformatively diverse burst of applications this decade), but the atmosphere of small but rigorous classrooms and personal realtionships with full professors is so good that it is often underappreciated still. Although I was often sort of out of step with Furman socially, I saw tremendous growth in my peers in four years. Even friends who did not earn glowing GPRs when sort of "stunned" by Furman's hard classrooms later had great jobs and went on to get grad degrees. The atmosphere is just basically supportive and personal. I hear a lot from parents I know talking about powerful mentoring relationships between students and full profs at Davidson and at Washington and Lee at about the same level. I have a close friend who went from Furman to U Chicago and then Stanford in Chem..because the instruction in the undergrad labs is that good.</p>
<p>Faline and Ifly - I think Furman will be a big reach for my son, but for many reasons would be a great choice. You talk about the rigor of the classrooms, is the atmosphere supportive for the students in the middle? I see him developing as a late bloomer, he is beginning to make some progress (he's a freshman) but his GPA will be low for a school like Furman. But he also is a kid who will do better with the nurturing and attention - that's what he's used to in his small high school.</p>
<p>I have to be very underhanded about all this, first he could easily implode over the next year or two, and put a school like Furman totally out of reach, and secondly, if I mention it, that's an immediate black mark ;).</p>
<p>As with any school, there are some departments and majors that are more competitive than others. And, as such, the "tone" of the professors in these departments may vary as well. That said, it seems that within each department there are numerous wonderful professors from which an advisor may be found. My daughter has run into only 2 professors in her almost 2 years there whom she felt were either inaccessible or mostly unhelpful. Otherwise, across departments from math to physics to psychology to political science to modern language to art history, she has found all her other professors to be very accessible and very generous with their time, oriented toward advising and helping students learn and grow. </p>
<p>I would say there are many students who were B+ students in HS whose SATs (old scale) were in the upper 1100's to low 1200 for whom admission to Furman was a little challenging. I believe that if Furman becomes your S's dream school, letting Furman know you are seriously interested; applying to the non-binding ED cycle would be helpful. </p>
<p>As for academic rigor, a lot depends on your student's study habits. My D puts her academics first and has commented that some of her classmates seem to lack good study habits. She believes that the difference between success and disappointment with Furman academics is how committed you are to producing quality work and whether or not you have developed effective study habits (and this is really true at any school).</p>
<p>Hey there cangel. PM me anytime as I do know current Furman students. iflyjets has a daughter of extraordinary gifts who is at the top of the ability pool in their recruits but I agree with every word of her post #28. Very accurate view of things. Furman can be a place where a late bloomer takes a huge leap up in work habits and in ability to think, write and learn that will lead to a graduate degree and or some good job prospects. Why? Inspiring lectures, personal relationships, teachers who believe in upward curves, weedout courses are few and mainly in premed only. But you will end up with a low GPR if you don't pull it together in work habits period.<br>
I would say that cangel is correct not to earmark Furman for too much parental attention so as not to jinx it later..ha. And my freshman at Duke was no super achiever at fifteen...grew tons at about age 17. So let many things unfold and stay in the open investigative mode..your child will surprise you for sure.
Also..ahem. Two of my friends who worried their parents...a surgeon and a lawyer for fathers...graduated with less than 3.0 averages from Furman. One is now at the White House five days a week as an analyst and another has a big job in a top ten newspaper. So my last message...some kids bloom at say age 25, but their solid LAC educations do still payoff later. Maturity is simply something that has different paces for different humans.</p>
<p>someone mentioned a change in the academic schedule to a 2-semester one? when does this become effective? i've heard my complaints about the winter term of the current schedule.</p>
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<blockquote> <p>Also..ahem. Two of my friends who worried their parents...a surgeon and a lawyer for fathers...graduated with less than 3.0 averages from Furman. One is now at the White House five days a week as an analyst and another has a big job in a top ten newspaper. So my last message...some kids bloom at say age 25, but their solid LAC educations do still payoff later. Maturity is simply something that has different paces for different humans.<<</p> </blockquote>
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<p>You know exactly where we are coming from! I think often that more is going on inside that "pretty" head than gets expressed as achievement. I think he would probably do "OK" at a big university, but would never do more than get by, whereas at the LAC, I think he would continue to learn and improve, even if his grades maybe weren't the greatest, he would be getting educated.</p>
<p>on the trimester vs. semester+maymester, I think the goal was originally 2007-2008 <a href="http://www.furman.edu/if/fall.05/crc.htm%5B/url%5D">http://www.furman.edu/if/fall.05/crc.htm</a></p>
<p>I am 50 now, and enjoyed the trimester system. One year I took a drama course and lived in NYC with twenty Furman students. Saw at least twenty plays in the rocking seventies--lots of experimental theatre. One classmate always ordered AAAhhhhced Teahhhh in a big SC accent..although there was no ice tea to be had in the Big Apple. </p>
<p>Another winter semester, I studied Biblical Archeology in Jordan and Israel and Medieval Architecture in France and Italy. Pretty fun.<br>
I don't really know why they are letting it go, but I am sure all will be well. My old profs tell me that foreign study is very commonly used by a large percentage of students which is positive. Greenville and the foothills of the NC mountains are sleepy but it is good to get out a semester.</p>