Visited Furman. Absolutely loved the campus son is a possible incoming athlete… crazy loved the stadium and program and coaches. However, huge price tag for a relatively unknown school coming from the NE. Worry about the name recognition for jobs. Companies that may come to recruit. Social life. While it was so incredible we walked around at lunch time and looked like there were barely any student “life” going on. My son is not a huge partier but he would enjoy somewhat of a social life. Loved that Greenville was so close. Are people happy at that school? Are there many transfers out? Also he was a good student in high school but somewhat breezed by has a quick brain but also worried everyone says how rigorous yet the acceptance rate is so high. Can someone tell me about the social life? How happy are the students. And as stupid as this sound he noticed there were very few beautiful girls. And South Carolina has such a rep like Georgia for having that. We walked around for several hours and saw just one. Stupid but he is 18 and wants to date around. Most kids definitely look serious and studious. While its important for the education he would like a balance too. And is money given? Such a huge price tag for not recognized school even with the small class size and probably great education.
Wow, only one beautiful girl the whole time? Surprised that they didn’t trot out the pretty little fillies for y’all.
Actually Furman is a very well renowned school and would probably be a great university to have on a resume. Greenville is a wonderful town for college students to go to and hang out. Several students that I know who have gone there are very happy and one of them is a very beautiful (and extremely intelligent) girl. Clemson is pretty close as is Anderson University so plenty of other students from other colleges are near enough to broaden the friendship base. I can’t help you on the amount of money given, I agree the price tag is high.
Furman has a great reputation. “People in the know”, meaning employers and graduate schools, know all about Furman. There are plenty of social opportunities even though most of the kids take their studies seriously. There have been discussions re acceptance rates on the blog before and it seems to boil down to applicants self selecting: if a student isn’t a high achiever why bother applying given the price tag? Most of the applicants are seeking merit money and it is a waste of time to apply if you don’t have the stats to compete for the merit money. Looking at the various “rating” websites and the retention/graduation rates, Furman students seem to be a happy, well-adjusted lot. My daughter is a sophomore and loves it, both academically and socially (and she’s pretty darn cute ;)).
I’m having a hard time getting over your question about beautiful girls - sorry, but that is just shallow, no matter the age. If your son’s first priority is partying and dating beautiful girls, it may not be the best choice for him - sounds like a large state school may make more sense. Furman is not a “party school”. Having said that, there are definitely parties on the weekends and lots of beautiful girls and the male:female ratio would be in his favor. The Greek scene can also be appealing in terms of social life - my daughter really enjoys her sorority and it definitely provides additional social opportunities.
Greenville is a fantastic town and most students go there on the weekends to eat out, go to a show, etc. It’s a huge perk of being a Furman student.
If your son wants to get As he will have to work hard. That is just the bottom line. I don’t think that is a bad thing, but it may be concerning to him - in my opinion that is the way it should be at any college.
Merit Aid - the majority of students get aid, but with a price tag of ~ $63K/yr, it’s not like you are getting the cost below $30K a year unless you are one of the very best students and get a named scholarship. Those go to incredibly bright and active students who are Ivy League candidates. Typically, the merit aid comes through the Bell Tower Scholarship and that can range from a few thousand per year to $25K per year, but again your stats have to be really great to get that higher end. Not sure if being an athlete might get him more aid - you should ask.
Overall happiness - I can speak from my daughter’s perspective as well as from other families who have kids there - my sense is that the kids are really happy. The rate of kids who leave after freshman year is really low, and I think Furman does a lot to provide a great environment for the students.
Finally, reputation - if he wants to come back to the NE right after college, it may be something to consider, and I think it may depend on his career choice as well. However, Furman does have a great reputation overall and continues to get “awards” from national publications, which will help that reputation spread to more of the country.