Hello! My son was accepted to Furman with a generous Townes scholarship. He is seriously considering Furman but also in the running is a large in-state school. I think he would be better off at a small school, so I’m hoping he loves Furman when we visit for accepted students day.
He’s not a drinker/partygoer, loves chess, world languages, and is interested in club tennis. He applied to Furman because he wanted a highly ranked school in the southeast with a beautiful campus without a party school reputation.
I’d love to hear more about the other kids considering Furman. Anyone definitely decide to go?
Your son sounds similar to my daughter - she’d much prefer a small group of friends playing board games to a kegger ;), will get involved in clubs (maybe even tennis), and is very interested in study abroad. She definitely wants a small/medium school. On paper we like a lot about Furman, but our visits just haven’t jumped out at her. It’s a little closer to home than she would like, so that may be part of it. But as the cycle is winding down Furman is emerging as more of a contender than I imagined it would be. Price certainly helps. We are still awaiting some of her more “exciting” decisions but are scheduled to attend the Furman Forward event on March 25th. Is that the one you’re planning to attend?
Hi, @PickleParent yes, we will be there! I can’t figure out how to DM you so we can connect about it. Looks like your profile is set to private, but if you have a way to DM me, I’d be happy to chat.
My daughter is in the same boat. She really likes Furman, we toured this week and it’s now moved to #1 but she has a couple of DC and Boston schools she really likes before she can feel prepared to say yes to Furman. I was impressed with Furman, the campus, the way they set up advising, how they have both RAs and I forgot the term but basically educational RAs, on each freshman floor. They stress independence but provide a safety net and lots of support if needed. My daughter wanted a big school but is more academic, wants fun and a college experience of course, but not a partier. She felt Furman although small (compared to say Clemson) fit her need because the campus was so big she could have space. Also lots of opportunities to get around by foot, bike, or car if need be.
Furman is a wonderful school. My D that is a Furman student has been incredibly happy there after turning down a bigger, more selective school. She has had opportunity to do an internship in DC. Lots of students have the chance to do undergrad research. It’s small enough that she has been able to build relationships with professors, and the alumni network is strong.
Just got an acceptance tonight with a Bell Tower scholarship of $27,000. Does anyone know if Furman offers more scholarship opportunities that are available? Financially, it’s still a reach.
Hi @UVAhopefulparent and @PickleParent and @hlgrogan and all – my daughter is considering Furman. She was admitted with the Townes, but subsequently invited to interview for the full-ride Duke – we’re going up March 20-21 to do that. From what I understand, they invited about 30 students to interview and will select 8 for the scholarship.
She’s also not a partier and would much rather hang with a small group of friends. She’s a chorus and theater kid – and very much not an athlete, lol.
We’re also awaiting decisions from other schools, 8 of them, in fact. Several of those are really reach schools where she has zero chance of getting merit, even if she were lucky enough to get in.
If she does get in to a couple, I think the decision may come down to paying $75K+ at a more selective, prestigious school vs. paying half the cost – or nothing, if she’s fortunate enough to be selected for the Duke – at Furman, which unfortunately only offers a minor in what she wants to study (linguistics). But it checks nearly every other box – small class sizes, only a couple hours’ drive from home, gorgeous campus, near cute small city, etc.
She is having a hard time wrapping her mind around Furman’s relatively high acceptance rate, and she’s worried that it somehow correlates with the quality of the school. I’m not sure how to disabuse her of that notion.
My daughter received a Bell Tower scholarship and also really loved her visit to Furman. Of everywhere we visited, both harder and easier to get in, it really seems to have been her favorite. Only hang up for her is size- it’s about the size of her high school, and she’s a little nervous about being somewhere so small. The acceptance rate gives me pause as well, not sure what to make of it.
One of mine is a 3rd year student at Furman and absolutely loves it! She turned down a more prestigious school, took some heat from kids at her ultra-competitive high school, but she absolutely does not regret the decision she made. There are lots of opportunities for internships, study away, and undergrad research. The alumni network is very strong. The professors are available and do a great job engaging with students.
Furman is full of very intelligent kids, don’t let the high acceptance rate fool you. It is really self-selecting as far as admissions goes, but the courses and professors are top-notch. If your student is at all interested in academic research, there are lots of opportunities they wouldn’t necessarily have at larger schools.
I don’t know about more scholarships for first year students, but there are departmental scholarships that they might be eligible for in subsequent years. My daughter picked up a departmental scholarship her second year.
Congratulations to your daughter for being invited to interview for the Duke scholarship! My son is very interested in languages and linguistics as well. If anything may be a dealbreaker for Furman, it’s the limited number of languages offered (no Russian, Portuguese, Arabic, etc). He says he’s leaning toward a large in-state school, but you never know…
We are excited about the excepted students event the end of this month.
Thank you! My kid is more interested in studying the structure and origin of language, as well as language development and the neuro side of how second-language acquisition works – so the limited number of actual languages available isn’t a deal breaker.
We did count the number of pure linguistics courses offered, and there are 9 – enough for her to propose a major, if supplemented with anthropology and psychology classes.
We’re not planning on going to the accepted students event as of now, since we’ll be there in a week for the interview – but we’ll see what happens. Hope your son loves it (if that’s what you’re hoping, LOL)!
Hi, @UVAhopefulparent and @PickleParent - not meaning to barge into your conversation (and 3+ weeks late!), but I followed it with interest earlier, and now that I know for sure that my son and I are coming down for this Friday’s Furman Forward Day, I thought I’d reach out. (This is my first post on these forums because I’ve been mostly content to lurk and read).
While my son has waited (and waited and waited) to hear back from what has always been his top choice school (University of Michigan, here in Ann Arbor), he finally realized he needed to take a more serious look at one or more of the 5 schools to which he’s already been admitted, including Furman, which has now become his top choice among the schools he’s been admitted to so far. I’m thrilled he’s finally willing to give it a serious look, as it is my beloved alma mater!
In so many ways, Furman is the opposite of what he thought he wanted - he was imagining a big state research university with a global reputation and an impressive football team, ideally close to home (I do like that part). My husband and I are both biased towards small liberal arts colleges and believe he would thrive in such a setting. He is not a drinker/partier, has a broad range of academic interests, and throws himself into a variety of extracurricular (mostly the varsity crew team, his a cappella men’s ensemble, and various church activities including community services).
If y’all are still planning to be at the Furman Forward Day, I would love to connect.
I think I just sent you a direct message - I hope it worked! My son and I met PickleParent and her daughter tonight. Hope we get to meet you and your son tomorrow!
Will there be a 2026 thread started? My daughter has just committed. We weren’t able to make it to admitted students day but had toured previously. Looking to have a bit of community. I did join the Furman Parent to Parent group on Facebook. Congratulations to everyone that’s committed!
