<p>My daughter and I visited Furman a couple of weeks ago. She attended a class, had lunch with a current student, and we both did the standard info session and tour.</p>
<p>Highs
1. Downtown Greenville, while 15 minutes from campus, is very nice and would be a big plus to the overall Furman experience.
2. The campus is beautiful and all the facilities (with the exception of a freshman dorm) are top notch.
3. Furman touts the typical LAC strengths of small class size and close relationships with faculty.
4. Opportunities for internships, undergraduate research, and study abroad all appear to be strong.</p>
<p>Lows
1. The students seem particularly homogeneous – white, upper middle class, and somewhat conservative. While that describes my daughter (except the conservative part) she hopes to attend a more diverse college.
2. Greek life seems pervasive particularly for the women. My daughter feels pretty strongly that she’s not interested in Greek life and wondered what student life is like for an independent.
3. My daughter was very surprised by the class she attended. She really liked the professor. He was engaging, interesting, and “nice”. But she noticed many students arriving for class late, coming and going during the class, and there was almost no interaction from the students even though there were many opportunities.</p>
<p>I guess we left feeling torn. Can anyone comment on her concerns? Her biggest disappointment was with the lack of interest she experienced from the students in class.</p>
<p>I have been to Furman a couple of time (and know a bunch of Furman students/grads), and I would say that most of your observations are either directly on the mark, or not too far off. A couple of things I might add:</p>
<pre><code> (1) I can’t say anything about the lack of interest/interaction by students in a classroom setting; we didn’t get to visit any classes. The students who I know who are at Furman are fairly bright and engaged, and I can’t imagine them sitting like lumps in a class – at least in a class that interests them. It may be, as ColdinMinny, suggests, a function of the type of class taught.
(2) Although the students are mostly “white, upper middle class, and somewhat conservative,” I would also suggest that the non-white students are also middle- to upper-middle class, based on my observations.
(3) Greek life is going to be pervasive in most any school – public or private – in the South; but it’s going to be a question of degree, not presence or absence. Your daughter should still be able to find a niche among the non-Greeks on campus.
</code></pre>
<p>Both my Ds went to Furman. One graduated a few years ago, one is currently a senior. I’ll try to answer your concerns based on our experiences. </p>
<p>1) Furman is a private, rather expensive, Southern LAC, and there is definitely less diversity than a large state school. However, there is more diversity than meets the eye. Only 30% of students are from SC, so there are students from all over. My younger D has roommates from Texas, Maryland, and Massachusetts. My Ds are white, middle class - not upper, they able to go to Furman because they received large scholarships - and very liberal, so they only partially fit the description of the homogenous Furman student. There are students there of different faiths, cultures, ethnic backgrounds, sexual orientations, and political leanings.</p>
<p>2) Both Ds did join sororities. Older D wasn’t too into it after sophomore year, younger D is active only because her closest friends are in her sorority. Sororities at Furman are better than some southern schools. They have delayed rush - it occurs in January - so girls can actually know if they like the people in the sorority, or if they even want to join one. Also, there are no sorority houses. There are sorority halls for sophomores, but that’s it. Because of that students don’t just hang out with people in their sorority. My older Ds best friends were independents. </p>
<p>3) I’m sorry about your Ds class experience. I can’t say enough good things about the education my Ds received at Furman. They had some unique and interesting classes, professors who cared about them and they built a relationship with. Older D went on to law school and is now a Public Defender. Younger D is a Bio major and has been accepted to 3 medical schools. I credit Furman for preparing them well.</p>
<p>Good luck to your daughter in her college search!</p>
<p>ColdinMinny, gandalf78, and dheldreth – thanks so much for your responses. I’ve been reading on the CC forums for about 6 months now, but I haven’t felt the need to post anything until our Furman visit.</p>
<p>D is interested in a number of southern LAC’s. The depth of Greek life on many of the campuses is one of her few concerns. Washington and Lee is the only school she’s pulled from her list due to the pervasiveness of Greek life.</p>
<p>Every college, no matter impressive, can expect to share a less than stellar moment during a visit occasionally. I think it is likely that we just hit an anomaly with the class she visited.</p>
<p>Dheldreth – my D will also require large scholarships to make Furman (or any other private LAC) viable. Did either of your daughters apply for the Furman Scholars program their junior year of HS? This seems to be an “upstate SC” thing as I’ve noticed that Wofford and Presbyterian offer similar programs.</p>
<p>@cargo54 If you haven’t already, I suggest reading the “Southern LAC” thread started by me and mentioned by coldinminny above. My D is also interested in several LACs in the south including furman, and I would really like to hear your thoughts on other schools you visit. </p>
<p>Cargo54, if we are talking about the same thing, the Furman, Wofford, etc. scholars are awarded to SC juniors based on GPA, SAT/ ACT, and names sent by guidance counselors, students don’t apply for them. One D was a Furman scholar, one was a Wofford scholar. There are good scholarships for SC residents from lottery money. Both Ds were Palmetto Fellows, which is $6700 per year, $10,000 for math/ science majors. Furman also has merit scholarships. Lay is full ride, but requires really high stats and goes to 4 students. Duke is full tuition. Townes is $25,000 and is for out of state students, Hollingsworth is $25,000 and is for instate. I think there are also scholarships for music majors, mock trial, etc. </p>
<p>Both my Ds wanted the small LAC experience and education. They applied to several, but Furman ended up being the most affordable for us. They had different majors and were involved in different activities. I’ll be glad to answer any questions or you can PM me if you want. </p>