<p>After our tour of several southeast schools, the one that stood out to D was Furman. It felt right to her and is the only one she has continued to talk about.
We have yet to tour any of the Atlanta area schools, and Agnes Scott seems interesting. I realize that Agnes Scott is an women's college, but beyond that, I'd like to hear about how these schools compare/contrast. D is currently interested in neuroscience.</p>
<p>Furman has a superior recently overhauled and renovated science building. Another thing I would want your daughter to know is the psychology at Furman is world class and they have a famous track record for sending students to top tier clinical psych programs. I know grads who have cognitive psych, clinical psych etc PHDs…at Duke, Wash U, etc. James B Watson went to Furman and Furman teaches psych as a lab science. Very rigorous. Premed is often an outcome with the premed cluster and a psych major that can be put together in the neuroscience research direction. Furman psych students to a great deal of research and presentations.
I used to live near Agnes Scott. I can’t comment on their academic program. </p>
<p>Furman is “large” for a LAC which cuts down on the tedium of seeing the same people over and over again for four years in the dining hall etc. </p>
<p>All of the women I lived with at Furman, even in the 70s, got graduate degrees. My housemates went to Harvard Med, Georgia Law, Georgia PHD in clinical Psych, UNC graduate school of education, Northwestern for conducting PHD in music, Columbia in NYC… We often reflect on how even though back then there were fewer female professors than now and Furman had not yet cut ties with organized religious denominations, our professors seemed to us to be incredibly supportive of female students becoming everything possible in each field. It is a very sound place for women to gain ground and confidence before heading to grad school. You will get more personal attention than you will at most LACs for your long term goals and graduate school preparation.</p>
<p>Greenville downtown is night and day better than in my day. What a transformation! One of the most fun progressive downtowns ever. The access to the NC foothills and mountains is also very Zen and adds a great dimension. </p>
<p>Sorry I can’t comment on Agnes Scott. I know they have a great history and the only grads I know are fine people.</p>
<p>Thank you Faline! We have a lot of research to do as far as what to really look for in how the majors (neuroscience etc) are set up and what is most important within the major for future job searches and grad school.<br>
I see what you mean about the size of the school. As far as the area around schools, we liked the idea of colleges that had a town/main street area within walking distance. I was surprised that D really liked Furman, even though it didn’t have that. She says taking the bus or catching a ride to downtown Greenville would probably be fine with her. I just wonder if students do tend to start feeling isolated on the Furman campus.</p>
<p>Most fine LACs place a big emphasis on foreign study to break up the negatives of small student body/smaller campus. Furman has exceptional foreign study programs…I personally did a semester in NYC and a semester in the Middle East and Europe even back in the day. enjoy the process of finding her best place! good wishes!</p>
<p>Having lived in Atlanta for 20+ years and twins who graduated from FU in 2012, I can offer a little bit of insight on both schools, as DD was recruited to play tennis for Agnes Scott ( D3) school. Agnes Scott has maintained much of the academic interests and passions of the administration, board and student body, and students can take classes at most ( I believe) of the other major Atlanta schools-Emory, GT, GS, Ogelthorpe, etc. For young women who want an all women-focused academic approach, Agnes Scott continues to meet that need. It is in a beautiful part of the city, which is one clear advantage over Furman. The other advantage is living in Atlanta. Furman, oth, is an excellent liberal arts school that continues to turn out incredibly well-prepared graduates with at least 50 percent going to graduate school from FU. The rankings of the school ( of those things matter to you) have dropped a good big in the past several years) and the tuition, and COA has risen to around 52K. As mentioned in a prior section, Furman has trimmed it’s scholarship and financial aid program in search of more full-pay families, which has been problematic for a number of people. The BOT was very up front about it’s plan in it’s strategic plan issued in 2011, but it came at a difficult time. That said, the professors at Furman are incredible, the work load is intense, and students should be prepared to work hard for B’s-and that is okay. our son graduated as an English major and is working in Private Equity because of his incredible writing skills! Our daughter, on the other hand, an honors Philosophy grad, had been substituting part time since the job market for someone with her background is very tight. She will enter Georgia Tech in January in the school of Public Policy to earn a graduate degree. The schools are very different-so it depends on what your daughter is comfortable with and looking for in a college. The group on this board are excellent and always do their best to give you honest opinions. Good luck!</p>
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<p>Shoboemom: I can’t respond to your question about Agnes Scott, but can respond to the location question re: campus/isolation. Our student is a sophomore, has no car, and yet has never complained of feeling isolated on campus. There are enough students with cars to drive to dinner/movie or downtown, and there is always the bus system. Our student went greek and has enjoyed every second of being involved…he stays very, very busy between studying and greek activities! There are plenty of student activities and sports, and it seems there is never a dull moment. Furman has been the perfect school for our son, and we feel so lucky he is there!</p>