So, there was a discussion about a decade ago on here about Furman vs. Wofford. I’m not sure that all of those points are still valid and would like to hear from folks who might be able to compare and contrast these two institutions for me. Our son has been accepted to both. He is from California and does not have a specific major in mind yet (which is fine, because he’s 18). I guess I’d be curious to hear points regarding academics, faculty, student body, housing, food, sports, the towns, etc. Thanks in advance!
5 Likes
Ok, so besides that fact that Furman is located in Greenville (which in my opinion is nicer than Spartanburg), FU has a smaller student faculty ratio than Wofford. FU also offer masters degrees and Wofford’s highest degree is a Bachelors. The con is that FU had higher tuition than Wofford, but in my opinion they have many opportunities for an than Wofford. On the other hand, Wofford is religiously affiliated with the UMC and FU is not religiously affiliated at a
all, but does happen to have quite a few Christian students. They also have fewer students than FU. These are just but a few points, but hope it helps.
CORRECTION: The con is that FU has higher tuition than Wofford, but in my opinion they have many opportunities for advancement than Wofford.
1 Like
I have an inherent bias- one son at Wofford, and another that may go there. Wofford students are active, outgoing, curious and nice, probably the same at Furman, so I can’t comment on that. I will tell you that the class size is no different and if there is a difference it is between 3-5 kids. All profs at Wofford are teachers first and researchers second which comes in really handy for advanced topics like organic chemistry, linear algebra etc.
Furman is not near Greenville, proper and Spartanburg downtown is up and coming and very very walkable from campus to several newer restaurants.
Furman does tend to rank higher than Wofford on reputation but it is a bit like comparing apples to apples.
Happy to answer more questions privately on cost and other concerns you may have.
1 Like
We are from Alabama, 6 hours away from both of these schools, so “outsiders” trying to get the answer to this question as well. My son toured both schools and thought both were great…
Wofford has a small “jewel box” campus located downtown Spartanburg, walking distance to lots of cool shops, restaurants, coffee shops, etc. Town was lively, but not super busy or touristy. Niche says 58 percent of the students are from in state, so this lends to the “southern” feel…people are open, friendly, genuine, the admissions staff seems very vested in the students and their well being and I came away with a feeling that “these people are going to take care of my kid”. Our student tour guide grew up one hour away in SC, but said he knew no one when he came to Wofford. Students seemed to be intelligent, at college to advance their education, most there with intentions to continue on to graduate school and beyond. Our tour guide planning for law school. The Greek system seemed nice and they had their own little village with houses, but for meetings only, no one lives there.
Furman has a gorgeous, enormous campus with a lake and gardens and trails and an 18 hole golf course…you would definitely want a bike. It’s a gated community about 10-15 minutes away from downtown Greenville. Downtown Greenville is larger, very beautiful, lots of cool things to do, but trade off, seemed more crowded, more traffic, and parking maybe an issue? Furman has a shuttle that runs to/from downtown and there is also the Swamp Rabbit trail that connects campus to downtown, but I think this maybe 11 miles? Niche says 29 percent of students from in state, so student body more diverse. Our student tour guide was from New Jersey, came knowing no one, but loved it and had plans for law school. Serious students here too. They have a nice Greek system, but do not have their own houses.
“Everyone” says both are great schools and it just depends on your personality…I heard some say Wofford maybe a bit more “social” and Furman a bit more “academic” so it just depends on your kid. The schools are rivals, only about an hour apart, but I gather there is lot of crossover of families between the two…one admissions officer at Wofford told me her husband worked at Furman. My son is planning to attend admitted student events at both and hoping he can decide which feels more right to him. I don’t think he can go wrong…I would love to see him at either school
5 Likes
Greenville is booming and that’s where the most action is, but Spartanburg is reaping the benefits of being next door. I was told Greenville has gotten to be a very expensive place to live and people are moving in the direction of Spartanburg for less expensive options
2 Likes
If exclusivity is important, this post lately from Stacker, using Niche data on the toughest school to get admitted to.
Matters not at all, looking for the school that will provide the maximum in opportunities for our son 
1 Like
Being honest, we live 5 min from FU, and its location is perfect. There’s not too much noise, Paris Mountain and the swamp rabbit trail are located there. I feel like Wofford being right in Spartanburg, although sometimes convenient, can be noisy and the nature is not as beautiful. These are some of the reasons my daughter chose FU over Wofford.
4 Likes
Not exactly answering the question, because we have not looked at Wofford, but my daughter applied to Furman because of the combination of a strong music program and liberal arts (she wants to double major). She is deciding between UNC and Furman (and a few wild cards she will hear from at the end of March/beginning of April). She has really fallen in love with Furman. Likes living on campus all 4 years (and as a parent of another big-U child, I agree…definitely do the tour because Jr/Sr year apartment renovations look really nice) that the campus is “set apart” yet close to Greenville which seems like a great town. At her music audition weekend, the students on the Q&A panel all had a story about a study away, internship, or Maymester program that Furman paid for. Also they emphasized that many trips are led by Furman professors, for example I think a cohort from the music department goes to Italy regularly with a Furman professor leading them.
4 Likes
I will illustrate a point about Wofford as the parent of two boys- one currently a student who had a situation.
My oldest son started off okay, but got a little off track and had a little too much fun late in his Fall semester. It ended in a “D” in a course b/c , rightly so, the professor held him accountable.
My son was devastated and needed to keep a 3.0 to maintain a significant scholarship. After a very quick discussion with the Dean of Student Success my son was re-oriented explained the process of re-taking the class in summer school and supported every step of the way to develop a schedule with his strengths in mind until he recently replaced that old grade with a “B” this past semester. All the while Wofford maintained his scholarship.
This is a Wofford difference, and if you have boys especially it is not an uncommon scenario. At the end you would like your college to have rigorous academics but realize that your student is going to face adversity and during that time need someone to advise and mentor him.
7 Likes
Our student looked at both last year. We were complete outsiders from several states away.
Both are fantastic schools! Small class sizes. Adults who truly want to teach and develop students. Great study abroad opportunities.
The campuses are both beautiful in different ways. Wofford has beautiful architecture. The senior village area is really cute. Furman has tons of green space, yet everything (housing, classes, dining, etc.) is nearby. The North Village housing area for juniors and seniors was pretty dumpy, but it is undergoing a complete renovation (in progress), and all units should be renovated before next year’s freshmen would be juniors.
Wofford is about .5-1 mile from the rejuvenated Spartanburg downtown. It is a small downtown with cute restaurants and shops. Furman has a suburban feel and is about 6 miles (but 15 minutes) from downtown Greenville. Greenville has the easiest downtown to navigate that I have ever seen in a city of its size. Cheap parking everywhere! Tons of restaurants. Concerts. Traveling Broadway shows. Just a really fun place!
Greek life is huge at Wofford. It made a list of the top 10 schools with the highest percentage of students involved in Greek life If you follow the “Why Wofford?” Instagram account, almost every student spotlighted is involved in Greek life. Furman also has Greek life, but it is not as big of a part of the school culture. A much higher percentage of female students participate than males.
Finally, Wofford has a higher percentage of in-state students than Furman.
3 Likes
This is very helpful and exactly the sorts of impressions that I’m trying to gather. Thank you for your time and input. I really believe that our son has many good options from which to choose at this point, so I don’t think he can go wrong. Thanks again!
1 Like
Do others have comments re: Furman vs. Wofford? We are gonna visit both in late March, but I’d love to hear input from other folks. Thanks!
1 Like
I was told by momofboiler1 to move my post after replying to a direct question of comparison- keep in mind that Wofford does have main event openings in March if you are interested, they are different schools and good ones → Events
2 Likes
Thank you – my son will be attending the Wofford Main Event end of March & Furman that week (not the accepted students’ day, but has an individualized program set up by them). Both schools look amazing - hopefully, he gets a gut feeling to help him make a decision!
2 Likes
In case anyone is curious, our son ended up choosing Davidson, which, for a number of reasons, ranked much higher for him than either Furman or Wofford. FWIW, I preferred Furman to Wofford, but I am thrilled about Davidson…
1 Like
This topic was automatically closed 180 days after the last reply. If you’d like to reply, please flag the thread for moderator attention.