S is trying to choose between these two schools. He is undecided, but we would be interested in any feedback concerning the experiences of others with the two schools.
My nephew is considering F and M, also -is your son going to “A Closer Look” (admitted students’ day)?
Net cost after financial aid at each?? (Folks, please include this in your first post!)
S is planning to attend. As far as the net cost, they are close enough that it is not a factor. We have given that factor quite a bit of consideration and are interested in the experiences and impressions of the schools.
I don’t know anything about Gettysburg but I like that students live in one of five college houses at F and M- seems like a nice way to get to know fellow students.
I would also love to hear of others experiences
Definitely attend the revisit days! Gettysburg has a great history department. F&M has a standout pre-med program. Both are very good schools.
It really depends on what you’re looking for. Students at both seemed friendly, particularly at F&M (although our experience there was limited.)
My sense was that F&M has moved further from its regional roots than Gettysburg has. That is neither a good nor bad thing but it does affect the feel of the community.
Please report back after visiting. I would love to learn more about these schools. One thing that struck me was that Franklin and Marshall has an unusually large international population for a small school. I would want to know if these students are part of the social fabric or do they keep to themselves. When a school is small you ideally want everyone to be active participants. Gettysburg sounds like a very social school and Greek life is big from what I hear. GL
For what it is worth… between the two schools, Gettysburg has a much larger and more active Greek scene. Some people are looking for this, but for others it isn’t as attractive. Much of the social scene at Gettysburg revolves around the frats. There is a Greek presence at F&M but it seems to dominate the social scene much less then at Gettysburg.
Hi all!
I am a current student at F&M. I was accepted to Gettysburg and considered it seriously.
From what I could gather, Gettysburg was just a preppier version of F&M. I remember feeling like I was the only person in the entire admitted students page that wasn’t a lacrosse player from the suburbs of Philly. F&M is currently transitioning in a lot of ways and trying (not always successfully) to branch out of the preppy suburban mold, while Gettysburg seems to ‘own’ that reputation in a more open way.
Lancaster > Gettysburg, 100%. It’s a great place to go to school. While Gettysburg was a really cute small town, I could tell I’d be sick of it after a semester - and this is coming from someone who detested the idea of going to an urban school. Lancaster is really underrated, artsy, and unique. I do not think F&M students stop and think about how cool Lancaster is enough, but it is!
To address @citymama9, the international student community at F&M do keep to themselves a lot primarily because most of them do not drink (I’m not sure if this is a cultural thing about alcohol itself, or about breaking the law by drinking age.)
And that brings me to my next point - the social life. I would bet the social scenes at Gettysburg and F&M are much more similar than a lot of the parents in this thread think they are. The social scene at F&M is dominated equally between Greek life and athlete parties. Because F&M requires students to live on-campus, the social life of an underclassman is restricted to the parties thrown by the frats or upperclassman athletes. It is a bigger party school than I think a lot of people realize - yes, F&M students study A LOT, but the vast majority will also go out twice a week. Particularly for men, it is hard to have a social life if you are not in a frat or play a sport. For full disclosure, I am a member of a sorority here and I love it. It has changed my life for the better 100%. F&M’s Greek scene is much more inclusive and responsible than at most schools but I also understand that some people do not want Greek life to be a presence at all. If that is the case I do not think F&M would be a good alternative to Gettysburg.
So… that’s my two cents. If there are any more specific questions I would love to answer them.
A major difference as explained above is Greek life. A lot of the ‘fun’ is partying, especially since the town is very small and doesn’t offer as much as Lancaster, which is a plus or a minus depending on what you like.
Gettysburg is also slightly more conservative whereas F&M is moderate with a broader spectrum. Gettysburg is really well-known for history and humanities in general.