We had a different experience. D16 was a test-optional admit (test scores around the 25th percentile) so we all had concerns about how she’d handle the academics. Although not a STEM major, she had to work exceptionally hard and A’s were not given out freely, but were certainly attainable. The work paid off when she graduated with honors and with two degrees. When she was accepted to grad school at a Top 20 research university she was a bit anxious about how she would stack up against others in her cohort with degrees from places like Pomona, Claremont McKenna, UC-Berkeley, NYU, etc. Older friends, who had preceeded her to law school, med school and graduate school, told her not to worry and that F&M had prepared her well for the challenges ahead. That has turned out to be the case. I don’t think this daughter could have chosen a better undergraduate experience. For others, this might not be the right place. I do not believe, however, that F&M’s insistence that students earn their grade handicaps them for graduate or professional school admission, or in the job market.
Earning your “A”. What a concept.
Update to note F&M is ranked 36 in National Liberal Arts Colleges, tied with Bucknell and Lafayette in the just released US News ranking.
F&M is definitely rigorous. My son works extremely hard, but has managed to maintain an average between an A- and an A. He is also a varsity athlete, in a fraternity and active in at least one club. Doing well is challenging, but not impossible. As far as prestige, F&M is clearly on the rise and its grad school admissions numbers are excellent. My son had a very high high school GPA and a 34 ACT, so he was a high performing student coming in, but although he is working hard, he is having a good experience. The professors are talented and accessible. The coursework is challenging, but prepares the students well for grad school and the workforce. The courses are small, so no one can hide and there are a lot of demands from professors, but the work is clearly meaningful. My other child is at an Ivy, he also has to work extremely hard to get his As. In the end, both are receiving excellent educations and that, rather than GPA alone, should be the goal. My son at F&M could have had his choice of schools but he chose F&M as his first choice and I haven’t been disappointed.
My daughter will be a freshman at F&M this fall. She too is a Varsity athlete and had excellent grades/scores. She was recruited by many schools, including 3 Ivy league schools, but fell in love with F&M when we visited, decided to apply ED1 and got in. We live in the Midwest where F&M isn’t as well known, but I agree- it is an excellent and prestigious school with a great reputation. I think she made the right choice and I am so excited for her. Your comment was very helpful, thank you!
When we looked at F&M we did our research and found that graduate schools highly respect F&M. In fact, schools like Harvard Business School thrive on diversity (this is just the :
American University of Beirut
American University of Cairo
Amherst College
Anna University
Arizona State University
Ateneo De Manila University
Babson College
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Bates College
Ben Gurion University
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Ecole Superieure Science Economic Commerce (Initial Period)
Emory University
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Etseib
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