<p>I'm applying to Hendrix College this November along with Whitman, Willamette, Reed, Oberlin, Colorado College, and some others. I have read online that Hendrix offers a lot in merit-based scholarship. I really like the Hendrix campus, Odyssey curriculum, and friendly atmosphere. My biggest concerns is the rigor of classes, if there's diverse classes (I feel as if they don't offer a ton of majors, but then again its a small school), and what student satisfaction is like. </p>
<p>Right now, I have a 3.8 (unweighted GPA/4.2 weighted), 29 on ACT (which will hopefully go up after the september test), and stellar ECs (started a political club, 2 internships, top 10 in speech and debate nationals, volunteer work, etc). I really want to be considered for the Hays scholarship, but I'm afraid my ACT score will not be good enough. Does anyone out there know if Hendrix is lenient on the ACT requirement? (my superscore is a 30)</p>
<p>I am going to agree with your assessment that your ACT score it too low at this point to make you a viable contender for the Hays Scholarship. Hopefully, you will be able to bring that up! I believe one aspect of competing for the Hays is to make a presentation to a panel, so you speech and debate would help you in that aspect! So, I would definitely try to get that ACT score up. However, even if you don’t, you should receive some amount of merit money from Hendrix. Hendrix is sort of known for being a school that doesn’t place as much emphasis on test scores if an applicant has other strengths, but I think there are plenty of folks with both that apply for the Hays. One thing you can do is google Hendrix College along with the words “Common Data Set” and look at section C of that document to see what the middle 50% range of test scores are for accepted applicants (or maybe it’s matriculated students - I can’t recall which). At any rate, I would think that your ACT score would need to be in that top quartile to be competitive for Hays even with your other excellent credentials. I had thought that they required a 32 on the ACT to apply for it, but that may have changed or I may be mistaken. </p>
<p>What is your family able to/willing to pay?</p>
<p>As far as rigor, I would ask what your intended major is. I am an alum of Hendrix from a loooong time ago, but I now have friends whose children attend there. I do not think you need to worry about the rigor of classes, but some areas are considered more rigorous than others. Hendrix is particularly strong in its science departments as well as Econ/Business. I do not know about Political Science, which I am speculating might be of interest to you. </p>
<p>Students tend to be very satisfied with Hendrix College. The food is great and the facilities are lovely (the dorms could use some work - to me this is the only weakness in facilities there). I don’t see diversity of classes as an issue - there is a wide array of offerings. However, not everything will be available every semester, so some planning may be required based on when courses are offered. Either asking about or searching for the freshman retention rate should give you an idea of student satisfaction. The community is small and tight-knit.</p>
<p>Football recently returned after a 60-year hiatus! The opening home game was last Saturday, and I heard it was fabulous! Well attended, lots of tailgaters, and an exciting finish as well.</p>
<p>Yes, my memory was correct despite my old age. One must have a 32 on the ACT to be eligible for the Hays Scholarship. Or a 1410 on the SAT as well as a 3.6 GPA. Good luck on that September ACT test!</p>
<p>Southern in what way? There are many students from the South, but there really are students from all over. I do not tend to think of it as Southern.</p>
<p>I would describe Hendrix as moderately southern. The overall vibe of the school is laid back and liberal, so if “southern” means “conservative” to you I would say it is far from that. Arkansas is not the deep south. It is a wonderful state for anyone who loves the outdoors. It’s easy to get to beautiful state parks within an hour’s drive, or the Ozarks a couple of hours away. And Little Rock is a fun small city (and only a half hour away).</p>
<p>The academic environment at Hendrix is challenging but supportive. The school was just ranked by US News for its strong commitment to undergraduate teaching. To me, that is what college should be all about.</p>
<p>There is plenty of drinking at Hendrix. There is a giant liquor store just over the county line. </p>
<p>Yes, parts of Arkansas are extremely conservative, but there are plenty of places that aren’t (in addition to Little Rock, northwest Arkansas around Fayetteville/Bentonville/Eureka Springs, for example). I don’t know why you would mention towns like Pine Bluff and West Memphis. They are nowhere near Hendrix and there would be no reason for a Hendrix student to go there. They are also both in OPPOSITE directions of the beautiful parts of the state. Of course, every state has places that span the political spectrum. Rural North Carolina and Georgia (and parts of Washington and Colorado and Ohio, for that matter) are full of people with very conservative views.</p>
<p>My take on Hendrix kids is that they are there because they want to be there. To grow up in the conservative south, as many of the students have–and then choose a small college that does not have a big sports culture and that is full of offbeat, intellectual kids–says a lot about them. In my experience they are smart, motivated, and curious about the world, and the Odyssey program allows them to do a lot of things (fully funded) that might not be possible otherwise.</p>