<p>Thanks, shimmer102, for sharing your insights and enthusiasm. Your thoughts on Greek life are especially helpful. I'm delighted to see that you're so happy with your choice, and I wish you a wonderful college "career."</p>
<p>Just a thought for any who are still looking for feedback on F&M - The frats are indefinitely closed to hosting parties as the college undergoes some reassessment of alcohol abuse on campus resulting in more problems than usual. This is not to say the frats are the absolute cause of the problem. The school sent an announcement to parents that President Fry plans on working hard towards correcting this with special forums examining the troubling trend at the school, including the frats in this process (I believe,) and other student and administrative groups. I just thought you deserved to know since we just learned of another death of a student recently at University of Delaware presumed due to alcohol poisoning, just a few weeks after the death of a 22 yr old visiting alum at F&M. Of course, as you do your research, we believe the best thing is to talk really candidly to current students about the social options that take place consistently where students will actually attend. We believe this is the best way to see if efforts by a school admininstration are really proactive and working. I know poetry readings and lectures are fine for some, but movie nights, open mic nights, etc seem to be much more in demand. It definitely appears to make a difference in the social life at a school. Good luck with your search.</p>
<p>Thanks for the info. Very sad to hear about the UDel student. I knew about the F&M alum, now this. </p>
<p>:(</p>
<p>I attend F&M and the frats have been open since January. They were closed for a couple months but they are open again.</p>
<p>Bumping this thread in the hopes of some more current info – thanks!</p>
<p>It’s 2013 and adding my experience as a parent of a graduated F&M student (2012)…The smallness of F&M gets old really fast. The students can never really let down their academic guard for longer than a day or they’ll get dreadfully behind. The placement services, regardless of their current excellent ranking, were terrible in my experience. Most students went on to graduate school because job prospects were poor, or they were pre-med majors and actually made it through the program…which is a monsterous feat in and of itself. There are a lot of kids there who are socially in left field, so it makes it hard if your trying to find a group of friends, if your not tied to the division 3 sports teams there. If you are a player, good luck trying to get even 50% of your academics done with the heavy workload. Just my experience…and YES I REALIZE EVERYONE has a different one haha</p>
<p>You redefine helicopter parent. As a parent of a student you can comment on the lives and academics and who is socially in left field? Most types like you stop helicopter parenting after senior year in HS. I can’t imagine how difficult your S/D life is with you still making excuses for them.</p>
<p>The previous poster (greatescape) does not even sound like a parent to me (possible ■■■■■?). However, Tom, as a new poster you might want to consider your tone a bit more (lest you be categorized as a ■■■■■ yourself…).</p>
<p>Where did THAT attack come from?</p>
<p>Not sure what you mean about my tone. I stand by my post. If a parent thinks they can answer the campus experience and make comments like that because their S/D attended, it is ridiculous.</p>
<p>My son is in his second year at F&M and loves it there. He feels there is a real sense of community and that the profesors care about the students. He’s not involved in divisional sports, but has found many activities that interest him and have given him opportunities to meet tons of other kids. Lancaster is not a hopping metropolis, but there are things to do in town. It’s not a school for someone looking for a big city experience. The course work is difficult, but I feel that’s a good thing.
The economy is terrible, and I know many, many parents with recent grads from all sorts of schools with all sorts of degrees who have needed to move back home because they were unable to find a job. It’s tough out there. F&M has a reputation of being a feeder school for professional degree programs, so it’s not unusual to hear of kids moving on to graduate/doctorate programs post-graduation.</p>
<p>I guess Franklin and Marshall hasn’t taught you that people might have different opinions. That is all the previous poster did, posted their opinion. There was no need to attack them for having an opinion, even if it differs from yours. Feel free to share your opinion if it differs from theirs and perhaps it will start a conversation that is helpful. To attack the person because you don’t agree with their experience is uncalled for whether you “stand by it” or not. Believe it, or not, but many parents and their children have a close relationship that would allow for many conversations and a close sharing of the campus experience. That doesn’t seem to be your experience but it doesn’t make someone else’s comments irrelevant.</p>
<p>I know several past and present students of F & M and they have only had positive things to say about their experience.</p>
<p>I’m an F&M graduate and was pleasantly surprised when I returned a few years ago and found very clean dorms and all updated facilities. I agree with prior posts that visiting schools to help determine fit is very important. My son thought F&M felt nerdyish but, I think he was heavily influenced by a kid on the tour wearing a leisure suit and asking lots of technical questions. My son ended up at another private LAC with D1 sports so, the kids do appear more athletic looking (a high percentage of them are in great shape). </p>
<p>My daughter, a high school junior, will be taking a tour, attending an info. session, having an interview, meeting with a coach and stopping by Hillel (although we are not a religious). We will grab a bite for lunch on campus and have dinner in town. If we have time, we will also try to spend a few minutes with a student who recently graduated from my daughter’s high school. What else do families do when visiting colleges to get the best feel for fit? Class visits and staying overnight are not an option for this visit since we’ll be off to Muhlenberg/Lehigh the next day, and Wesleyan/Trinity the day after. My daughter is undecided for now, so there isn’t a particular department she would be interested in visiting.</p>
<p>We found it very helpful to visit campus without the official tour guide group. Go and get a cup of coffee and sit in the student union and just get a feel for the students. See how people interact. Employees and students. Talk to the people working there. It all adds up and hopefully gives you a better picture of what the campus community is like. We visited F&M, Muhlenberg, and Lehigh as well. They all are different. Does your daughter like Greek life? Lehigh is big time into the Greek scene, F&M a little, and Muhlenberg even less. Your daughter will know, kids seem to get a good sense of a school in a very short time. Best of luck!</p>
<p>@angel14 Great advice from @beenthere! Walk around on your own, sit in the cafeteria and watch/listen to the students. Are they sitting alone? If so, are they working or looking lost? Are the groups inclusive? Is there real diversity (vs the brochure says so)? Are the students polite with the people working there? Ask a few random students for directions while you are walking around. Are they friendly and helpful or do they look annoyed or stressed? It is really all about the fit–really. If your daughter feels the fit is good, she will be happy. If she is happy, she can be successful. If doesn’t matter how good the school is, if the fit is bad, the student won’t be happy. Best of luck!</p>
<p>thanks so much for this post. it was by far the most helpful I have read. My son is very interested in attending to study environmental science which we hear is very good at F&M. Would love to learn more about your son’s experience. We are in Miami so it is a bit of a hike but we like the idea of exploring new parts of the country.</p>
<p>my last post was directed to browneyes. ps. my son loves swimming and baseball and participates at a strong high school level. He places academics first but would like to continuing playing for fun. Do those opportunities exist at F&M?</p>
<p>I think F&M is probably #1 on my DD#2’s list right now and we are planning on visiting in February. She is interested in their animal behavior program- anyone here have any experience with that program? I actually like the nerdy/social misfit tone I’m picking up her - I think DD#2 fits that in a way and may find this appealing.</p>
I know this is very late for the original question, but I happened on this question (when beginning the search for my younger child’s school) and wanted to respond.
I’m an F&M alumna and the wife and mother of alumni. I am also a member of the alumni association board. So my experience stretches many years and is still pretty up to date.
In the 80s, the Greek scene was a big part of the social life. I’ve not found it nearly so important now to students. Some are enthusiastically involved; those who aren’t are happy with other activities.
The students aren’t really very preppy. It’s become a school with a large and diverse international student body and they’ve worked at attracting a more diverse group geographically within the states. The students I’ve interacted with are very bright, very enthusiastic - the kind of people who get involved in the community they’re a part of.
There’s a large group of kids who are involved in various arts, there are kids who love science and get the opportunity to work side by side with their professors - even contributing to research. Sports are a part of the school’s life - and some teams are terrific. But academics is first, and sports are not overly important. (So if you’re not an athlete, you’re not an outsider, socially.)
You will find few schools where the students interact as much with their professors as at F&M. I know I formed life-long relationships with some of mine. Classes are small, lots of attention is paid.
And the president is a wonder. He seems to know every single student personally. He’s at everything that happens, cheering athletes, actors and everyone else one. It makes for a special atmosphere.
It’s academically rigorous, for sure. I think the kids now are brighter than I was. But I never got the impression from my child that it had that cut-throat sort of competitive thing happening.
I still love the place. And I’m happy every time I get to return. Lancaster is also a terrific little city now, with tons of restaurants and galleries. Much nicer now than when I was there!
Happy to answer questions for anyone considering F&M!