<p>Thus far - from what I am reading - I’m feeling good about Elon U. Can something though tell me what the climate is like? Do some consider it a party school? Are the students extremely competitive - jealousies, back-biting, etc.? Are there opportunities for spiritual growth - Bible studies, FCA, Young Life, etc.? Is there accountability - meaning, do the profs hold students accountable for not attending classes? Is there enough support and guidance from profs, counselors, etc.? Do you know if they waive out-of-state tuition? Questions, questions… Thanks for your help! </p>
<p>I'll take a shot, but I'm just a parent of an entering freshmen so this REALLY is just my humble opinion based on what I've seen and heard so far:</p>
<p>Extremely competitive, backbiting, etc? I really haven't gotten that vibe at all, and even the negative reviews I've read of Elon don't mention this as a problem. </p>
<p>Opportunities for spiritual growth? I'd say yes. The Facebook page for Elon's class of 2011 has a thread about christians, and it's fairly active. </p>
<p>Accountability? I think it really depends on the professor. Classes do tend to be fairly small, so IF the professor cares it would be hard to hide an absentee problem. </p>
<p>Support? Again, I think this depends on the specific professor, but I've find that Elon's overall reputation is one of strong student support from the administration and professors in general. </p>
<p>I'm sure I can find this on the site, but since this forum just popped up...I thought I'd ask.
I was wondering if Elon requires a "core liberal arts curriculum" or do they approach the MT program like a conservatory?</p>
<p>Uri....remember there are kids like that behaving in similar ways at all colleges and it is not unique to Elon. At least Elon was trying to do something about it. Generalizing about an entire student body based on a video news story of some kids who behaved inappropriately isn't cool.</p>
<p>Hi Everybody! Sorry it has been so long since I have been around, but the beginning of the 2007-2008 school year is going to be here before we know it and it is going to be an amazing year! I will continue to do my best to answer everybody's questions. ...</p>
<p>Mrdutt - Climate: We have four pretty distinct seasons here at Elon, but the past couple of winters have been very mild with random bursts of very cold. It is good to bring a wide variety of clothing, but just keep in mind that in the past winter is not very intense. </p>
<p>Partying at Elon: There is a good deal of partying at Elon, but this is typical and true of almost any university. If you do not drink or party, there are still many opportunities for students to loosen up and have fun without drinking. I know for a fact in the musical theatre department it is extremely welcoming of all of its students whether they drink or not. </p>
<p>Religious life at Elon: There are lots of great religious organizations at Elon. Intervarsity is one of the wonderful Christian organizations in which several music theatre majors are involved. I have also taken a class with our chaplin, Richard McBride, who is an extremely welcoming, open, and wonderful man. </p>
<p>Accountability at Elon: If we mess up, our professors do not hesitate to tell us. There are definately consequences for people who do not pull their load. </p>
<p>Support from professors: Across the board of all the professors I have had the past couple of years, almost every teacher was extremely eagar to extend a helping hand outside of class even in my academic classes. Because of the small class sizes at Elon, we get the opportunity to get to know our professors very well which creates such a safe and intimate learning environment. I know that all of the music theatre faculty would go out of their way to help students in whatever the situation. They all care so much about all of their students that they do whatever they can to make sure that we are all ok and doing well!</p>
<p>If you research on lists - Princeton for example - UT Austin, U of Fla, Penn State, Indiana Bloomington, FSU - are all top party schools. Keep searching and you can find somewhere on some article any and all colleges - except maybe BYU and the military colleges - listed as a 'party school'. I'm not worried about my daughter doing anything at college she hasn't done till now. And I think the kind of person that is going to go wild and party is going to do that anywhere at any school. I think these young adults committed to BFAs are more goal oriented and mature and less likely than any to fall in this trap. </p>
<p>From everything we've read on CC, we fall more and more in love with Elon. We are probably more intriqued about visiting this college than any other. It seems like a warm, close knit, friendly group...yet demanding... and much less likely than most college environments to even raise an issue about this. I wouldn't let some local journalist cause you concern. You know your son or daughter - brush it off.</p>
<p>The theatre party scene was a little too much drama for my d(!), she is in a sorority and likes that scene a little better. She probably would stop telling me things if she knew I posted this stuff here tho so I'll just leave it at that. </p>
<p>She does have a friend that was kicked out for a semester for alcohol poisoning (non bfa), but says the girl had many health issues that alcohol made worse unfortunately. She's not sure if she'll return or not this spring. It is true that Elon has a no tolerance policy for underage drinking now. Underage drinking (especially binge drinking) is so dangerous and I'm glad they're toughening up their policy, but the flip side is that we suspect some (most?) of our kids do it from time to time. They need to realize that the consequences of it could include expulsion at some schools, including Elon.</p>
<p>The bfa kids, and I would imaging any other kids that participate in school sports or other intensive school activities, benefit from having a very busy schedule and need to set priorities. These leaves them being unavailable for too many parties.
My d also had points taken off of a grade this semester due to missing too many classes. Some of the flights I book are a day earlier/later than her class schedule in order to save money, so it's a trade off i guess.
She is very happy at Elon overall, and has so many good friends that I think she'll have the rest of her life. (I'm a little nervous about all the weddings she'll have to attend all over the country in the future!)</p>