There was a concern parent asking questions about Rhodes’ fit for her conservative D. I have an opposite one. Would Rhodes be a good fit for somewhat liberal/middle of the road student. He is Catholic, graduating Jesuit high school and strongly considering Jesuit college (Fordham). Would Rhodes be too conservative?
I have a son- k-12 catholic school also considering Fordham, Fairfield, Providence. We are heading to Rhodes for a visit. Seems like a lot of catholic schools kids in the northeast end up at the same schools - I would like to see him expand his horizons a bit - but also not familiar with the south at all. I went to Villanova and thought it was in the south - don’t get out of New England much.
@Monomin So S‘21 and I visited Rhodes last week. Campus was pretty empty because most students had left for Easter weekend. Our tour guide seemed moderate, a pre-med major from Tennessee. Admissions emphasized the school‘s commitment to service, especially to the City of Memphis. I recall her saying that a large majority of the students participate in service work. There was also an emphasis on the language programs being the foundation to the schools commitment to internationalism and multiculturalism. Another student from Athens, GA spoke about her project studying the endangerment of Culture and Language of indigenous peoples of central and South America. So my impression was that the school is more moderate than conservative. It is the South so most local churches are non-Catholic (Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian).
Thanks for the information. I am hoping our visit goes well. It is hard to find anyone who has a bad word to say about Rhodes - and I’ve asked - if I find out a friend has family in the southeast I ask them to get their opinion and they have all been positive.
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Thank you for the info. We are visiting next week, so will try to report our observations.
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I am a native Memphian. Rhodes is not conservative. Memphis and the Ninth Congressional District a blue spot in a sea of red in Tennessee…if that means anything to you. That being said, Memphis, like any city has its problems, history, and diversity. I would hope that the point of college would be to branch out and expose oneself to different points of view. That is certainly possible at Rhodes.
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Thank you, it is very helpful! Any recommendation for a hotel for out upcoming visit?
The only hotel in Memphis I have ever stayed at is the Peabody, but then I do live here. Be sure to Gus’ Fried Chicken, Gibson’s Donuts, and the Rendezvous (Memphis doesn’t eat well but the soul food is good).
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When I visited Rhodes a few years ago with my HS senior, we stayed at the Hampton Inn & Suites Memphis-Beale Street, and had dinner on or near Beale Street; we drove to Rhodes the following morning.
As I recall, the visit was handled pretty well by the school; one nice thing when we were there was a video screen with the names and high schools of all the students who were visiting that day (many visiting students were from Texas; victims of the “Top 10% Rule” – or whatever the percentage is now – regarding automatic admissions to Texas public universities).
I agree with other posters that neither a liberal nor a conservative student would feel out of place there.
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We stayed at the Hampton Inn-Beale Street one time and the Sheraton Memphis Downtown another. The Sheraton is on the trolley line and near the bridge to walkover to Mud Island.
Enjoy your visit! Memphis is a fun town… good food (too much good food!), good music, a nice arts scene. Rhodes has a beautiful campus and I agree, they did handle tours well.
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@Monomin I concur with the Peabody. It is a special piece of Memphis. Try to arrive when the ducks take their daily walk to and swim in the hotel fountain (in the main lobby/lounge. The architecture is amazing and with the high ceilings and ventilation, we felt very safe. We ordered take out from the downstairs restaurant through the ice cream/coffee shop in the lobby and ate in the room (if you are concerned about eating inside restaurants). Definitely check out Midtown and the Overton gardens and amphitheater across the street from Rhodes as well as taking a drive over the Mississippi to Arkansas if for no other reason than to say „I was in Arkansas,“ Also, we didn’t try it, but people swear by Central Barbecue. There is one in midtown and downtown. Have fun!
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Oh yes, the Peabody! We visited to see the ducks and have a coffee but have never stayed there. Maybe next time we’re in Memphis 
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The best Central BBQ is on Poplar in East Memphis. Central is good, but I prefer One and Only for pulled BBQ. You do have to experience Rendezvous though. It is good, but an experience, from the entrance on. If you have time go to the Civil Rights Museum. It’s excellent.
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The only bad thing I heard from a former student who is doing very well there: “The food is HORRIBLE.”
That’s interesting because when we toured spring 2022 we were offered an opportunity to eat at The R.A.T. (main dining hall) and it was great. Good salad selection, a pizza-pasta-from the grill selection as well as a rotation of ‘ethnic’ foods (ie a variety of Asian and South American options) and a great daily dessert bar. We met a hometown current student on her lunch break (not the same as ours) and she opted to eat at the across campus ‘pub’ style cafe. She’s been very happy with her Rhodes experience. My S23 has been accepted with good merit.
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We were just there for lunch yesterday (at the R.A.T.) and I thought the food was great.
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