<p>Hey, I just wanted to know who else was going to the weekend program Feb. 7-9. It seems really interesting. Post back!</p>
<p>btw's: i'm probably going.</p>
<p>My son is definitely going and has selected courses in Theatre, English, History as his top choices to sit in on. We’ll be coming in from Long Island.</p>
<p>I’ll be going as well. Lots of opportunities to see if Fairfield is the school for me!
I chose courses in Biology, Chemistry and Foreign Language as my top choices. I’ll be coming from Massachusetts,</p>
<p>So we dropped S off yesterday and have been keeping in touch with texts. We took the tour again and found the campus to be as beautiful and well kept in the winter as it was in the fall. Then back to Kelley Center for a presentation and snacks. We met with current FU students who were well spoken, welcoming and very knowledgeable about many different facets of the school. The Admissions Counselor who interviewed my S was there and she came right over to him, addressed him by name and seemed very excited to see him back on campus again. They had two speakers (one a FU grad) who spoke about the Magis Scholars program which is only two years old and their integrated learning concepts. We briefly went over the schedule and then met the hosts. There had to be three girls for every guy that attended this weekend! My S was least interested in the Superbowl party they had planned not being a football fan but I’m sure he found plenty of girls to hang with! Some things to note so far:</p>
<p>Lots of students were in the library studying on a Sunday around 2pm!</p>
<p>Students all over campus were welcoming us and telling the kids to come to Fairfield. </p>
<p>Big question re housing. We learned that Fresh and Sophs are housed in traditional dorms, suites are reserved for upperclassmen. We saw Loyola which is one of the residential learning communities. I asked about bathroom cleaning. The tour guide said they clean every day, weekends, too. This morning S texts me traumatized that bathrooms are not cleaned on weekends and were DISGUSTING and smelled of vomit and urine.</p>
<p>He did say that everyone was very nice though and that he’s looking forward to his classes which will begin at 11:15am. Will post update later.</p>
<p>We’re back home after a morning presentation and luncheon. </p>
<p>S loved the professors and found the classes very interesting. He also got to sit in on a rehearsal as he is a Theatre/English major and he found the students to be very nice and excited to have him there. He said they were very supportive of one another which he liked as opposed to some cutthroat competitive environments he has been a part of and said he felt like they were “his people.” He found his host and the students he encountered, current FU students and potential Magis scholars, to be nice as well but he did not find a lot of diversity among the student body. </p>
<p>The study abroad opportunities interested him but he found some of the presentations including the Honors Program presentation boring. We were surprised to learn that receiving the Magis scholarship does not guarantee placement in the Honors Program. There is a separate application/essay required and they offer placement to approximately 35 students. Applications will be mailed to each Magis Scholar. </p>
<p>The bathroom was cleaner on Monday and today but S is still not a big fan of traditional dorm housing. To correct my earlier post, some Sophs CAN live in suites. They are building and renovating housing and expect that students entering in the fall will see these projects completed and available to them at some point during their time at FU.</p>
<p>He liked the food but everyone kept telling him he needed to eat more! Apparently, he had a bowl of cereal for breakfast and with the way the meal plan operates, that just wasn’t enough to eat when you have 12 all you can eat meals per week. I assume that most light breakfast eaters don’t eat in the dining hall for those meals because it would in essence be a waste of money. </p>
<p>I think they put together a very nice program for these potential Magis Scholars. I wouldn’t mind going to Fairfield myself!!! 
The weekend didn’t help my S make a decision that FU IS or IS NOT the school for him. He can see himself there but ultimately his decision will be made after all the decisions and financial packages come in. Good luck to all!</p>
<p>Anyone else care to share their experience this weekend???</p>
<p>DD applied but we have not been there. Hope to hear from others.</p>
<p>Missed an Open House in early February,too much snow here in SE Pa…Need to visit one more time before making a decision to attend…52K per year is a slight issue :)</p>
<p>My daughter attended the Magis weekend. When we walked around the campus we noticed there wasn’t much diversity (we come from a very diverse neighborhood ), but my daughter roomed with 2 students who were minorities, but from vastly different backgrounds from each other. She noted that they were very well spoken, intelligent, hardworking students who were also very friendly . What truly won her over was the class she attended as she thought the material was well presented and the professor was very engaging as well as informative. She comes from a strong academic public High School where she excelled, and the class she attended pretty much sealed the deal for her. The campus is incredibly beautiful and safe, but in the end the strong academic vibe and friendly student body sealed the deal for her ( we also noticed many students very hard at work in their library on a Sat.). My daughter STATS are the following:
SAT 2230, Bio 760, AP Bio Score 5, and NW-GPA 3.8 plus many Leadership extracurriculars and has been playing instrument for 7 years.
She was offered numerous generous merit scholarships from other Universities,( Adelphi, Fordham, Loyola, Boston College. Providence) but so far this is her top choice out of the 6 schools she has visited so far. Last school left is Georgetown…, but they offered no merit and no financial aid. Keep you updated on what she thinks of Georgetown. Good luck everyone.</p>
<p>Just wanted to add that it felt like a supportive and safe environment, which as a Father I appreciate.She also liked that the train is 15 min. walking distance and NYC is only an hour away. The Magis merit scholarship which Fairfield University gives to a select number of their student body is also pretty great, 22,000 a year, (even though she’s been offered more at two other schools).</p>