<p>Although my D's father grew up in SC and went to Emory(hated it by the way) my D has grown up in the egalitarian midwest. Comfortable middle class town with emphasis on nose to the grind stone and everyone is equal. No country clubs and few minorities. I went to UGA for graduate school and was a culture shock for me (I'm from midwest). She really likes the campus and we know the academics are good. Any other midwestern types know if she would have trouble fitting in? She's a great student, active in music and theater but not so much athletics. The greek system is sort of a nonstarter for her. thanks.</p>
<p>you will have to visit and get a feel for yourself. Furman has all types and I cant imagine somebody not filtting in unless your D is on the far side of any extreme,</p>
<p>Okay let me rephrase that - some SE schools are very preppy and very into the Greek system. Is Furman? (by the way husband hated Emory - not SC)</p>
<p>We are midwest family. S is NOT into the greek system. He felt very comfortable on campus visit - it was his first choice. He has friends there from the south, northeast, midwest. He does enjoy living and learning outside the culture he grew up in. Academics have been great, it was the place for him.</p>
<p>Thanks askdad. Appreciate the input.</p>
<p>Our D is at Furman now. She is a freshman, so I will be able to tell you more at the semester. Everyone is friendly and helpful. I will say I expect my D to be going on s shopping trip when Mom goes down for Parents weekend. I know of roughly 6 from our state at Furman and a neighboring state. To me Furman does not fit the mold of a school of the South. They really seem to pride themselve on seeking out new experiences, Engaged Learning. This is what your child will be doing by coming from the Midwest.</p>
<p>I’ll look forward to your update Future Chem Dad. What 2 states from the midwest are you talking about? How did you learn about Furman?</p>
<p>I am speaking of Missouri and Illinois. I don;t remember how we discovered Furman. I know it was my find, probably through this site.</p>
<p>I sure hope a midwestern girl can fit in because if not, my D is in trouble. We are “Yankees”. My D spent 2 weeks at Furman this summer at the Summer Scholars program and she was the only student north of Virginia. She loved the experience and said she never felt more welcome. Ironically her other favorite school is in the midwest. If possible, I would recommend that you have your D go attend a class at Furman and do an overnight stay. We are doing that next month. Good luck</p>
<p>Sounds great from everyone’s posts. Wanted to get a little feedback before we planned a trip to get a feel for ourselves. If there were overwhelming neg vibes we might have thought twice about a visit but looks like it will be a go now.</p>
<p>We have tentative plans to do a first visit in early April. We’re from RI, so a thread like this is of great interest to us.</p>
<p>I happen to have a brother in NC, accessible from Greenville via bus for a possible weekend getaway now and then, so that’s a somewhat comforting thought.</p>
<p>From your title Trumpetdad I had to laugh because my daughter and her father are trumpet players so it looks like similar interests abound, making the school look even better. Many years ago(about 20 now) when Asheville hosted the International Brassband competition my husband’s band practiced a day early at Furman. That was the only time I have seen it but the campus was gorgeous. When visiting her grands in Walla Halla this summer D did a drive through and was astounded by the beauty. The whole reason I asked the Midwest question was because D was so blown away by the country club beauty that she assumed only incredibly wealthy people would attend. That is the kind of cultural differences she doesn’t yet understand. We’re there for a visit for sure now. Thanks all.</p>
<p>There are students from all over the US at Furman. I have heard of Texas, Oklahoma, NY, Maryland and even Alaska( she is a senior). Make sure your trip is long enough to meet with a department member from the potential area of study. I would also make sure that you visit downtown Greenville. It is beautiful!</p>
<p>You need to also pick up any publications and explore the Engage Furman portion of the website. This school really believes in making students active participants in the world around them.</p>
<p>iadorking, Is D planning on pursuing trumpet at the college level?</p>
<p>[I’ve exchanged a couple of emails with trumpet instructor Gary Malvern at Furman, and have read good things about him.]</p>
<p>If so, most interested in reports on visit, though interested regardless.</p>
<p>my younger son is a freshman at Furman-we are from Texas. We love the school and do not find it particularly ‘southern’. My older son is a Davidson graduate-it, too, was relatively cosmopolitan. My son’s roomate is from Maine and the hallmates were from all over the place.</p>
<p>I know D wants to remain active with her music in college (but not major in it). She is a cellist as well as a trumpet player - loves both. She won’t play in marching band though because she hates bumming her lip up. She likes jazz band, symphonic band and small groups so hopefully she’ll fit in some where. The first thing she said about Furman was “there’s 28 different music groups I could play in”. Loves her cello too so the music is a definite plus at Furman. Thanks for the trumpet instructors name. My husband will want to visit with him.</p>
<p>My freshman D is from CA and knows several other students from CA at Furman. She’s only spent one week there so far, but loves everything about it (except maybe the humidity, although it’s nothing compared to places like St. Louis, where I grew up!). I was so impressed by the campus and the faculty and staff when I was there for orientation. I have a friend from grad school who is on the faculty at Furman, and he assured me that students receive a top-quality education there–Princeton Review just named it in the top twenty for quality of undergraduate education.</p>
<p>On the fitting-in issue, my D was a bit apprehensive coming from CA (even though we are conservative), but so far she has found the students very welcoming and open. I suppose I’ll be able to tell you if these first impressions hold true as the weeks go by.</p>
<p>My D is a sophomore and also from CA. She had no trouble fitting in at Furman. The students are very friendly and open no matter where they are from. She always has an invitation to go home with her southern friends for holidays and finds their families to be very welcoming and hospitable.</p>
<p>I’m a freshman at Furman and I think I might be able to answer some of your questions about the initial fit here from a first-hand point of view.</p>
<p>As a Marylander, I was a bit worried about fitting in at a southern school, but it took no more than five minutes on campus to have those fears alleviated. My roommate is from Tennessee, my best friend here is from Connecticut–his roommate is from Pakistan–and I’ve met people from as far away as California, Maine, Colorado and Washington state. Granted, the significant majority is from the southeast, but as someone from farther up north the only time I’ve felt like a fish out of water is when my Connecticut friend and I went to a fraternity dance and there was a country band playing and country dancing going on. I’m certainly not used to that! Otherwise, I feel like I fit in perfectly well here, and I don’t think that there would be any reason that a midwesterner wouldn’t.</p>
<p>In one of the guide books I read, Furman was named “friendliest campus.” I couldn’t agree more. If it’s fitting in your D is concerned about, I can say unequivocally not to worry. If it’s managing Furman’s notoriously tough workload, I can say that the rumors (while sometimes overstated) are true. </p>
<p>And to address the question about the Greek system here: Fraternities and sororities both have large presences on campus, but there’s no obligation to join, and independents aren’t looked down upon. As an independent, one certainly won’t be invited to as many activities as a Greek, but they won’t be excluded from campus, either. Keep in mind that Furman A) has delayed rush and B) only the officers of a Fraternity are allowed to live in the off-campus house. Greek organizations often have a hall in a dorm for their sophomore and junior members who aren’t living in the on-campus apartments. From what I’ve seen, many Greek members get North Village or Vinings apartments together, so even if they aren’t technically off campus, they are with their brothers in an apartment. Once again, Furman is an extremely friendly campus.</p>
<p>My D was at Furman freshman year, and she fit in just fine. We are from Michigan, and she also wondered if she would “fit.” It was no problem! While girls tend to dress a bit more nicely on occasion in the south (compared to D’s UMich friends, who NEVER get out of jean or sweatpants), casual dress is not out of place. She never wore a dress to a football game, for example, although some girls did. She enjoyed the culture, the town … pretty much everything except the way folks drive (and yes, she knows very well that they think we midwestern drivers are in too much of a hurry!).</p>