<p>Elon folks, </p>
<p>My HS senior daughter is coming to campus next week and is already slated to sit in on several classes, including an intro to psychology, dance and photography/digital art course. We've been to Elon once before (early September) for the GAME day diversity event, so we had the cook's tour that day.</p>
<p>Anything else special she should be sure to see/do while we are there? I will no doubt be reading a book and drinking coffee in the dining hall (or wherever a parent can grab a cup of coffee and a muffin while prospective student is otherwise engaged), but we want to make sure she makes the most of the visit. The admissions office told her they could set her up to have lunch with a current student, but the class schedule might not allow that. But we do have a little wiggle room in the morning.</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>What day are you going?</p>
<p>sent you a private message, hope that helps… But others should post ideas too.</p>
<p>We too would love some ideas. We are flying up for a visit and will have a full day at Elon. Have already scheduled a campus tour. Anything else that we should see or so while on campus or in the area? Any suggestions appreciated!</p>
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<p>(Falls over laughing.) There isn’t anything to see in the area! And what there is, you’ll see on your drive in. :)</p>
<p>D toured it earlier this week and liked it much more than she thought she would. The info session was good, and considering it was a weekday just weeks into the school year, I was surprised to see how many interested students attended–about a dozen. The school had planned well, and we each had our own private tour guide. The campus was beautiful and seemed large given the enrollment figures. It was by far the smallest school we’ve toured. We were impressed with a number of things.</p>
<p>You might find something of interest on the activities calendar:
[Cultural</a> Calendar - October 2012](<a href=“Cultural Calendar | Elon University”>Cultural Calendar | Elon University)
Otherwise, you might contact the admissions office or your admissions counselor and see if they would suggest anything.</p>
<p>To both of you, have a great trip!</p>
<p>definetly Try to have lunch or coffee with a current student. If its a nice day sit outside and just watch people too get a sense of student body. Go on enet and see if there are any lectures, performances, events of interest. If a girl go to mall or outlets to reassure there is shopping nearby. Have fun. My son loves it so much.</p>
<p>If you have time eat lunch at The Root. Son’s favorite off campus eatery. Hanging out on the quad in the afternoon if the weather is good to get a feel of kids on campus. But a lot of what is great about Elon is what you can’t “see”. The opportunities available for students to shine and relationships forged between students and faculty and staff.</p>
<p>Thanks for the suggestions. Hanging out and people watching is definitely on the list! I am really hoping my DS can get a feel for the school. This is by far the smallest school he is applying to and I really like the idea of the smaller classes and more interaction with faculty. Up until now, he had been focusing on Big D1 flagship schools. But Elon seems to have so many other things he is looking for that we decided we have to visit.</p>
<p>Having just been on campus for family week-end, here are my suggestions:
To connect with students:
- outdoor tables between McEwen and Virginia - if the day is nice, that’s a great place to hang with your coffee while your D is in class!
- pop into Varsity Grill in McEwen, a fun student hangout
- in the late afternoon, pop by the rec fields to check out club sport practices or marching band practice (schedules vary). </p>
<p>make sure you see some dorms, and if your child is REALLY interested in Elon, take notes! You’ll be glad you did when your s or d has to do their room choice survey.</p>
<p>Eat in at least one dining hall!</p>
<p>Take some time to walk thru academic buildings, and make sure you really admire the academic quads - they are beautiful! My S has a history class that has spent some significant time outside in the amphitheater in front of Lindner. </p>
<p>enjoy your visits!</p>
<p>“Under the Oaks” - the area behind West Hall, between McEwen and Whitley Auditorium, is where Elon holds both convocation and commencement. </p>
<p>The Inman Reading Room in Lindner Hall</p>
<p>The fountains in front of Alamance and Khoury Business Center. My favorite place to sit and people watch at Elon is the Fonville Fountain in front of Alamance. You can see all the way across Young Commons to Mosely. </p>
<p>Whitley Auditorium (if it’s unlocked)</p>
<p>Belk Library (will be on your tour)</p>
<p>Town Table is the “traditional” restaurant across the street from campus that’s been around for years. Nearby, All That Jaz sells unique greek life paraphernalia, including custom t shirts and sweatshirts - apparently sorority girls from from UNC and beyond to shop there. The new Elon bookstore and Pandora’s Pies (pizza) are on the same block.</p>
<p>Agree with trying to chat with current students. If you get into a cafeteria go up to a table of a few kids and ask them what they like/dislike about the school and their social life. Be sure to get a few different view points. </p>
<p>We were so impressed with the kids we met. A lot different types of kids- each made a different impression. Do try to get into the dorms. Popular ones for freshmen are the single sexed ones Carolina & Smith- not so impressive but the rooms are big & the kids love it. The single sexed dorms help create lasting friendships with their own gender.</p>
<p>The newer dorms are gorgeous… The kids are very comfortable which is helpful for sometimes college kids who are stress out. We have been very pleased with the professors and administrative staff - accomodating & helpful. What comes to mind is the phrase often used for Penn State aka “Happy Valley”.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the excellent suggestions! We had a wonderful visit yesterday (other than the humidity, which puffed my hair out of all recognition, even the weather was fantastic) and my daughter loves the school more than ever. I won’t bore you all with details, but suffice to say that every single kid we talked to (and most of it was impromptu) was exceedingly friendly, nice and positive about Elon. The professors in the classes she observed knew she was coming, knew her name and welcomed her. We got the feeling that this is a campus where the culture is about a well rounded college experience: not just studying and learning (though those are, of course, why you are there) but also about doing meaningful volunteer/service work, exploring options abroad, and having some fun, too.</p>
<p>By the way Notmamarose , I love your screen name! I assume you refer the the Gypsy Mama Rose? It really made me chuckle. ( I’m too uncool to say LOL) Glad your daughter had a good visit.</p>
<p>Scoutmom9, yes, my older kid studied acting/musical theater in college and Gypsy is one of our favorite musicals of all time, though I always hated the whole “stage mom” thing, and Mama Rose was THE stage mom of all stage moms. So when my older girl was exploring colleges for acting/MT and I stumbled upon CC, I adopted that screen name. Glad you understood and liked it!</p>