Need positive feedback on F&M

<p>This school recently came on my DD's radar and she visited, toured and interviewed last week with her father. Both were favorably impressed. Her major is undecided but would be history, english or communications( applied to syracuse newhouse), basically anything but math involved. Her stats are pretty good SAT's 2010 ( V 710, M-600, W-700), with an good GPA 95% W, very involved in school.many EC"S, comunity involvement and 2 sports. I am hoping for some merit money( we don't qualify for other fin aid) from F&M, Gettysburg, and or Syracuse. It will probably come down to $$$$ She also applied to other schools as well like Lafayette, 'Nova , BC, Bucknell which are reaches. Anyway sorry this is long winded, but I was concerned over some negative FB from other posters on this board and another website involving the administration,lack of activities, etc. What she/we liked about F&M was the variety of dining venues ( lacking at G"burg), pretty campus, a little closer to home...only 4 hrs away, proximity to amtrak and phili.. So can anyone out there who has attended F&M or has family there give more insight??? Also chances on adm and orF&M merit scholarships??? Thanks</p>

<p>I graduated from F&M 30 years ago but have visited quite a few times in the last 3 years in my S and D's college exploration process....along without touring roughly 20 other schools. I think F&M's campus and facilities do compare favorably to many of its peers and there is a huge building program on the horizon to improve many aspects of campus life. Naturally you have to see which of those building will be around for your child! The area between the campus and the train station, the old Armstrong factory, will be totally rebuilt.</p>

<p>The theater, concert hall, dance facility, and some of the athletic facilities are much nicer than many schools we vested. Some may think the freshman dorms, like many, a bit lacking but personally I actually prefer the "long halls with cells off either side" (to quote a former F&M senior administrator's great description) as part of the "freshman experience". The dining options are much better than I recall but I think the same can be said for most of the places we visited.</p>

<p>In looking at colleges I have come to the conclusion that college reputations and atmosphere don't really change all that much over time, probably due to the self-selection that goes on in the process. Stereotypes are often far more true than not...so...historically F&M has been a serious place, though students clearly often party as hard as they study, that places a premium on hard work if you want to excel. Most F&M students are very much "pre" something and are pursing some goal with great ambition. Fraternities are a large factor in the social life on campuses but can be avoided, I did, if you don't care for them.</p>

<p>Like any small LAC faculty members are rewarded more for teaching than research and that shows in the commitment of most to their students.</p>

<p>The major question about F&M in recent years is the surrounding neighborhood. Lancaster County has always been a relatively wealthy area but the City did decline a bit in the 90's as residents moved to new suburban developments in what was only farmland in my day. F&M has been taking many steps to insure student safety but it is no longer a suburban oasis as it once was. While not an urban school by any stretch of the imagination I believe this factor has hurt F&M's popularity. This was/is not a concern for my children but you should be aware of this. </p>

<p>Compared to Gettysburg, one of the oldest rivalries in college sports, I think F&M is clearly superior academically....mostly just kidding as both are very fine schools... and the Gettysburg campus is probably safer from outside crime but much more isolated. Syracuse is a much different type of school and more of an urban environment on its own due to its size. My bias is for smaller schools but clearly Communications is more of a specialty at Syracuse. I am not sure that either small school has a Communications major, do they?</p>

<p>My son was accepted last year but went elsewhere (gasp...my wife's alma mater....) and we will see what happens with my daughter this year. Both kids have said, I don't think they are humoring me in this, that F&M is a very good looking place that they would be happy to attend.</p>

<p>I think your daughter should get in with her stats.</p>

<p>Good luck.</p>

<p>Thank you for your positive reply. F&M is starting to look better and better., except for the tough classes..I would like her not to be so stressed out in college As far as communications goes, going to Syracuse for that is just one of her thoughts. Shes really undecided. I think political science or history as she is the most gifted in those areas.. I just hope whatever it is she graduates college with is marketable.. Thanks again</p>

<p>My son is a sophomore at F&M. He couldn't be happier. He is very active in Greek life, has made good friends, and finds the work challenging (in a good way). There is a nice close relationship between students and faculty.</p>

<p>My son will be attending F&M next year. We have had two reservations about the school. One is the workload; some of the college guidebooks and comments on websites have suggested that the workload is not just heavy, but oppressive. Your comment about the workload being challenging in a good way is helpful. The other concern is the extent to which frats dominate social life. I am not sure that I see my son as a stereotypical frat member. Any comments on the frat concern would be welcome.</p>

<p>Thank you.</p>

<p>I was a little surprised that my son ended up in a fraternity, because I wouldn't have pegged him as a typical frat member, either. He really enjoys it, though. The F&M website says that about 35% of kids are in fraternities or sororities.
We also felt like he got the right amount of guidance and support to make the transition from High school work to college-level work</p>

<p>Thanks for your comments about F&M and your son</p>

<p>Daughter is a Sr and our son is a first-year at F&M (who just pledged a fraternity), so I guess we (as a family) like it. </p>

<p>The frat scene is an important factor, as it seems to be at most LACs. The newish President Fry appears to have a reasonable take on the value they add to the campus, so relations are less strained than under past administrations.</p>

<p>Hats off to Fry for the massive building campaign, which I think is mostly credited to his stewardship. The newest section, mixed-use dorms/retail on Harrisburg Pike, will house upperclass folks and will, along with the new Science Center, "pull" the school's center of gravity towards that end of campus...The new sports facilities being built for the city/college, right behind the current Athletic Center and on land previously owned by Armstrong World Industries (the flooring folks), will also continue that migration. Armstrong sold two-thirds of their massive site to Lancaster General Hospital (new nursing school going in on their plot) and F&M...for $1! Way to go Armstrong in seeing the value of urban renovation. These are very positive developments for the school.</p>

<p>The food program is a work in process, with small improvements appearing every term. G-burg's, while much more localized, has a rep for better menu development, as it is run by the school and not outsourced (as it is at F&M and almost all LACs).</p>

<p>Oppressive studies? Not sure about that at all...doesn't it depend on what a student wants to get out of the program? I would think it's "easy enough" to end up with a B- average after 4 years...or so it appears to us 'rents. Lots of variables factor into that, of course...majors, plan for grad school, work ethic the student brings to college, etc.</p>

<p>Security-a major effort is underway, with CCTV cameras on and off campus, free shuttle service to some of the local popular areas, etc. All this is to make the town/gown a bit easier on all parties (they have had some incidents, but I suspect every LAC does). The size of Lancaster -a bit bigger than most towns that host LACs- means there is more of a mixed bag of residents.</p>

<p>Finally, Fry introduced a House Program last year to try and bond the first-years to a sub-group of classmates. They took the existing first-year dorms and gave them new identities, with governance issues being co-managed with the students. From our vantage point, it seems to be working, but for those (like our Senior daughter), it was an intrusion...as is the requirement next year that all upperclass folks live in school-owned facilities, whether it's on or off campus. Frankly, given the hovel our daughter has lived in off campus for the past two years, that will be an improvement, but she/others think this is an unnecessary intrusion.</p>

<p>So, we net it out as a good school with good things happening. When we looked at LACs, we also looked at G-burg, Dickinson, Lafayette, and a few OH schools. They all have their plusses!</p>

<p>Palidad-Thanks for your comments. I like hearing that your S & D are enjoying their experience at F&M. My take on F&M is that it is somewhat underrated when compared to Dickinson, Lafayette, Bucknell and Gettysburg. I think that it is better academically than its ranking suggests. My S (who is planning to attend next fall) tells me that F&M is less well known than those other schools in eastern Mass., where he goes to school. I wonder why that is. Actually, I like the fact that the admissions process seemed a bit less slick at F&M than at some of the other schools.</p>

<p>I also like the fact that F&M has a higher percentage of students who go on to graduate school than its competitors. My S met several students who seemed down to earth and less "preppy" (whatever that means) than at the other PA LACs he visited. We both think the new buildings are a major attraction, particularly for music and psychology, subjects that are of particular interest to my S. We also think that the location is much better than average for a LAC, not as isolated as Dickinson, Bucknell and Gettysburg, but in a much nicer town than Easton or Allentown.</p>

<p>Generally, my S is smart and thoughtful, but has not been as motivated as he could have been in high school. I am not exactly sure why. I do not think that he has been turned on by his high school courses. I am hoping that F&M is nurturing as well as challenging. I think that he would respond well to caring professors and to other students whose interest in academics goes beyond getting good grades.</p>

<p>S is not particularly political (left of center for the country as a whole, but probably middle of the road for the average college student.) S is middle of the road socially, not the most outgoing, but able to mix well with alot of others. I think that he prefers "hanging out" with friends rather than partying, but is not "anti-frat." Although not a natural fit with the frat stereotype, I think that he would join a frat to facilitate the development of good friendships with kids he likes.</p>

<p>Anyway, as you can tell I am a little nervous and would appreciate any additional words of wisdom from F&M students and parents.</p>

<p>My daughter is waiting to hear from F&M ... I was very impressed when we visited (twice)... and found something there other than what I sensed at numerous other East Coast LACs -- though I can't exactly articulate what. There seems to be a lot of positive energy, perhaps the result of the new(ish) president and the new construction. The location is great -- there's a lot to be said for easy train access to Philly and not far from Baltimore -- and downtown Lancaster appeared to be undergoing some very positive changes. Just observing the students, I would concur they don't appear quite as "preppy" as at other PA LACs. And -- having visited perhaps 30 colleges over the past 18 months -- F&M wins hands down (in my opinion) for the best tour guides and student admissions staff. They're doing something right.</p>

<p>My daughter is waiting for word from F&M as well. My husband went there ages ago and had a great education. Our visit back there this summer was a positive eye-opener. Extremely well organized and welcoming admissions office. I also vote it the best. The student admission staff knew who to expect, where they were from, and were able to connect personally with some aspect of the visitor's background. The campus looked great and the facilities were impressive. Definitely a LAC to consider.</p>

<p>Markr- The fraternities (where I went to undergrad, they weren't called <em>frats</em>...but that was at "The Mother of Fraternities" and they frowned on the nickname) run the gamut from preppy to jock to bookish to everything else...he'll find something he likes.</p>

<p>The Dorm situation he will be thrust into will have a positive effect, also, with him self-identifying quickly with his dorm-mates in one of the four Houses.</p>

<p>During registration, all the clubs will be lined up in the Athletic Center (site of the registration process) for him to evaluate. Since that part of the first day is so distracting, he might not even want to dwell on them...wanting to get on with meeting his floormates and ditching his parents (!). So, see if you can get him to spend a bit of time on-line over the summer reviewing the various clubs...that way he will be pre-disposed towards one of two before he gets there and is caught up in the first day melodrama.</p>

<p>If you spend a nite there, try to get to the Farmer's Market downtown (not a walk, I might add), the longest continually operating one in the country. It's quite an eyeful...get some of the fudge at the spot in the corner...mmm pumpkin fudge...many of the Amish goods for sale there are not really found in other parts of the country...</p>

<p>Ivoryk and Momgeh50- I think the school's current vitality and growth is resonating with the tour guides and Admissions office...there are a lot of good things going on there...which can be hard to identify specifically. And all those schools look great almost all the time...except from Jan 4-March 4!</p>

<p>Palidad-</p>

<p>Thanks for the advice on clubs. S already knows that he wants to join a couple of the music clubs and groups. He researched this before deciding to apply to F&M. Reviewing the list of clubs for other choices ahead of time on the web is a great idea.</p>

<p>Do you or your D or S have any advice on which dorms are best for freshmen? I don't even know if freshman have a choice among the dorms.</p>

<p>We twice visited the farmer's market and loved it. We also recommend Captain Gus' Steak Shop on W. Orange Street, a bit downscale, but great for Phila. cheesesteaks. Lancaster has a lot going for it. I grew up in Allentown, PA, which has really deteriorated in the last ten or fifteen years. Lancaster reminds me of Allentown in the old day before it started to decline. </p>

<p>We were also very impressed with the Admissions Office and tour guide. They definitely influenced my S's decision to apply ED.</p>

<p>IIRC correctly, there is no choice available for dorm selection by entering First years...this eliminates the potential risk of "gaming" the whole dorm selection process...</p>

<p>Also, we have been staying for almost 2 years at one of the B&Bs southeast of town (10 minute drive to the school)...cute name of Dingeldein's O'Flaherty's B&B (named after the two prior owners)...competitively priced vs the normal hotels, and the breakfasts are much better than you will get at any of the normal selection of hotels (except for the brand new and more expensive Lancaster Arts...right by the campus). Worth investigating if you are weary of the noral mid-level hotels...</p>

<p>Thanks Palidad</p>