<p>You’ll get a better comparison on PrincetonReview.com. But in a nutshell, Davidson is one of the top undergraduate experiences in America, Wake Forest is uniquely positioned as a leading major university of small size, and Furman isn’t far behind. The others are at a significantly lower level of distinction, and I’ve never heard of William Peace U.</p>
<p>Thank you so much. Davidson seems like a school that I would be a good fit for, and it is definitely one I will be visiting soon. Wake Forest sounds like an amazing option, also, as does Furman. What I like most about Furman is that you can have a concentration in Poverty Studies and there is a scholarship specifically for students who wish to pursue this. Once again, thank you for your review on these.</p>
<p>Yeah, I have looked into that. I know that Berry in Georgia has the scholarship available, but I have not yet looked into Rhodes. Could you give me some more information on what the campus is like and that type of thing? Thank you for the suggestion, by the way. It looks like a great college!</p>
<p>I haven’t suggested Rhodes for you because there’s no journalism major. It’s a small liberal arts college in the heart of Memphis. We actually have a few journalists among our alumni; they typically major in one humanity or another (english, history, modern language, etc.), write for the student paper, and pick up an internship at one or more of the media outlets. If service is really important to you, it’s a big deal at Rhodes. We pop up in service-related rankings here and there. </p>
<p>The physical campus is freaking amazing. [Rhodes</a> College - Flickr: Search](<a href=“Search: Rhodes College]Rhodes | Flickr”>Search: Rhodes College | Flickr). It’s a good community too. About 1800 students, about 3/4 live on campus, pretty close-knit. Big emphasis on honor code and civility. Politics is a pretty even balance - most identify as moderate with people falling about 55/45 on the liberal-conservative divide. Used to be that about half the students were greek, but that seems to be going down a little, particularly among the men. 60/40 women-men split. 75% white, 5% international, 20% domestic students of color. Students come from all over the country. Presbyterian USA affilitation.</p>
<p>That is amazing. Are any of the campus clubs/organizations focused on poverty or alleviation of it? That’s one of the main reasons I am looking at Washington and Lee and Furman, because of their Poverty Studies programs. However, if the service is that awesome at Rhodes perhaps I should look into that also. Thank you so much for all of the information. I really appreciate it, and I’ll have to seriously look into it.</p>
<p>If you are interested in Poverty Studies because you are drawn to helping others, you may want to look at Guilford. As a Quaker college, it’s focus is quite different from traditional LACs on your list. I have visited many of the schools on your list, and Guifford’s student body really impressed me with their focus on community service. For example, Peace and Conflict Resolution Studies may interest you.</p>
<p>I know students who attend almost all of the colleges on your very diverse list. You’ve got all types of schools under consideration! That’s good. Now is the time to sort through what you want and do not want from a college. </p>
<p>Re: Poverty Studies and its scholarship. I love Furman. It’s beautiful and it’s leadership is strong and forward thinking. Just make sure that you investigate the major. Most college students change their majors a number of times before they settle in. And Furman is very expensive (as are all the schools on your list.) Check out what happens if you change your major.</p>
<p>Since your list contains many LACs, you may also want to look at UNC Asheville and College of Charleston. Both are public liberal arts colleges and cost significately less than the privates on your list. Both offer some wonderful programs.</p>
<p>In terms of clubs at Rhodes focused on poverty, there’s Advocates for the Homeless, Habitat for Humanity, the Hunger & Homelessness advocacy group within the larger Kinney service program, Rhodes Rebuilds, TOMS campus club, and Globemed.</p>
<p>There’s also several NGOs focused on poverty that Rhodes students get involved in. Metropolitan Interfaith Association (MIFA) is one of the larger anti-poverty groups around. There’s a Kroc Center coming online soon. Service Over Self (SOS) repairs homes in one of the poor neighborhoods near campus. Those are the ones that come to mind immediately.</p>
<p>It’s unfortunately a significant issue in Memphis, but a lot of people in the city are doing a lot to fight it.</p>
<p>Need more information. You listed Belmont Abbey College, which is a good Benedictine College near Charlotte, NC. They are conservative in a liturgical and theological sense, but that doesn’t mean they reject social justice. </p>
<p>If social justice is your thing, then the 28 Jesuit Colleges should be on your list. All of them emphasize that in a holistic sense, not just in an academic sense, often through amazing internships. </p>
<p>I also query why you are only looking in the South. Nothing wrong with that, just curious.</p>
<p>@ Stillnadine, Thank you so much for recommending Guilford to me! I had heard amazing reviews of the school from the college representative I spoke with, but to have an outside person telling me about the school is great. I’ll do some more investigating on the Furman topic, and hopefully I will get an interview to see if the concentration is quite right for me before fully committing to it. Even though public colleges would be considerably less expensive, the size does concern me quite a bit. As I am looking for a college, I’m unfortunately finding that the best values in terms of tuition do sometimes come at the cost of attending a large school. Do you know of any smaller colleges that are still at a lower price? Once again, thank you for all of your help. I especially like all the information you gave on Guilford.</p>
<p>@ Lynxinsider, That would be an excellent opportunity to be able to live close to a culture that resides in poverty. It would help me be able to hopefully better understand the situation, while coming to collaborate with others to find long-term solutions. How large of a school is Rhodes, in terms of undergraduates and graduates? Thank you so much for all of your help.</p>
<p>@ Sovereigndebt, What other information do you need? I’d be happy to tell you more about what I’m looking for if it would mean being able to better match me to a school. Also, I’m considering going to a Jesuit school. My debate teacher told me that I would fit in well at one, and I am a Roman Catholic. Would I possibly have good chances of getting into Seattle University? Also, I’m not only looking in the south. To be honest, it’s just a coincidence that the majority of the schools I’m interested in are mostly located in the Southern region. Thank you for your suggestion in terms of a Jesuit school. Do you know where I could find a full list of these?</p>
<p>Last time I lookrd, UNC Asheville had fewer than 5000 students and CofC has 10,000. Not all public colleges are huge universities. I’m not sure where you live, but most states have smaller, public campuses. In SC, you could look at Winthrop, which is another small, public college. I am not trying to push publics but since you are looking at a very wide range of school, I think you may want to check out these options, too, especially if $$$ is an issue.
Does your state have a public LAC?</p>
<p>Guilford and Asheville both are known to be rather earthy and are solid. They accept kids who are not great on paper in terms of grades or SATs, but who they believe to have something else to offer. This may or may not be what you are looking for. </p>
<p>I would rule out - Catawba College - Campbell University (perhaps)- High Point University and Belmont Abbey. They are not awful schools, but you can pretty much walk on campus and sign up and get in. Sounds like you can do better/different than that.</p>
<p>If you think you can get into Davidson, than that would probably be the best choice as it is highly competitive in terms of admissions and is simply a very, very good school.</p>
<p>@ Stillnadine, I did not know that Asheville was a small school. However, Charleston is a little too large for me. That is a good idea to look at public schools also. Thank you for your suggestions. My state does have a public liberal arts college, but I’m not sure how academically strong it is.</p>
<p>@ Lynxinsider, That would be a good size for me to consider. I think about 1,200 or 1,500 to 5,000 would be a perfect amount of students.</p>
<p>@ Taben1112, Thank you for the information about Davidson, Guilford, and Asheville. Also, for the others you mentioned would they possibly be good safety schools?</p>
<p>To answer your questions in your follow up…
-Guilford and Ashville would usually be safety schools…not in a bad way as Guilford is a first choice for some, as is Ashville, given the ‘feel’ of those schools.
-The schools I listed as ‘rule out’ are safety schools for many. I know some who are very happy at Belmont Abbey even though that was not their first or second choice.
-Davidson is a long shot for even the best of students. They are highly selective and you better bring great grades, a passion for something and a true desire for the Davidson Experience to even have a chance.</p>
<p>Wofford College in S.C. has a Bonner Scholars program. </p>
<p>A neighbor’s D attends UNC-A and is very happy there.<br>
Another neighbor’s D attended Campbell for two years and found it’s location too isolated. She transferred to Guilford.</p>
<p>@ Taben1112, Thank you for your answers to all my questions. I appreciate all of the help on this thread. Belmont Abbey, Guilford, and Asheville may be ones that I should visit to get a general feel for, along with the ones which might not be safeties for me. Also, I met with the representative from admissions for my area from Davidson, and the school did not immediately fit my interests. Maybe I will look into it some more, but it’s currently not on my top five list of schools that have peaked my interest so far.</p>
<p>@ Stillnadine, I live in Florida. The colleges that I would consider applying to here are Eckerd, New College, Florida Southern, Lynn, and maybe Flagler. What worries me about Flagler is their low freshman retention rate, however. In addition to this, I only plan on applying to one in-state school.</p>
<p>@ PackMom, I’ll probably be visiting Wofford sometime next year. The same goes for UNC-Asheville, which as you said seems like a great school. Also, Campbell appeals to me partly for the reason of being a somewhat isolated location. Rural and suburban areas interest me way more than urban places.</p>
<p>Doug Ammar is an attorney in Atlanta who heads a non-profit/charitable organization whom has deservedly received acclaim for his work. He’s a Belmont Abbey alumnus so I don’t believe he would agree that ‘anyone can walk on campus and sign up.’</p>