<p>We were very impressed after a recent tour. I gather that there has been a significant decline in selectivity in recent years. Does anyone know if Furman is trying to address this, and if so, how? Has it had any impact on grad school placement? On a different (although I guess somewhat related) subject, does anyone have a sense what kind of test scores students need to be eligible for the merit scholarships?</p>
<p>The test scores for the Duke and Lay are given on the Furman website, typically greater than 1400 SAT or greater than 32 ACT. For other merit scholarships nothing specific us listed. My younger daughter is a Hollingsworth scholar. This is for SC residents, and the Townes Scholar is for out of state, and both of those look heavily at service in addition to grades.</p>
<p>When the last president came on board he wanted to increase the size of the student body. For a couple of years that meant taking in a larger than normal freshman class, and resulted in less selectivity. This created problems such as a housing mess last year - more juniors than they had upper class housing for. Also, because some students were accepted who may not have been in the past, and professors didn’t change how they taught - Furman is very academically rigorous and there is some grade deflation - my daughter has seen quite a few struggle. Three of her close friends have left Furman due to stress and/ or poor academic performance. The last Common Data Set showed a lower acceptance rate than the previous year, so maybe Furman is addressing this. I would like to know more myself!</p>
<p>My older daughter graduated in 2010 and my younger daughter is finishing up her junior year. I think both of them got a great education and some unique experiences at Furman. </p>