Questions from a prospective transfer student

<p>I'm currently a student at Carleton College, trying to figure out if transferring is something I want to pursue. I seriously considered Hendrix during the initial college decision process, and it's at the top of my list now as a prospective transfer. I have several questions about life at Hendrix, though, and was hoping that someone could help me answer them. (I've learned the hard way that admissions brochures only tell so much.)</p>

<ol>
<li>On a whole, how rigorous are academics? Is there an intellectual vibe at all on campus? In general, how would you describe both professors and peers?</li>
<li>Do most students stay on campus during the weekends, or is it more of a commuter school? </li>
<li>How prevalent is alcohol on campus? I've come to realize that drinking is pretty much inevitable at most schools, but does social life at Hendrix revolve entirely around partying? </li>
<li>What is Conway like? Maybe this sounds a little trivial, but I think I would have been more apt to initially choose Hendrix if it were in a different location. Are there things to do in town? I know some schools in similar places try to compensate for a less-than-thrilling location by making even more of an effort to bring in even more speakers, musicians, etc. Does Hendrix do this, too?</li>
<li>In general, what is social life like? Is there a strong sense of community? </li>
</ol>

<p>Sorry for my wordiness, and thank you in advance for your help! I loved Hendrix when I visited, and especially drawn to it again as I think about transferring.</p>

<p>Funny, I’m actually a Hendrix student who seriously considered Carleton while applying for schools. Not thinking of transferring though. :D</p>

<ol>
<li>I might be less than qualified to discuss this because I’m a freshman, and have thus taken mostly freshman-level classes, where nonmajors taking classes solely for requirements abound. That being said, it really depends what classes you take. Some classes are dead and full of disinterested students wanting to check off a box on their list of requirements, while others are lively and filled with students that are truly passionate about the class subject. Most are a little of both, and I’ve heard the upper-level classes tend toward the “interested students” side. The teachers here are almost universally good to great.</li>
<li>Definitely not a commuter school. Though there are a handful of students who’ll drive to Little Rock or back home on the weekends regularly, they’re in the vast minority. That being said, weekends aren’t the most busy times at Hendrix, as often students will focus on sleeping or studying. Socialization can be found, but it’s not that much easier than doing so on weekdays.</li>
<li>Social life only revolves around alcohol if you let it. Sure, there’s the Martin party scene with drinking galore, but you can easily avoid that. I myself am a nonsmoker, nondrinker, and drug-free, and I can only think of one or two instances where I felt awkward because of that. Most people do drink in some capacity here though, despite what you might suspect of a school located in a dry county.</li>
<li>Hendrix brings in a fair amount of speakers and performers, but I’m not sure if it does so moreso than comparable schools. Conway’s really not bad. If you have a car, there’s plenty of restaurants both fast food and otherwise, a fair amount of video game stores, lots of thrift/discount stores, a movie theater (with a second opening in the near future)… If you don’t have a car, there’s the Village with Panera and Zaza’s, Hastings, and WalMart, and a handful of other things, and it’s easy enough to find somebody with a car to drive you elsewhere. (A Super WalMart is in easy walking distance of campus, and it’s really helpful and convenient.) It helps that University of Central Arkansas is also in Conway, which makes it a bit more of a college town. Conway’s also growing- I get the feeling that it was a lot less lively a decade or two ago. There are a lot of parks and trails nearby, too, which I must admit I’ve never used but look beautiful. And Little Rock’s got a ton of stuff to do and is only half an hour away. One caveat is that generally, things close early in Conway, which can be annoying.</li>
<li>There’s a fair amount of options regarding social life here. It wouldn’t be unusual for one to have the options of going to a Martin party, drinking tea and chatting with students/professors in another language, fighting with PVC swords, playing video games in a lobby, playing Quidditch, watching an anime movie, or going to see a visiting lecturer/performer- all on the same night. As far as community goes, there is one to some extent- being a small school, you see the same people over and over, so there’s some connection there.</li>
</ol>

<p>Neil Groat in the Hendrix admissions office considered Carleton for undergrad (and visited there) before choosing Hendrix. He’s probably not your admission rep unless you’re from Texas or Illinois, but I’m sure he’d be happy to talk with you. (BTW, panda, Neil is from the northwest Chicago suburbs, about 45 minutes from where I lived.) His e-mail address is his last name at hendrix dot edu.</p>

<p>My daughter has short-listed Hendrix after being waitlisted at her top choice, Carleton. If you don’t mind, pooryorick, I’d appreciate it if you could PM me with what you found disappointing there. It’s unlikely she’ll get in off the waitlist, but she’s having a hard time letting go.</p>

<p>So what did you decide? Are you Hendrix bound?</p>