Rhodes College and Other Liberal Art Schools

College Search & Selection
1

Hi! I’ve toured various liberal art schools in the southern/southwestern area, and by far my favorite college so far has been Rhodes College. My concerns with it are its relatively low ranking (I always thought I’d go somewhere instantly recognizable but I am now starting to believe that that standard isn’t all that important) and its location. I really want to go to a liberal arts school in a major city, and while Memphis is a major city, it is neither extremely progressive nor safe (I can’t necessarily ride my bike or walk around safely off campus in the city, but is that all that important for a college student?)

What I’m looking for in a college…

  • small liberal arts college (small class size, good professor/student relationships, etc.) located within a city
  • prestigious/fosters a community of learners without feeling like a pressure cooker
  • diverse in terms of personalities (artsy, athletic, etc.), cultures, races, sexualities, political views. I am really looking for a place where there’s true diversity. I’m liberal, but I don’t want to go to a place where people don’t feel comfortable expressing their views because the majority has the same mindset (I don’t want the typical set of “diverse” people who are physically but not intellectually diverse).
  • A place where people have fun (drink, throw parties) but care about school work more
  • Friendly people, not cliquey, and non-competitive atmosphere

Is Rhodes my best bet for all of these standards? So far in my search it is, but are there schools that I am missing, or is Rhodes truly the school for me? I appreciate all help with this!

2

Have you looked at Reed College in Portland?

3

hmmm… in my opinion, yes; however, those things are only as important as you want them to be.

i, personally, don’t think reed would be a match for you, as it’s known as being both a pressure cooker and a super, super liberal school. the three schools i thought of when i read your post were trinity, colorado college, and pitzer.

pitzer is more on the liberal, granola-y side. it’s connected to harvey mudd, scripps, pomona, and claremont mckenna because of the consortium. i recommend looking into scripps as well if you’re a woman. claremont mckenna really matches your criteria, but it’s incredibly selective (they all are to be honest). the colleges aren’t located in a city, but they aren’t far from los angeles (maybe a forty-five minute drive).

trinity is more on the conservative, preppy side. it’s located in hartford, which is a good and a bad thing. good thing = it’s located in a city; bad thing = hartford isn’t the safest city. i can’t tell you much about trinity because i didn’t quite look into it, but i do suggest doing your own research.

colorado college matches your criteria to a t. it sounds perfect for you. the only thing that could be a make-or-break factor would be its famously advertised block plan.

some other colleges i think you may like that i’m too tired to describe (sorry, lol): davidson, haverford, bryn mawr (if you’re a woman), barnard (if you’re a woman), university of richmond, macalester (i think you’ll really like this one), and occidental (i think you’ll really like this one too).

4

University of Rochester has many of the qualities you are seeking. Swarthmore & Haverford Colleges in the Philadelphia area. Loyola University in Maryland (located in a nice area of Baltimore) & Goucher College (just outside of Baltimore - beautiful campus). William & Mary could be a great match, but it is located in a suburban area. Carnegie Mellon (a bit larger with 6,000 undergrads) located in Pittsburgh. Colorado College in Colorado Springs. Macalester College. Occidential College in LA. Finally…St. Mary’s College of Maryland - a public liberal arts Honors College. A real gem with a few thousand students. Located in the beautiful city of St. Mary’s - waterfront setting on the Chesapeake Bay. A real treasure and much more affordable than many private liberal arts colleges. Good Luck!

5

Yep, I thought Macalester and Oxy too. And Barnard.
Maybe U of Denver or College of the Holy Cross.

The Claremont Colleges are great schools but really not urban. Getting into the actual city from the suburbia of Claremont is a project. Still possibly worth a look though.

Honestly, if you love Rhodes, go for it! There’s no need to feel like it’s “not good enough” somehow. If your stats are in the top quartile there, well, merit aid is a beautiful thing :slight_smile:

Honestly, you’re doing this exactly right. If more people could fall in love with match and safety schools first, this would be a much healthier process. Then that sets a positive and realistic baseline, and it’s on the reach schools to convince you that they would really raise the bar.

6

You just described almost exactly what my D was looking for (in the end, lol, it took a while to figure it out) and she’s going to Davidson this Fall. Very welcoming and really strong sense of community, athletic culture (D1) even though it’s small, not a political bubble (my D is liberal too), strong relationships with professors (this one i think you’ll find at almost any LAC), close to civilization but also distinct college town and access to nature close by.

Regarding pressure cooker, Davidson is known for being one of the most rigorous (and some grade deflation) among top 10 liberal arts colleges, but not as intense an environment as Swarthmore. (My D’s best friend is going to Swat this fall so will be interesting to compare notes!). My D is on PhD track and profs we know from other colleges say that graduate programs know about Davidson’s rigor and take into account when considering applications. Hope this is true!

You might want to check out Carleton too which I think has a pretty similar academic vibe to Davidson (and they get a lot of cross over applicants.) but less sports culture.

Never been to Rhodes but heard it’s awesome!

Are you trying to decide on an ED option? If not, then you still have some time let it play out and see if your wish list evolves this year.

7

I second (or third) some of the above suggestions.
The social/political atmosphere will differ from school to school, but none of them is likely to offer the perfect diversity balance you want. Affluent + white + liberal will tend to predominate at most of them. Colorado College for example could with some justice be labelled a “rich kids’ school”. However, the location seems to insulate it from some of the Ivy Envy you’re likely to find at some of the NESCAC schools. The conservative reputation of the surrounding city (Colorado Springs) probably scares off some of the most active and vocal social justice warriors; Rocky Mountain recreation is at least a healthy alternative to heavy substance abuse. So it may be one of the better-balanced, work hard / play hard schools mentioned so far. But … you have to like the Block Plan for this place to work for you.

If you really want more socio-economic (/other) diversity, then you might also want to consider some public LACs or honors colleges.

8

Thank ya’ll so much for your help! I’ll be sure to check out everything y’all suggested. Is there anyone from Rhodes or who is well acquainted with Rhodes who could tell me if the school fits that criteria?

9

And to emphasize what @aquapt and others said, don’t discount value of being big fish in a smaller pond and value of potential merit aid. That’s a really sweet spot to be in at a college.

Finally, you’ve probably done this, but you might want to check out some you tube videos to get a sense of some of these colleges. Not just the official college ones, but those posted by students and others.

Good luck and keep us posted!

10

Have you tried posting in the Rhodes College forum?

11

Also, you might want to search for posts/threads by @curmudgeon.
I believe his D turned down Yale for Rhodes (then later wound up at Yale’s med school).

12

Rhodes grad here and I loved Memphis and the College. Rhodes is really committed to the city and the students are really active in community service. There are really interesting neighborhoods to explore, and more. The faculty are superb. So, although I think Rhodes is your best option :), I would look at Occidental, Trinity U (San Antonio), Macalester (this has a more liberal vibe) - I found Rhodes to be really balanced…and Memphis is a blue sea in a red state, so that’s another bonus for the city. It’s a diverse city for sure. I was in a fraternity but had a ton of friends who were not. Graduate school placement is also really impressive. GOOD LUCK!

13

Consider Furman and University of Richmond vs. Rhodes for the other qualities you are seeking.

14

Macalester is a definite thought for urban and liberal, while still a classic LAC. It is in “suburban” Minneapolis, in the sense that it is essentially in the middle between St. Paul and Minneapolis centers, but it is “suburban” in terms of hundred-year old inner-ring suburbs, not 1980s strip malls and asphalt.

15

I love Rhodes, one of my favorite schools too. Know a recent grad who had a great experience. I’d second Richmond and Macalester. Good luck!

16

I also have read that Colorado College has a huge percentage of very affluent students.

Aside from that, you are thinking of all the right things! I think it’s common, and smart, as you proceed in your search to realize that prestige and rankings may not be as important as they once seemed. What is important is finding a place that you will love and thrive. And same with the city/town…early in the search, or before you start college, I think it’s common to think that you will “get out” more than you may actually end up doing. Of course depends a LOT on your personality, desires, the location, what the social life of the college is and whether you have a car, but I think many kids find once they get into college that they leave campus less often than they thought they would.

Rhodes is on our list but we haven’t visited yet. I’ve heard a few times that Rhodes students are the “happiest!” We were very impressed with Richmond, but honestly my impression was not one of diversity amongst the student body.

17

I live in an affluent suburb just outside of Memphis, TN and I am somewhat familiar with Rhodes College and its reputation around here. The consensus around here is that it is a GREAT school academically. Our internist who is very well respected attended this school and she just raves about it. Just as an fyi, not ALL parts of Memphis are bad/unsafe. There are a handful of areas in Memphis that have million $ neighborhoods and there are a many country clubs around.

This campus is in the vicinity of some of the affluent neighborhoods and is close to the Cooper Young area which is a cool, trendy, “hip,” place. There are definitely places you can go out at night and be relatively safe, such as this area. You will quickly learn where NOT to go.

As an fyi, my daughter is a rising junior who would consider this school if she preferred the smaller sized campus. However, she prefers the larger campus environment.

Best of luck to you and I am sure in the end you will pick the college that is the best fit for you.

18

Rhodes is highly respected in many grad schools and professional schools. To my mind it’s a hidden gem. Good on you for finding it and falling in love with it.

I would stay clear of Swarthmore if you don’t want a pressure cooker. To my mind Swat is overly competitive – part of its DNA. Too clever by half. Some people thrive on that but for others it’s toxic.