My daughter was just admitted to Rhodes. The school looks beautiful, but I would love to hear from anyone who has been there- how is the residence life? Academic pressure? She also got into Sewanee (too remote I think) BSC, Belmont, Rollins etc. Thanks!
I have a sophomore at Rhodes College currently. The school is beautiful! She has been very happy there with the quality of the academics and does not personally feel overwhelmed but she is one who takes as many classes as possible because she wants to learn everything. Even with her schedule she finds time to work and have a social life. Most students live on campus with some junior and seniors living right near campus in rentals. She attends a lot of school events (plays, concerts, parties, etc) along with going to some events in Memphis that are not school related. The cafeteria food seems to be a negative for some of the kids. I found the food average myself and my daughter thinks it is fine for cafeteria food. I believe they are trying to make some improvements in the food area for next year. My high school senior will be attending Sewanee next year so except for our visits there, we have no personal experiences yet. Your daughter has some great choices!
My son is a freshman. He is loving it. Of course Iād say that! Here are some of the things he loves:
In Memphis. Lots of things are going on in the city and it is close enough to get involved but far enough away to feel that you are somewhere special.
The campus. Beautiful.
His friends. Yes you will get those - hopefully - anywhere you go. But everyone who has chosen to go to Rhodes has the same outlook as he does.
The academics. He is blown away by the Search program. Absolutely smashing it and it is something he thought he would just have to āget through.ā
Things he isnāt so keen on:
The food. He is a fussy vegetarian. But thatās his problem. It is cafeteria food and when we ate there we were pretty impressed. There have been complaints and it appears the school is trying to address this. He is looking forward to a summer off campus where he can cook his own food. But really I think he is just been fussy.
There are people he doesnāt like. But thatās life! You canāt like everyone.
He is happy. We are happy.
Hi! First year here at Rhodes. I had never heard of this school until I read Colleges That Change Lives, and Iām so glad I did.
Things I love here:
Campus. When they say life is too short to go to an ugly college, itās true. Even when it gets grey and drab in the winter, the architecture here is still beautiful. The campus is organized and put together so well. It sounds silly when I say āoh, I chose this school because it looks like Hogwartsā, and that wasnāt the sole reason, but I honestly think Iām happier here because it is so beautiful.
My professors. Wow. They are incredible! I have almost all of my professorās personal phone numbers. They are so accessible, at almost any time, and will bend over backwards to help their students in any way they can. That is something I never would have gotten at a bigger school.
My classes. I havenāt had a class I disliked here. Iām a chemistry major and I also plan to either double major or minor in Spanish, and right now Iām pre-med. So, Iāve got some experience with different departments. They have all been amazing.
My friends! Obviously, you will have friends anywhere, but the people here are incredible. And there are many more diverse perspectives than I thought there would be when I came here (Rhodesā reputation as a rich kid school precedes it) but I have found that this is generally untrue.
Memphis! Iām from a very small town, and moving to Memphis was probably the biggest culture shock Iāve ever experienced. But, it is so, so much fun. Being in a city is a blast, and Memphis is just fun.
Things Iām not such a fan of:
The food. Itās mediocre. But, I will say administration is working on it and weāre getting a new vendor next year, so hopefully it will be better.
Not having a car is inconvenient. I have a car, thank goodness, but I know for my friends who donāt, itās kind of a pain. Memphis isnāt really walkable and thereās next to no public transportation.
I hope this helped, please donāt hesitate to reply with any more questions.
Thank you so much! My daughter is going to visit next week. We live in northern California so it is definitely a place we have never been before. Are you happy with the housing? IS the work load manageable and are there many ways to be involved? Are there things to do on weekends? I really appreciate all the info you shared! We were trying to decide whether to make the trip and your experience sounds like it has been amazing.
Itās a great school and near a great park. A stronger school than others you list. Beautiful campus
My daughter is a freshman and she loves Rhodes. She has made great friends and has enjoyed the Search classes. Even as a freshman, she has established great relationships with her professors (and they are all professors, no TAs). She is a science major and will be doing research at St. Judes, which is close by and has world class labs. All in all, we are very happy with Rhodes.
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See above for the things my son loves. See below for the things I love:
He is on a scholarship and aid. It is for the four years! We do not have to submit any more Financial Aid forms. What a relief!! As long as he keeps up the grades. (Donāt know about other schools.)
Although he is only a Freshman he is already considering moving off campus for Junior year. The cost of real estate/rentals is very cheap/reasonable.
He has a job over the summer on campus. He was offered full-time but his boss thought it better to go part time so he can have long weekends visiting friends. (And two weeks with us.)
Memphis is a great city to visit.
Oh and did I mention - heās happy.
@atroop Hi! It is so nice to hear from a Rhodes student! Can you share what the pre-med weed-out process is like? At another LAC, the tour guide, a junior, said there were 50 remaining pre-meds from the original 200 - so 75% drop out from pre-med. Are the numbers similar at Rhodes? Thanks!
We are not a current family ā my child will be going next year ā but from talking with students and faculty, we definitely got the impression that Rhodes does everything it can to support its students. There is much rigor, but faculty wants its students to succeed. I think this is a differentiator from other pre-med program at some other colleges.