My D has Rhodes College on her list. Looking to hear from parents of current students or current students about campus life, academic life and general safety around campus. Thanks. in advance.
Rhodes is on my son’s list as well. I’d love to hear more about the school, especially for a kid who will not be majoring in the sciences. Any information would be helpful!
I just posted a LONG comment about Rhodes on the safety-related thread, so you might want to take a look at that thread, too. It gives information about safety, social life, etc. I’ve got two kids applying to Rhodes for the 2021, but I am also an alum who works at the college. So, I am happy to share what I know!
You hear a LOT about the sciences from Rhodes as prospective families, since students who think they want to be pre-med make up a large percentage of our incoming class in any given year. However, many of those students do not end up pursuing a sciences major, regardless of whether they intend to continue on the pre-med track (many do, many don’t). So, sciences do not dominate the curriculum. I think about 25% of students end up majoring in the sciences (perhaps 30% if you include math and computer science). We have strong programs in psychology, anthro/soc, history, econ, political science, music, business, and many others. Students generally have great relationships with their professors and get to know them well. Academic life is challenging but the workload is manageable. Four classes is considered a full load, which is something I have looked for at other schools my kids are considering. My personal opinion is that gives students the chance to delve a bit deeper into each of their courses, while keeping the workload within reason.
Happy to answer any other questions about Rhodes, so please feel free to reach out if I can help.
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Mom of a Rhodes grad 2020 here. I’m also a native Memphian, although my children didn’t grow up there.
My personal take is that the campus is very safe. Off campus in the immediate area requires common sense.
The school itself is great, and the biggest tribute I can give is that another one of my children is eagerly awaiting a decision for admission for class of 2025.
There is a real sense of community and caring at the school. My son made wonderful life-long friendships with wonderful young men and women. The faculty was truly interested and available to him. He had opportunities to work as a TA for a foreign language professor in a language in which he has high proficiency, and another professor post-graduation recommended him for a research job in his major that he has really enjoyed.
Obviously the campus is beautiful. Memphis is a great city with a lot of opportunities - professionally it is a major medical center with several hospitals including St. Jude’s. FedEx and the other corporations there also offer internship opportunities. Culturally there’s a lot on offer in Memphis - a huge music scene, great restaurants, several museums, as well as sports events.
Greek life is big, but not critical. My son did not join a fraternity but still had an active social life. The size of the school also provides space for students to show leadership in the areas that are important to them.
I hope that this is helpful to you. Good luck!
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Thank you for telling us! Now I have something to compare with. To be honest, I really appreciate the safety on campuses, this is very important to me.
While the Rhodes campus may be safe, Memphis is not. As an above poster wrote: @MAMomof4: “Off campus in the immediate area requires common sense.”
What is the typical profile of the student who receives one of the scholarships listed (ranging from 27k-36k a year) on the website? Roughly how many students in each incoming class are awarded these scholarships?
My D21 received $32k with admission and was invited to compete for the Cambridge, which was $35k last year. She was awarded that as well.
4.0 UW GPA, 1510 SAT, 8 APs, lots of leadership and service EC
I don’t know about the number of merit awards but based on last year’s CC posts there seemed to be a decent amount. I believe the Cambridge goes to three students but that’s something I was told last year so may not be accurate.
Feel free to message me with any questions. Good luck to your kiddo!
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My D22 received 30K in merit. In addition she got need based FA and the offer is very generous in comparison to other schools she has heard back from so far. Stats are 3.9UW, 32 ACT, 8 AP, 1 DE, good but not great ECs dominated by club and varsity sport.
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Thank you!