<p>it is down to two schools, for my hs senior son. 33 act, thinks he wants med school. He is conservative, good student, INFJ, if that means anything to you, social, but not a 'partier'... </p>
<p>the pros and cons stack up fairly evenly, with the main pro for wake, great school, sports...basketball is strong, national image, con: harder than it needs to be. Rhodes, pro, always been a reliable thought for him, comfortable, small...con, too small? more/too artsy? hear more drug issues there...</p>
<p>any thoughts or personal messages too, appreciated. thanks, hard decisions for many right now!!</p>
<p>I don’t know much about Wake, but I can tell you a little bit about Rhodes. I live in Memphis, and am similar to your son as far as stats and ambitions. I really looked into Rhodes, but ultimately decided not to go as they are extremely liberal among other reasons. I’m conservative, and by no means expect a college to be anything but liberal, but from visits and reports from friends who attended Rhodes, it can be extremely “in your face” liberal if that makes any sense. A friend of mine who lived in the dorms the first year (not conservative at all) said that amount of drinking and sex that went on in the dorms and at on campus was a bit much, even for her. In Memphis, it has a reputation for being big on parties (although that could be any school) and a mix of artsy/extremely liberal students, and wealthy, southern kids who like to drink…a lot. A friend of mine who is staff there says that many of the kids are entitled and spoiled…I think that assessment is a little biased as his line of work there asks to be peppered by kids of that nature, but for what it’s worth, that’s one person’s assessment of the students. It’s academic reputation is stellar in spite of this. Everyone says the professors are very caring, classes are small, and no kid is going to go under the radar. If you’re serious, and have specific goals (such as med school) they will do everything they can to prepare you for success in those goals. If you think you’re son would be okay with the liberal, drinking, and party atmosphere…I think it would be a great preparation for med school. I personally found the same academic quality in the lesser known Christian Brothers University, also in Memphis, and will be considering them instead should I attend college locally. Not necessarily more conservative (all the students I met were agnostic or athiest), but from reports of attending friends, there is no drinking culture, and the students are very serious about learning. Same nurturing environment as Rhodes, and I absolutely loved all the professors and faculty there. A little small and nerdy for my tastes, but definitely worth considering.They have a reputation for being a very good engineering/science school, and their graduates do just as well as Rhodes in as far as med school admissions. I think they’re worth a look if you’re looking at Rhodes. Good luck in your decisions, and hope I didn’t scare you off Rhodes. They are a good school, just make sure you’re okay with the culture there. Definitely recommend visiting, I immediately knew it wasn’t the right fit for me when I visited, but for your son, it might be perfect.</p>
<p>Wake was D’s first choice several years ago, although in the end she wound up elsewhere due to a better $ offer. We know several kids who went to Rhodes. Both are solid choices that have lots in common. Sports & size are the biggest differences, with Wake’s reputation for grade deflation being a real consideration with med school on the horizon. Rhodes’ admission is somewhat less selective than Wake’s, but I suspect that premeds at Rhodes are plenty competitive. Wake has a more geographically diverse student body and a higher national profile than Rhodes, for what it’s worth. Wake now enrolls a lot of kids who would have gone to Duke or Vanderbilt ten years ago, before the current admissions craziness. </p>
<p>Wake’s size may offer more social opportunities beyond the Greek scene. Winston-Salem is an interesting combination of preppy and artsy – it’s home to NCSA, Reynolda House, SECCA. Less of a music scene/nightlife than Memphis, though. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, binge drinking, drug use, and dumb decisions are part of college life pretty much everywhere. I haven’t seen any evidence that Rhodes is the very incarnation of Sodom & Gomorrah the previous poster indicated. Premeds at either school are going to be working too hard to spend much time partying. </p>
<p>Is there a significant difference in cost of attendance? If so, I’d be tempted to let that be the deciding factor and save some $ for med school. Failing that, does your son prefer Rhodes’ Gothic campus or Wake’s red brick & white columns? ;)</p>
<p>yaupon, thanks for the input, Rhodes is offering a decent $ package, Wake, none, but for $100,000 over the course of four years in savings, fortunately for us, it is negligible. I would much prefer happiness and satisfaction with his life for those four years. True, not everyone has that choice, but since we do, I don’t want to make the decision too overpowered by a partial scholarship.</p>
<p>As a mom, I hate for him to endure an overly liberal, sexual and drug use, atmosphere. I do think he can bypass a bit of that by not going greek. And that issue, seems to be my biggest concern. Hope for him to find like minded friends that are serious about their future.</p>
<p>southern charm…I wonder if Wake is any better on this?? The sexual culture today is alarming. Sad…what these kids do with their bodies is sad. And psychologically, there have to be ramifications. I wander…</p>
<p>I have heard similar stories at Wake, but how do you stay in school drinking every night. </p>
<p>He’ll be able to find like-minded kids at either place; he may need to look a little harder, but there will be plenty of service organizations, religious ministries, substance-free housing groups, & other folks who are not all about the over-the-top party scene. It is so hard to send our kids off into the world and trust that the eighteen years we’ve spent doing our very best to raise a decent human being and impart our values will be enough to keep them on track. (I was a good kid and still shudder at a couple of the boneheaded things I did in college; fortunately none had lasting repercussions beyond reminding me that THAT wasn’t the kind of person I wanted to be.) I, too, find the hookup culture very sad and wonder about the long-term consequences emotionally and mentally. </p>
<p>Rhodes was one of my top contenders, and coming from a fairly conservative (politically and socially) background, I saw no evidence that Rhodes was overly liberal or had a sexual/drug use atmosphere. I believe your son’s convictions will be respected at both schools, and he will likely find a good group of like-minded friends either way.</p>
<p>Rhodes is not overly liberal and there is no more drinking/partying than anywhere else. Please discount the post from southerncharm. Lots of conservative kids from our area choose Rhodes. A longtime CC poster. Curmudgeon, has a daughter who chose Rhodes over Yale and many other top schools to go with the $$$. She wound up at Yale med school and had a great experience at Rhodes. I think Wake is great, too, but the grade deflation is concerning.</p>
<p>thank you all…you put it well, Momofwc, the grade deflation is the BIGGEST concern of Wake…I do think he will find friends wherever, and all schools have drug scenes. I was told recently to ask, “how high does the bar need to be set”? Words to ponder…</p>
<p>Goodness. WTH happened to this place? Nevermind. I don’t think I want to know. Just checking on nettiK. Seems like they got good advice. Picture of me and Big Ugly is cool, though. I got that going for me. </p>
<p>I graduated from Wake back in the dark ages. It was a “hidden gem” school back then and its prestige has grown significantly since that time; however, it was - and is - known as “work forest” for a reason. I worked my *** off. That being said, the professors there are amazing. Classes are small, students are smart, and professors really care about their students - I formed lifelong personal and professional relationships with some of my teachers. I count those relationships as a major plus for the school. I guess I’m saying that you should not underestimate the importance of a supportive yet stimulating classroom environment when you’re making a decision.</p>
<p>The big-time ACC sports are a plus, I think. The campus culture leans conservative and fraternity, so that can be a plus or a minus, depending on your own personality. I was NOT into the Greek culture but easily found my own people anyway…</p>
<p>Your son really needs to visit to see how he “fits” at either/both school.</p>
Picture of me and Big Ugly is cool, though. I got that going for me. </p>