<p>Hi everyone. I'm currently searching colleges right now and both Washington and Lee and Rhodes are on my list. I'm trying to figure out how they are different, because they seem very similar.</p>
<p>Both are very small liberal arts schools in the south with a high Greek student population. From my understanding, W&L is a better school than Rhodes - but why? Are the students more serious and focused?</p>
<p>Any input on the differences between W&L and Rhodes would be great. I'm interested in humanities, business, and Chinese.</p>
<p>One is urban, one is rural; look at endowments, faculty qualifications, SAT scores, financial aid budgets, geographic diversity, etc. But most of all, visit the campuses, go to classes, talk to current students and recent graduates. Find the best fit for you.</p>
<p>I have a D at W&L and another who is also considering Rhodes. In fact, we recently visited Rhodes during spring break. Interestingly, my other D is also planning to study Chinese. You should definitely try to speak with professor Li Han at Rhodes about their Chinese program. She was extremely helpful to us during our visit and mentioned their plans to expand the program in the near future. D also participated in on one of her classes while we were there and really enjoyed the experience. </p>
<p>Obviously W&L is more selective than Rhodes, but there is plenty of brain power at both schools, and I think both provide excellent educational experiences. Both offer a beautiful campus, and we found the students and staff to be similarly friendly and accommodating. </p>
<p>But of course, these schools have different histories which have important influences on their culture, traditions, and points of emphasis. Which place would be best for you is purely subjective however. You will definitely have to visit them to get a sense of this for yourself. </p>
<p>In general, I think W&L offers a more robust business education in the Williams School. And though we have not fully investigated it, all indications suggest their East Asian Studies program is farther along than the program at Rhodes right now. The last time we checked, we definitely noted that W&L offers a higher level of advanced Chinese Language classes than Rhodes. So, for your stated areas of interest my guess is that W&L will provide the most complete combination of academic options. </p>
<p>Also, as mentioned, these schools operate in very different envrionments. Lexington is a small town surrounded by rural areas. Conversly, Memphis is a fairly good sized city, urban, with all of the advantages and disadvantages that such a location tends to offer. We really enjoyed our time there - nearly ate ourselves to death, lol. </p>
<p>Either way, you have two excellent choices in front of you. Good luck.</p>
<p>Thank you, your input was very helpful in distinguishing the two schools and their academics in particular. :)</p>