<p>I have narrowed my colleges down thus far and love the location, facilities, and people at each, and am seeking a general LAC education.</p>
<p>Richmond and Furman will cost the same, at an accumulated debt of 12k a yr
and WF is an excellent school but would be 22k in debt, nearly 2x higher than all of my schools including those not mentioned.
So it is 48k v 88k..! when WF is the general better choice but not financially.</p>
<p>Is WF worth it? Do the other choices compare? If so, which one would be the best alternative to WF?</p>
<p>I know answers will be subjective but outside opinions are helpful-I'm torn.</p>
<p>In addition: Grad school maybe an option in the future. So on top of undergrad debt I may have to anticipate more, but if I don't go to grad school it could be worth it..</p>
<p>Do you have any clue what $48k is going to do to you in the next 10 years? Go to [FinAid</a>! Financial Aid, College Scholarships and Student Loans](<a href=“http://www.finaid.org%5DFinAid”>http://www.finaid.org), find the loan calculator, plug in $48k (are you factoring in 5% increases each year for the next four?), at between 82.% and 11% interest, 1% origination, over 10 years, and see what you get. Then try it with $88k plus.</p>
<p>Thank you, I am confirming WF is out of the question. Any thoughts on the debate between Furman and Richmond? Richmond appears generally better, but in the south the name Furman seems to say just as much…(I am not familiar with URichmond’s rep)</p>
<p>hard to answer without knowing your goals/future desires.</p>
<p>one thing, if your from Atl its a long drive to Richmond. I have said before that theres no reason to go to college more than 3 hours away from home</p>
<p>Furman and Richmond are the same academically. Furman is an excellent school with a gorgeous campus in Greenville. Its a flip of the coin. Both have baptist backgrounds and are dry campuses. But Furman kids party hardy over at Clemson, I am told. Its personal preference.</p>
<p>I visited Richmond with my D when she was looking for law schools.</p>
<p>and if you’ve ever read my posts you know I’m a Furman nut. I would say honestly that both schools are comparable academically. both have beautiful archetecture. Furman is probably a little tidier becuase it was a planned university in the 1950s and its still pretty secluded.</p>
<p>In general, Richmond to me has more of a northern feel whereas Furman has a definite southern feel.</p>
<p>As a Wake alum, I’d tell you that Wake, Richmond and Furman are three peas in a pod. Wake’s a little more prominent and selective, but not $40K worth. F plays sports in a southern league and R plays in a northern league, so they each get media coverage and are better-known in those separate regions. Other than that, F and R are equals and both terrific. The only other grounds on which to choose is your own gut feeling.</p>
<p>wow, Thank you for your responses, as they were all really helpful!!
I visited the northern colleges and LOVED the northern feel. But I think I am leaning more towards Furman because it’s slightly more “safe”. I have been there more times and a lot of people I know will be at neighboring colleges (clemson, converse, etc.). I was worried one was more selective or was more distinquished and I did not know.</p>
<p>Does anyone know why the acceptance rate at URich (32% from college board) is significantly low compared to Furman (and even WF)? Even though many characteristics could skew the rate…</p>
<p>To the Boston area person who has never heard of Furman-Ever hear of the Boston Pops? Keith Lockhart, the conductor? Furman grad. The fact that you have never heard of Furman just means you need to expand your horizons. I’m a former New Yorker and heard of it when I was in high school. To give you an idea of how long ago that was, both my children graduated from Furman. Not recently either. And yes, it is a great school.</p>
<p>Personally, I’d go UR. I wasn’t going to look there but I just went and took a tour because it was convenient while visiting my sister in Richmond. I really loved the campus. It jumped to the number one spot. </p>
<p>However, I’ve never been to Furman. I’ve gotten mail from them, and it looks like a great choice. I’d just go UR. I’m going to Wake this summer too…thinking I’ll like that one.</p>
<p>As for your comment about Furman being safer…Richmond is in such a great neighborhood. I don’t know if you’ve visited, but the houses on Cary St. surrounding the campus are some of my favorite houses that I’ve ever seen. Yes, Richmond has some bad parts, but it’s easy to avoid them. In addition, I’ve heard the UR campus is very isolated in terms of kids not really leaving the campus much. Richmond is just such a great city though. Also one of my favorites.</p>
<p>unless you have visited both of them its difficult to compare the physical plant.</p>
<p>I’ve been to both. The architecture at both schools is very nice. Another way to compare them is like this: imagine a very nice but older neighbor in your city. There are beautiful homes but there are little to no boundaries to the neighborhood. This is UR. Now imagine a new subdivision with a place for everything, parks, sports fields, etc. with clearly marked entrances and exits. This is Furman. Just depends on what you like, Both are very nice</p>