My D19 and I will be driving right by Richmond IN in a week and I thought it would be great opportunity to take a break and see the school. Unfortunately, it will be a Sunday so there will be no tours or official admissions activities. Furthermore, it will be during a short winter break so there may not even be lots of people around. That being said, I am hoping someone here might have an idea of where we should wander in order to get a feel for the school. A short self-guided tour and a cup of coffee on campus would surely be better than nothing at this very early stage. She knows nothing about the school, btw. It is a parentally mandated mini stop, as part of my ongoing effort for her to consider schools that she actually might get into, and for which she has the good chance to be the lucky recipient of merit aid. Earlham fits the bill for that and, imo, much more. It sounds like a lovely place. Hopefully she will be interested as well once we see it. Thanks in advance!
@microbial40 , where should they hang out to meet some folks who could show them around or chat? Is there a good coffee place on campus?
DS was there in summer and after his tour, he was approached by several folks who just chatted and offered contact info if he had questions, etc.
The main entrance is nice and worth checking out.
http://earlham.edu/media/435772/campusmap.pdf
Central campus is small and can be checked out in 30-60 minutes. Just ask around if you want to poke your head in someplace. I’m guessing most space will be open, but I’m not sure. Someone will be around and can help you out. Give the Center for Visual and Performing Arts a look. It has great studio space. From there, you can go over to Runyan Center, which is the student union building. There are coffee options in Runyan.
You can easily head in to the athletics/wellness center, the new science and technology building, the Bolling center (social science), and Carpenter Hall (humanities). Check Lilly library too. I like Lilly. This is all in the pdf map link.
I like to head south up the hill toward the equestrian center, and go back into the woods. Earlham has 800 acres behind campus with trails. Of course, the weather may affect your willingness to journey into the woods in February.
Thank you @microbial40 !
Just as a note: In my experience with Earlham College, if you reach out to your region’s Admissions Counselor by email and express your interests (academic, athletic, service, social, etc…) they will put together a tour for you that allows you to see those aspects of the college that might best apply to you.
And don’t be shy about trying to talk to anyone you see around. The students at Earlham are one of the friendliest, most willing, most helpful student bodies that I have ever seen. If they are late for class, they may be brief, but… they will help. Whether you ask for directions, recommendations, or personal questions, most of those kids will happily help. Ask how they like it. Ask what drew them there. Ask about their work there, or what activities they are involved in. And ask what the hardest part has been, or any negative aspects you may perceive, also, if you want. They tend to be refreshingly honest and very straightforward, as well. You are unlikely to get a generic “BS” answer. You will probably get straight talk.
There is no perfect school, and it is better to know the best, the bad, and the ugly about each school you are looking at, so your student can make his/her best choice as you move forward…
I realize that this response may no longer apply to you, but wanted to share, in case it does… or at least leave it for anyone who may come across this thread and might find this useful to know.