<p>I'm going in to my senior year and I have been looking at colleges for about a year and a half and I've narrowed it down to two: Sewanee and Wofford. They're very different but I feel like they are both the right fit for me! I can get in to both... which one should I choose? or how do I choose?? help! :)</p>
<p>oh and I want to be a lawyer if that has anything to do with it</p>
<p>Well I don’t know much about Wofford but Sewannee is an amazing school!! i think it is hidden gem of a school. My S was accepted but decided he wanted to go to a school in NY, but he really liked Sewanee. The thing that you have think about is the location… Sewanee is VERY rural… muy S loved that about it but it may not be for everyone.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Assuming you have visited, are accepted and the financial aid is comparable, here are some things to check out, not necessarily in order of importance:</p>
<p>1) Course catalog in your areas of interest - which one has more classes, programs, majors, etc… that you like?<br>
2) Look at the ECs - do you see club/team/activities you would check out/join? (If frats/sororities are a major EC how does that fit with your goals? Is religious engagement important either to you or to students on campus, how does that fit?)
3) Read the student newspapers back issues - what are students talking and writing about. What were the ‘big issues’ for students this past year?
4) Check the calendar for the year: whose on campus, what kind of speakers, performers, events, activities - sound interesting?
5) Look at the strategic plan for each school: what are their priorities for the next 5 years and why - how would it effect you as a student?
6) What are the distribution requirements for each? What classes would you be required to take in order to graduate? What about for the majors you might be interested in?
7) Check out housing/food situation: What percent of students can get on campus housing for 4 years? If you want to live off campus, can you? How nice is the housing? How good is the food? What’s the dining room like? You’ll be there for a lot of meals.
8) What’s the political vibe on campus? Are you in sync or are you likely to be in a minority position for 4 years. Does that matter to you?
9) Does study abroad matter to you? Do they have good options? Are you allowed to attend a program that you find on your own if it’s reputable? (ie, other reputable schools give credit for classes taken there.) Can your financial aid be used for study abroad?
10) What kind of services does the career placement center offer? How supportive/helpful are they? Do they help with internships and summer jobs? What happens to graduates? Where do they end up?
11) How big are the biggest classes (usually the intro classes)? Does that size feel right for you?</p>
<p>both have high freshman retention rates so you would probably be very happy at either!</p>
<p>By looking at, do you mean visited? You definitely need to see both campuses to see which feels better to you. D1 applied, accepted and did scholarship competitions at both.
These are the things I remember. Sewanee (actually University of the south…uni because have divinity school I guess) is in the mountains and owns a lot of the mountain. There is no town other that a cafe, school, etc. The feel is very England with the buildings and chapel and it is beautiful. At our first visit, out of 25 students, D was one of only a few that wasn’t boarding school students…maybe something to do with timing. Heavy writing emphasis but that’s prob ok if interested in law (but don’t expect to exempt English). Flew D in for scholarship weekend. It was one where everyone who went got something. She enjoyed it and thought there were people she would enjoying getting to know. Felt like lot of Greek involvement, although for girls I’m not sure there were national sororities. Great opportunities for outdoors activities. D actually saw some of same girls at another competition so definitely is a strong LAC. She liked it but not as much as first choice.</p>
<p>Wofford is more red brick traditional. Spartanburg is not large but has all the necessities (including the Beacon - great fast food) so has that over Sewanee, but Wofford students don’t seem to want to be part of community. Scholarship competition was one day and very strange…all group style with “what would you take on a desert island” type questions. Didn’t really float D boat, but people who love it, really love it. Campus is beautiful and they have amazing, fairly new senior apartments on campus (porches, rockers, environmentally friendly). Great reputation for getting kids into med school. Students have a lot of travel abroad opportunities and good alumni network. The one family member I have that went there went on some amazing trips and had a job when he gradutated. I would say you will meet more NC/SC students at Wofford, while I think Sewanee may pull from wider area…but that’s just an impression. Definitely high percentage Greek (don’t know if that’s a plus or minus for you)</p>
<p>I think both of these are great schools and are different enough that if you visit you may definitely prefer on over other.</p>
<p>I am a student at Wofford, so I thought I could give you some insight from that perspective, and a few of my very close friends are currently attending, have attended, and have transfered from Sewanee, so I have a few different perspectives I can share from personal experience. </p>
<p>Wofford is very much a close knit community. We love that about ourselves. We look out for each other and there is a tremendous sense of responsibility to each other. I also know that when I graduate from Wofford, my degree will have tremendous value. </p>
<p>One of my very close family friends is a former Supreme Court Justice for the state of South Carolina, pre-law is something that Wofford does WELL! Wofford is a tough school, but we have amazing connections and alumni network. Our professors also make Wofford different from anywhere I have seen. </p>
<p>Sewanee is different from Wofford most noticeably in feel you have on campus. There is a traditional dress code, so there aren’t any “rush to class in a pair of jeans” days. Don’t get me wrong, we enjoy dressing up at Wofford (come to a football game), but we don’t have as formal of a dress code as Sewanee. From the time I have spent on Sewanee’s campus, it is very… (I really want to give a genuine perspective, out of respect) preppy. That is a good way to put it.</p>
<p>Hope that helps! I would love to answer any other questions you might have. -Jordan</p>