<p>so I love everything I've read about Agnes Scott minus the size. Can anyone with knowledge comment on what such a small school is like? I imagine that if you miss out on making friends at the beginning, it would be quite hard to break into other groups of friends. Are their a lot of cliques?</p>
<p>I hope someone answers your post because I don’t have first hand knowledge, but I think this is one reason why Agnes Scott has so many clubs - clubs that are based on your interests. They also have a lot of activities right at the beginning of the year to help the women make friends and socialize - many outings, group actvities, etc… I think you will find your place, no matter what type of personality you have.</p>
<p>Hi! I’m a first-year at Agnes, so I’ll try to answer your questions as best as I can!</p>
<p>There aren’t any real cliques on campus, with the exception of maybe the athletes. Even with them, however, it’s really easy to hang out in their group if you want to, so it’s not like one of those horribly stereotypical high school cliques. After the athletes, the next closest thing to a clique is the mock-rivalry between the two first year dorms, but it’s more of a joke than anything. Most everyone is open to hanging out with new people all the time, so there aren’t any separate groups or cliques that you might expect to see in such a small school. </p>
<p>There are a ton of orientation activities in the first week that make it super easy to make friends and get to know your classmates. Even if you miss these activities at the beginning of the year, other events and just living in the same building with a bunch of other people make it really simple to meet people. As a painfully shy individual, I’m still surprised at how easy it was for me to find a bunch of great people to hang out with. </p>
<p>Clubs are a great way to get to know upperclasswomen, as are the constant on-campus activities that the clubs sponsor. There’s something to do every night on campus with different groups, so it’s hard to get bored with the same group of people. Even though there’s not a huge number of students on campus, it doesn’t seem like you’re seeing the same faces day after day, which was something that I was worried about.</p>
<p>The joint events with the other colleges in the area and guest speakers bring a lot of people to campus, so Agnes feels a lot bigger than it really is. Likewise, it’s easy to join groups at other colleges and everything in Atlanta is accessible by MARTA, so you’re never trapped at Agnes with nothing to do if you don’t want to be. Decatur is such an artsy, fun area (if you haven’t visited) that there is usually some sort of musical group or book signing or festival going on if you want to relax off campus.</p>
<p>Personally, I really like the size of Agnes. It’s small enough that professors and staff are engaged in the campus community and interested in the students without being so small as to make you feel like you’re not getting the full diverse college experience. There’s a huge sense of community on campus and Agnes really feels like a safe place you can go home to at the end of a night out.</p>
<p>Hope this helps! Good luck with the college search!</p>
<p>It is great to have an Agnes Scott student on this thread. My daughter was accepted and is considering the 3/2 program with Georgia Tech. I’m concerned about the Agnes retention rate. Seems like many of the students do not stay and graduate. Is it because of the size? Course selection? I’d appreciate your insight.</p>
<p>I can chime in about retention:
It can be a number of things, but size and type of school could be important factors. I am an alum, and I had a fantastic experience there, and can attest to the excellent education my classmates and I received (grad school was a cake walk in comparison.) However, sometimes a student gets on campus and it just doesn’t click. It’s very different from most college experiences: it’s a college for WOMEN–so no football team, not a big party school, no sororities, etc. (You’d think they’d understand before they get there!) As the previous poster so beautifully articulated, it can be a great experience if you make an effort to connect with others, go to school sponsored activities, join clubs, and get out into the wider community. Atlanta is vibrant and the city of Decatur is a wonderfully safe place for a college student to be. </p>
<p>I think the small size is one of the schools great assets, but some might find it confining. I believe it’s important to go stay on campus, or at least visit it! Particularly if you have doubts or questions. I think too many students go with an online tour and attend based on the financial package (ASC is generous) without really knowing if the school is a good fit for them.</p>