So what's the catch?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Elon University
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<p>My daughter is a hs junior and so far Elon is her first choice. We are planning a visit for the spring, but "on paper" the school seems to have everything she wants....a "medium" size, mild winters, a focus on study abroad, a beautiful campus, merit aid.</p>

<p>And everybody seems to like it there! But, it can't be perfect....is there something we're missing? </p>

<p>She wants to major in environmental science. Does anybody know how strong the program is? </p>

<p>Also, she's an Atheist Democrat from New England. Will she fit in at a "southern" school like Elon?</p>

<p>We see lots and lots of good things about Elon. What are some of the downsides to watch out for?</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

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<p>Why must there be a catch? It sounds like you have found a nice fit. Check out Davidson and Warren Wilson while you are in the neighborhood–should provide some contrast.</p>

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<p>I am sure every school has its down side - even one as nice as Elon. </p>

<p>As far as the Elon being “southern” - there are soo0 many students from the northeast I can’t imagine she would feel out of place.</p>

<p>Elon was one of my s’s 1st choice “on-paper” early on in junior year. Ironically because of the distance from our home we did not visit until after he was accepted senior year.
We visited some 15 other college campuses. Elon was the last one we visited and was the right fit for him. </p>

<p>The right fit for the student is the key.</p>

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<p>kierans - I could have written a very similar post. My son is also a junior and very interested in Elon. As you said, it seems to meet all of our criteria - medium size, nice location, reasonable price, attractive campus, wide variety of majors, 4-1-4 schedule, study abroad - including shorter programs - really everything on the list. Every other school on his list has pros and cons - I have only pros for Elon.</p>

<p>We loved the school when S1 was accepted - he chose to go elsewhere - but not because there was anything “wrong” with Elon - although he did want bigger name sports. We will be visiting again with S2 in a few weeks.</p>

<p>The only negatives I have heard are that there is a lot of construction going on right now - noisy and annoying - but that happens at many schools and is really a good thing in the long run. Also - bit of a rep for wealthy kids - but again - you could say that about many private colleges.</p>

<p>We are hoping that S2 loves Elon and would like to apply ED - we’ll see.</p>

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<p>Thanks for all the information. I can’t wait for our visit in April to see if my daughter likes the feel of the place in person. We are also visiting Furman and Clemson on the same trip, but sort of just as a point of comparison. I don’t think she quite has the stats to get into Davidson. Rockvillemom, I’d love to know how your visit goes. I hope all the Elon parents and kids keep posting here; it’s a great source of information.</p>

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<p>On the Furman vs. Elon debate - there is another poster - forgetting who at the moment - but if you search older threads you’ll probably spot him - whose D was deciding between these 2 schools. They seemed to like Elon better socially but felt Furman’s academics were stronger. Not sure that I agree with his analysis - but many who look at Elon also look at Furman, High Point and Wake Forest in addition to Davidson.</p>

<p>I also always recommend the George Keller book - Transforming a College - to anyone interested in Elon. Slim volume - outlines the amazing transformation of Elon over the past 20years.</p>

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<p>I read that Transforming a College book and it was really interesting. We considered Wake Forest and High Point, but I don’t think either one has a strong environmental science program. I’ll look again to make sure, and I’ll also search for the Furman vs. Elon thread. Furman seems to have a much higher acceptance rate than Elon, so I’m sort of surprised that the academics would be seen as stronger at Furman. Maybe it’s a reputation thing? Coming from New England, I just don’t know that much about the southern schools and I’ve got to educate myself. Thanks for the info.</p>

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<p>We too are hoping to visit Elon with our junior son either this fall or spring. On paper, I agree it hits all the buttons with the exception of big time sports which is something he is looking for. I’ve heard the campus is beautiful and their programs, etc sound great so I’m hoping he will like it enough to apply. We will see Wake Forest with him as well (already toured it with our older son and loved it).</p>

<p>I would be interested to read Transforming a College - I remember the Elon of the past when it was the “If you have a pulse, you’ll get in school” - how times have changed!</p>

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<p>It’s true - Elon was the one school we found that had few or no drawbacks. You will have to look hard to find faults because it’s all good. The only thing missing is name recognition - since it appears to be under the radar of most people.
We’re from NY and our daughter had no trouble fitting in and now has new friends from all over. The school is only “southern” in a good way - people are friendly there. She just switched her major before sophomore year to environmental science and likes the program, but thinks that one of the intro courses may be too easy. So visit while school is in session and enjoy the college search.</p>

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<p>Elon and Wake Forest have a lot in common - many who are applying to Wake use Elon as a safety school - although some prefer Elon on its own merits. My older son was accepted at both and chose Wake - more prestigious - more rigorous academics and better sports. But as a family, we just loved Elon - a school we have never really heard of before our college search. We think Elon is pretty perfect for S2 - hoping he agrees when we visit again.</p>

<p>The book is interesting because it documents the concerted campaign to transform a regional somewhat lackluster college into a nationally recognized university. It really is amazing to see what has been accomplished in 20 years or so. I think Elon is pretty well known - at least on the east coast now. I took my son for the ACT last week and as I was dropping him off - I saw 2 kids wearing Elon sweatshirts - and I do spot Elon decals on cars in our area - so at least in MD - getting to be quite well known.</p>

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<p>the poster from last year whose daughter was choosing between Furman and Elon is bobbyCT in case the OP wants to contact…</p>

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<p>I get where you’re coming from kierans. When we looked into Elon last year it seemed almost too good to be true. D was accepted Early, and we went down for the Spring Orientation looking for the cracks in the story - there weren’t any. Everyone was on the same page - faculty, students, etc. The place truly did seem to “run like butter” (Princeton Review rates it #1 for that). They truly believe in Engaged Learning. The campus is really that beautiful and well-maintained, and the cost really is $15k less than similar colleges in the Northeast. (If there’s a negative - Elon can’t afford to give out much FA. But since their pricetag is lower to begin with, it’s kind of a wash. And they are committed to keeping it relatively affordable).</p>

<p>We were recently at a gathering for alumni & parents where President Leo Lambert was the keynote speaker. The Trustee who introduced him mentioned jokingly that he still hasn’t figured out how Lambert gets the ENTIRE staff to “drink the Kool-Aid,” but they all do. </p>

<p>As for fitting in at a Southern school, only 24% of the class of 2014 is from NC. The second and third most popular states are MA and NJ, at 10% and 9% each. There are at least as many kids at Elon from the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic as there are from the South, and remember Elon has kids from 44 states and a lot of foreign countries.</p>

<p>I think Elon tends to be a safety school for Wake, and High Point tends to be a safety school for Elon. Someone asked President Lambert who Elon’s competition/peers were for students, and he said that quite honestly it’s all over the map. But generally the final decisions parents and students are making seem to often be between Elon and flagship State Univs.</p>

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<p>Add us (me and my junior son) to the list that not only can’t find anything wrong with Elon but also can’t seem to eliminate it from consideration. </p>

<p>You all mentioned it: (1) fair cost; (2) perfect location; (3) not too big or small; (4) great academics; (5) good sports scene, etc. etc. </p>

<p>I think Wake is a safety school for Duke and Elon is the safety for Wake. That is one thing that irks me a little. I am not enthused about reaching that far down for a school, something this important, but there is no way on earth my son gets into Duke anyway so it doesn’t really matter. </p>

<p>The funny thing is, and it is funny, Duke doesn’t teach business or anything that remotely resembles business, for undergrads. Wow. Well, we can eliminate Duke. Stanford and Princeton and many others are too “liberal” to teach business. What a joke. Yet they have programs on all kinds of stuff that may or may not actually lead to a job but just don’t bother with business (economics is a social science, it is not usually taught as a business subject although, amazingly, colleges are finally waking up and teaching economics and finance together). </p>

<p>I wouldn’t loss sleep if son1 or son2 goes to Elon. I like it alot. Our plan now is community college honors program for 2-years, get an AA degree, then probably go to Florida State to get the 4-year degree, we are in Orlando, and then find a big name school such as UNC-Chapel Hill or Duke or UF for the grad degree. </p>

<p>Duke has outstanding grad business programs but, like I said, won’t touch it for undergrads. That is odd but whatever. </p>

<p>College will be virtually free for the first 4 years for both my sons if we do that because I work at a CC and I have prepaid plans for both my sons already anyway. It is hard to beat that. That “fits” us. We can then spend an unGodly amount of money on the grad degree. So even though I like Elon alot I’ll probably just admire it from a far away place. </p>

<p>Incidently, we also compared Elon to Furman and Duke and Wake and Wofford and GaSouthern and all those schools in the NC, SC and GA region. Furman is just under 3,000students. That might be too small. Elon is closer to 6,000. That is much better but still on the small side. Wake isn’t much bigger than that, it might be smaller, haven’t looked lately. Furman offers an undergrad business degree but almost apologizes for it claiming it is a great program because it is steeped in a liberal arts education because to understand business one must know the liberal arts. </p>

<p>That did not work for me at all. </p>

<p>Don’t apologize for teaching business. If you are going to do it do it right. It truely amazes me that schools like Stanford don’t teach business. Yet they want $50K per year when you add up all the costs. I hope when people study those bizarre arcane degrees they actually get jobs after college and if not I don’t want hear about how bad their debt loads are. Shut up. You are the one who signed up for it. </p>

<p>Good luck. </p>

<p>I imagine for a northern student Elon makes good sense. It is warmer than where you are coming from and you can get a great degree in something you want to study. And it won’t cost too much.</p>

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<p>A visit is a must. Whatever we say is only added information and our experience. I was worried about the political leanings of the school also. My d’s experience has been very positive. She is definately a liberal and had prior to college, friends from all social, religious and economic backgrounds. That is not to say that you won’t find Elon students wilth evangelical political leanings or from affluent backgrounds. However, I think she has found the students to be very accepting. I can’t speak to the intended major but would encourage you to look at the residential learning communities. I believe there may be one which would interest your d. Just in case your d is a vegan they have options in the cafeteria. My d does not eat meat but will eat fish and eggs and has no complaints about food selection. If you are looking for the negatives : the dorms are not palaces (except for the new ones), I would prefer not to have a fall break and a day longer at Thanksgiving to make flying easier.</p>

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<p>OK, I don’t want to knock Elon - I love it, and my daughter loves it there. But after a recent visit, I had time to think about the title of this thread, and ask myself where Elon needs to improve. </p>

<p>My answer would be housing - not the quality, but the quantity and location. At the current time, only 60% of students live on campus. Freshmen and Sophs are required to live on campus, but after that almost everyone moves off-campus. Elon is working to increase available on-campus housing and to replace some of the less desirable dorms. But as of now, a large number of freshmen live in an area known as Daniely Commons. (my daughter does not live there). Most of them say they like it, but in my opinion it’s too far from the rest of campus. Housing was the only thing I was “iffy” about when my daughter decided Elon was her first choice, because I prefer schools that guarantee housing for 4 years or who house 90%+ of their students on campus - although I realize that is mostly smaller LACs that do that, at larger and state schools the percentage of kids living on campus is much lower. Also, the Greek houses on campus only house a dozen students each, so most of the Greek organizations have off-campus houses (I didn’t realize that until my recent visit) and that’s where most of the partying takes place. I prefer schools that keep their Greek houses on campus, because it’s easier to keep things under control that way. I realize that off-campus Greek houses are the norm at many colleges, but it’s not my preference.</p>

<p>My daughter also believes it’s harder to be at Elon without a car than the tour guides lead her to believe. I’m not positive she’s right - I don’t think she’s really taken the time to figure out the BioBus schedule, and she has a ZipCar account that works fine if she just plans far enough ahead to reserve the car. But I can see that Elon is a car-oriented place.</p>

<p>On the plus side, she loves her professors - she says she can tell they really care about their students. She loves that the students come from a wide variety of places. She loves the weather and the beautiful campus. She loves the 4-1-4 schedule and the many study abroad options (including the 3 week January travel classes). She loves the emphasis on volunteering and community service. She loves her fellow students. She loves that the place really does “run like butter.” She loves Elon.</p>

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<p>I should add that Elon’s current master plan includes increasing dorm space so that 75% of students can live on campus. But be aware that is still a work in progress.</p>

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<p>Thanks very much Lafalum84. I know that no school is perfect, and I’d much prefer to understand the downsides going in than to discover them later by surprise. Elon is still number one with my daughter, but we’ll keep the housing situation in mind.</p>

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<p>Regarding Elon, what about racial and religious diversity? Is everyone there white and Christian?</p>

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<p>Lafalum - that was really helpful. I always ask about the negatives while on a tour - there has to be something and I would rather know up front what it is. We are visiting in a few weeks with S2 - so eager to see how the campus has changed since we were there 2+ years ago with S1. I agree with you on the housing - I like the guarantee - but it is hard to find. I strongly prefer that housing at least be guaranteed for sophomores - I can live with the idea of a junior living off campus - but think a sophomore is just too young.</p>

<p>Regarding diversity question - many schools in NC - High Point, Wake, Elon, etc. are predominantly white and Christian. However, my understanding is that Elon is becoming more diverse. Check out the Jewish Elon thread for more info on diversity at Elon.</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/elon-university/899749-does-anyone-know-what-jewish-life-like-student-elon.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/elon-university/899749-does-anyone-know-what-jewish-life-like-student-elon.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>Rockvillemom, Elon requires freshmen and sophomores to live on campus so housing for them is guaranteed. (You and I share our alma mater which featured 95% of kids living on campus, so we’re a little spoiled - that’s not the norm, but I wish it were!) </p>

<p>I believe I heard President Lambert say that this year’s freshman class has the most diversity of religion of any Elon class in history, and my daughter told me she has met a good number of Jewish students. We are Catholic, and she told me that she really likes the Mass on campus.</p>

<p>Info on the racial diversity of the Class of 2014 can be found here:
[url=&lt;a href=“Elon University / Undergraduate Admissions”&gt;Elon University / Undergraduate Admissions]Admissions</a> - Meet the Class of 2014<a href=“don’t%20let%20the%20GPA%20scare%20you,%20Elon%20uses%20a%20weighted%20GPA%20where%20Honors%20is%20on%20a%205%20point%20scale%20and%20AP%20is%20a%206%20point%20scale”>/url</a></p>