Southern LACs

College Search & Selection
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<p>S will be a freshman at Rhodes next year. He’s also a Northerner who wanted a small LAC in a warm climate. I think it’s a great fit. He loved the nurturing environment, beautiful campus, and the St. Jude’s connection (he’s pre-med) but the thing that really sealed the deal is its location as one of the few LACs in a major city. He’s very excited to explore Memphis. Rhodes also gave him great merit aid, too.</p>

<p>S also looked at Davidson, Elon, Wake Forest, and Richmond. In retrospect, he probably should have looked at Furman and Sewanee, too, but neither would have had the city piece. You may also want to check out Trinity in San Antonio, TX. It sounded a lot like Rhodes on paper, given the student stats and location. S was accepted there but we never managed a visit.</p>

<p>Feel free to PM me if you have further questions. Good luck!</p>

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<p>My boyfriend attended Rhodes as a biochemistry major. I spent quite a bit of time over there and know it about as well as a non-student can.

[ul][li]Academics - It’s a terrific school, and the offerings in the sciences are particularly good. There’s a big emphasis on getting undergraduates involved in research as soon as possible, and the facilities are reasonably good for an undergrad’s needs. You no doubt noticed that the Memphis Zoo is directly across the street from campus (you can hear the animals!). It’s common for biology majors, particularly those interested in ecology or pre-vet, to volunteer or do research internships at the zoo. There was an undergrad working on a very interesting project on fertilization in reptiles when I was at Rhodes last. The library was remodeled fairly recently and is absolutely gorgeous both inside and out. The tech lab in the basement is quite nice for those interested in computing or film classes at Rhodes. [/li][li]Campus – You know how gorgeous the campus is, particularly in the fall. There’s not much else to say. Gothic architecture looks a little odd given the size of the buildings, but the warm colors of the stones and the multicolored windows work together perfectly. [/li][li]Dining – The two dining options are pretty good. The refectory (“the Rat”) is your standard student cafeteria…I wasn’t ever particularly blown away, but it’s been remodeled since I was last at Rhodes, so it may be better now. The Lynx Lair has more options (sushi, deli, pizza, etc.) and is pretty good, and it has a very cozy feel to it. There’s also a decent cafe across from the entrance to the library. [/li][li]Greek life and dorms – Greek life is popular but relatively low-key since it’s nonresidential. Each Greek organization has a building on campus, but the students live in the dorms with other students or in apartments off-campus. The dorms on campus, if you didn’t get to see them on tour, are reasonably sized…they’re not as nice as you’d see at wealthier schools (except the upperclassmen apartments), but they’re decent. [/li][li]Student life – The student body is moderate in outlook (similar to Davidson) and has had a bit of an artsy/quirky streak to it, though the preppy southern vibe is very much present. Student life revolves around campus, unusually for an urban school, but students do get out and explore Memphis. Parties tend to be small and low key, with a few friends getting together on Friday nights. The college has some traditions (e.g. riding the lynx statue), like most small schools, and does a good job of fostering a community feeling. There were always student events like poetry slams, battle of the bands, riverboat rides, plays, etc.[/ul][/li]Memphis itself has some lovely parts and gets a bad rep. The Midtown area (where Rhodes is) is arguably the best part of Memphis, and it contains things like the zoo, park, art museum, quirky shops, bars, etc. all conveniently close to campus. (Note: North of campus is noticeably more dangerous than any other direction. Students have no reason to go up there, however.) The Cooper-Young area is the hipster-y and LGBT area of Memphis and is up and coming as a trendy part of town. There’s tons of great, very cheap restaurants ranging from local barbecue (Central BBQ!) to Ethiopian. Public transit is rather hit-or-miss, and having a car or a friend with one definitely helps, but they’re working on that. It’s really pretty hard to be be bored in the area. </p>

<p>You’ve gotten lots of good suggestions on this thread. Furman, Agnes Scott, Eckerd, and Millsaps are particularly good options. </p>

<p>I’d add Trinity to the list of places to check out. It’s quite good at the sciences and is one of the few colleges of its size to offer engineering. Her stats would place her comfortably in the middle of the incoming class. </p>

<p>EDIT: Just noticed julesegr beat me to the Trinity suggestion while I was typing.</p>

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<p>Oh, also, if Florida’s of any interest - check out Flagler. Beautiful, historic architecture (Thomas Edison wired the lighting!) in the awesome city of St. Augustine. Right on the coast, with a historic downtown and one of the first Spanish forts in the country still there. Good sized and great resources.</p>

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<p>Thank you all for your thoughtful replies, especially the detailed review of Rhodes by Warblersrule. </p>

<p>For a LAC, Rhodes has undergrad biomedical research opportunities typically only seen at larger universities because of the connections with local research institutions. Very tempting in D’s opinion.</p>

<p>@mom2collegekids \The Rhodes NPC shows D’s “estimated total grant/gift aid” to be $24K. Maybe this is different from “merit” aid?</p>

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<p>dadof1, just a thought–do you think your daughter would be willing to take the ACT again? mom2collegekids is right that a higher score would give her more merit options.</p>

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<p>sally305, She hadn’t planned on taking it again, but it’s not a bad idea.</p>

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<p>If your daughter needs financial aid, consider Oxford of Emory. It’s Emory’s two year liberal arts college and decidedly less selective than the main Emory campus. The school is incredibly diverse for a rural liberal arts college and places a huge emphasis on volunteering. A new science building is currently under construction. </p>

<p>Occidental could be another possibility if your daughter just wants warm weather. Probably a high match for her, but it gives good aid to all needy students, not only the best ones. </p>

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<p>I second Sally305 and mom2collegekids’s suggestions of retaking the ACT. My daughter had a slightly lower score (27), really studied this last time (okay, I played a big part in helping her study on a regular basis) and raised her score to 31. If your daughter raises her score by four points, she’ll hit the magic 32, where serious merit aid becomes available.</p>

<p>FWIW, D is done with testing. She was thrilled to get over the 30 mark.</p>

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<p>“Rhodes NPC shows D’s “estimated total grant/gift aid” to be $24K. Maybe this is different from “merit” aid?”</p>

<p>Grant/gift aid is usually “need based”. Do you know what your EFC is? (Is Rhodes a FAFSA only school?)</p>

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<p>SlackermomMD. That’s quite an improvement by your daughter… nicely played! My D could potentially raise her score with a solid dose of studying. We’ll see how it goes.</p>

<p>mom2collegekids: EFC estimate is about 34k/year. I believe Rhodes uses the CSS. </p>

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<p>OP and @SlackerMomMD‌, npcs often won’t list merit scholarships, just need-based aid if there is any. Since most merit is competitive, I guess there would be no point listing merit on the npcs. Tulane was one exception, in my experience, but we looked for mostly northern schools.</p>

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<p>Take a look at U of Tulsa; a very good school in an under-appreciated city. Officially not a LAC, but it’s not a huge campus and it has qualities similar to a Liberal Arts College. Oklahoma isn’t precisely Dixie but as a south plains state it shares some culture with the traditional South. Texas is right next door.</p>

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<p>@dadof1 I also would encourage study/tutoring/test prep for ACT - DD1 needed 1 more point and got it after taking Sept and Oct tests senior year (which meant $12,000 more scholarship over 4 years). </p>

<p>DD2 could see how the money saved would be money in her pocket, tested senior year Sept, Oct, and Dec and got Presidential Scholarship - a huge jump on departmental and university level scholarships. DD2 had a lot of tutor sessions, practice testing. A lot of work, but a lot of reward. </p>

<p>No one ‘likes’ to take the test. Tell DD how this is a maturity thing to try to bump up score.</p>

<p>If you do visit Memphis, visit Christian Brothers in addition to Rhodes. Christian Brothers has an honors program that makes it worthy of considering, but it might be a little too small…</p>

<p>As mentioned, there are small Jesuit schools like Spring Hill (in Mobile).</p>

<p>Summer, and a possible road trip might be slipping away. Fall break trip? Or traveling for various options in the Spring?</p>

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<p>You have had some great suggestions. I came to add another vote for Hendrix.</p>

<p>Make sure that these schools are a “fit” in areas other than major. As an example, I think Rhodes is pretty heavy in Greeks, whereas Hendrix has no Greeks. The social and political climate need to be taken into account, IMO.</p>

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<p>Sage advice SOSConcern. My D was convinced to take the ACT again in Sept, this time with gusto! Any test prep course that people recommend? Kaplan and Princeton Review seem like the big players.</p>

<p>D says a college like New College of Fl is too small for her (800 students total). She’s ambivalent about Greek life, so it isn’t really a factor at this point.</p>

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<p>One good thing about Rhodes’s Greek life (although we have yet to experience it) is that it is non-residential and on-campus parties are open to all students and free after 11 pm. So, not as restrictive and exclusive as at other campuses with active Greek life. </p>

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<p>Florida Southern or Birmingham Southern if she wants a tight-knit, rather conservative LAC. BSC has a very strong Greek presence (could be a plus or a minus).
What about Millsaps? Small, but in the state capital.
In Florida, Eckerd, Flagler. In KY, Centre and Transylvania. In North Carolina, UNC-Asheville (neat college town), Guilford. If she doesn’t mind quirky, NCF or Hendrix. I second Agnes Scott, terrific women’s college in Atlanta, with partnership with Georgia Tech.
For Emory, she could try and apply to Emory’s Oxford College. LAC for two years then Emory for major/specialized courses, Emory degree.</p>

<p>ETA: just saw page 2 and 3 … :d</p>

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<p>@dadof1: Just a few general and specific thoughts to add to what previous posters have mentioned.</p>

<p>(1) Check out the Colleges That Change Lives website, <a href=“http://www.ctcl.org/”>Austin College – Colleges That Change Lives, if you haven’t already; it has a list of and links to SLACs that may give you some ideas (several of which have already been mentioned by posters).</p>

<p>(2) Since you have a daughter, be sure you look at the female/male ratios for the schools you and she are investigating; if the school is distant from urban areas or other colleges/universities, your daughter may want to factor that into her decision.</p>

<p>(3) In regard to some of the schools (some already mentioned by other posters) that you haven’t visited, </p>

<pre><code> (A) Furman has a beautiful campus; I have friends with a daughter there, and she is very happy; the school seems to have a big Greek component, however.

(B) I know folks who have a daughter at Birmingham-Southern, and they tell me that she loves it there; it appears to be a very nurturing place.

(C) I have friends with a son at Rhodes (his mom is an alumna also), and he loves it; I also have several acquaintances who attended Rhodes back in the day, and they are all very strong boosters of the school.

(D) I have friends with a daughter at Salem College in Winston-Salem; it is a women’s college (if that is something that your daughter might like), and the daughter really likes it there.

(E) You might look into Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, NC. It is not strictly an LAC but it has about 5,000 undergraduates and calls itself a “liberal arts university” because it has a strong focus on liberal arts teaching, but also has a medical school and law school on campus as well. It may be a reach, but it seems to have a strong undergraduate emphasis on pre-med programs.

(F) I have a young cousin by marriage who did his undergraduate work at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia; he then proceeded to get his medical degree at Wake Forest University.

(G) Belmont University in Nashville, TN is a school of about 5,000 undergraduates that is also not strictly an LAC; however, a child of a family friend attended there with the view towards getting a nursing degree; she ended up going the pre-med route, and she has now finished up medical school at Wake Forest University. Potential research opportunities at Vanderbilt University Hospital.
</code></pre>

<p>If you wish to PM me for further comments, I will be glad to share my thoughts with you.</p>

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<p>Seconding the suggestions of Furman, Wofford, Berry, Wake Forest (same reasoning) and Agnes Scott, and adding Oglethorpe University in Atlanta to the list. I know that you said your D doesn’t want to consider women’s colleges - but a lot of young women say that because they imagine it to be something like living in a convent. ASC is a beautiful campus in a really vibrant part of town and not too far from Emory, so there are plenty of opportunities for socializing with young men if that’s what she wants. And they have terrific financial aid.</p>

<p>I was also going to suggest Weselyan College in GA; it’s a women’s college, too, but more isolated so that might turn your daughter off.</p>

<p>Also, if she just wants a warm climate, there’s the West Coast too - she might be interested in Mills College (CA; also a women’s college, but with the same explanation as ASC above.)</p>

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<p>@dadof1 check to see if anyone - GC or other parents can recommend a tutor who is successful with ACT (we used one that was excellent for our DD and very successful tutor - in HS she had ACT 36 and was great at identifying student strengths/weaknesses on the test; DD did practice test sections between tutor sessions, and tutor time was tailored specific to DD’s testing output). We used some local prep class - just see what is available/convenient. Sept scores may not be back before signing up for Oct testing. There is variability on the tests - sometimes a section may be easier for your student or more difficult, so trying to hit the best test/best test time for DD. DD could also have an ‘off’ test day.</p>

<p>We know students at Samford, B’ham Southern, Rhodes, Spring Hill - they all love their school, but it is a ‘right fit’ for them. The Spring Hill student went to UAB first, and found Spring Hill more to his liking - he is very quiet and his comfort level was better at Spring Hill. AL has a lot of southern charm. H and I are both from WI (people there also comment about friendliness of small town WI areas/folks). Not sure how much different the ‘southern’ experience is outside of TN/GA/AL/MS; we lived in TX some years before AL, and TX is more about Texas and the south together.</p>

<p>In addition to Greek, you may also see how much student diversity there is for in-state/OOS - hate to have your DD feel like she is an ‘outsider’ to small click of students.</p>