<p>Does anyone have any thoughts on these schools: College of Charleston, Roanoke, Rollins, Eckerd, U of Richmond, Elon, and Lynchburg. Any other schools in Florida, NC, SC, Virginia or Georgia that I am overlooking. I am looking for smaller schools with a nice campus and that have an education major. Hopefully not too conservative. Thanks</p>
<p>Not too familiar with southern schools. I would add Lenoir-rhyne to the list. I was going to say Eckerd, but you have that on your list. I heard nice things about all of them. Seems like "Elon" is one the "hot" schools lately. Also, U of Richmond is pretty expensive.</p>
<p>Candace, you might want to post this in the Parents Forum. I think a lot of the parents have kids who are either attending or looking at these and other schools. Off the top of my head, I would also add Furman (can be a little conservative, but not too much), the smaller UNC schools, particularly UNC-Asheville, Emory and Henry, Winthrop, Mary Washington, and Bridgewater. Ditto northeastmom's addition of L-R. These and tons others are smaller with a nice campus. Not sure about the education major (I know Winthrop has a well-regarded program, as does Elon). Based on the schools that you did list, some of the ones I've mentioned may be less selective than you're looking for, but it wouldn't hurt to take a quick look. Also, I take "smaller" to mean 5000 and less, which may not be what you mean. Best of luck.</p>
<p>I had never looked at Lenoir Rhyne. Is it a religious school. I am looking for a non-religious school. Emory would be a reach, but love it. Any other suggestions?</p>
<p>Either ask on the parent board (BTW, they are great with schools and will add some more to your list), or send a pm to Orangeblossom. Her son will be attending LR in the fall. She loves the school, and the kids, campus, the interaction in the classroom, etc. You can also do a search for her description of the school.</p>
<p>lderochi also had some excellent suggestions.</p>
<p>L-R is affiliated with the Lutheran church (ELCA), but is very low-key as are most ELCA churches. Roanoke is also Lutheran. Elon and Lynchburg are United Church of Christ and Disciples of Christ, respectively, but are also pretty low key. I think Richmond was originally Baptist affiliated, but severed the formal connection a few years back. FWIW my brother in law attended L-R (years ago) -- I think he would have been very uncomfortable at an overly religious school as well, but never had any issues with L-R. I would second the recommendation to PM OrangeBlossom.</p>
<p>PS just to add to my previous post. I don't know about Florida, but if you're looking for smaller schools in NC, VA and SC, then the private ones are almost all going to have some historical connection to a church denomination.</p>
<p>I'd also add Wofford College, I'm pretty sure they have an education major and I know they have a nice campus.</p>
<p>Have you thought about Vanderbilt? Their education school (Peabody) is highly respected. candace, it's not in the states you mentioned, but it's not far from that area. The campus doesn't have an overwhelmingly large or urban feel, and it is beautiful. It has the advantage of being nestled into an upscale section on the limits of a pretty cool city, yet it still seems self-contained. Total undergrad enrollment is about 6400; Peabody College totals 1600 or so. As for the liberal/conservative breakdown: one recent campus poll showed that students were evenly split. My daughter is on the liberal side and doesn't feel out of place there.</p>
<p>Thanks, never thought of Vanderbilt. Might be a reach. Any other schools within a days drive of central Florida?</p>
<p>Southern school with a good Education program, Vanderbilt is for you! Vandy's education school overall was ranked 4th in the nation, the special ed department is ranked 1st. The opportunities are endless, as are the resources.</p>
<p>I strongly second lderochi's suggestion of UNC Asheville. It's probably one of the top public LACs in the country and a superb little school. The location is excellent, and the student body is about as lively, outgoing, and non-conservative as you can get. Education has long been a strong-point, and the honors program is highly regarded.</p>
<p>More to consider (though I'm not sure about "education" majors) - Milsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi; Birmingham Southern College in Alabama; Berry College in Georgia (a huge endowment with excellent merit dollars that gets next to no publicity outside its own state); and University of the South in Tennessee. I second Furman University as a superb liberal arts university (in Greenville, South Carolina).</p>
<p>^
Furman is religious, although not as in-your-face as it used to be. I actually considered Berry as a safety last year; I absolutely LOVED their campus.</p>
<p>Candace,
Definitely check out Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, VA. They're well-known for their education dept and the campus is gorgeous.</p>
<p>Yes, DEFINITELY Wofford!!! Long under-rated, it's rapidly becoming nationally known as the South's "Pheonix rising from the dust." Now attracting students from across the nation, as well as from abroad. Deeply devoted to serving students from racial/ethnic minorities, many of whom have gone on to having stellar careers in academia, law and the business world. </p>
<p>Surging endowment, gracious and generous financial aid policies, stunningly luxurious campus, rigorous academics with close faculty-student relationships. Unusually high number of students going on to graduate school, especially medical and law schools. Many graduates are now faculty members at prestigious universities across the nation. </p>
<p>Historically, graduates have served as the founders (and Presidents) of Duke University, Vanderbilt University and the Candler School of Theology at Emory University. 50/50 coed, with enrollment limited to 1100 students. Students are extremely friendly, as well as highly intelligent, creative and motivated. One of the highest study-abroad rates in the whole country. Strong commitment to both mens' and women's sports, with highly competitive teams now playing at the NCAA Division I level. You can't beat this one, it's a real winner!!</p>
<p>Candace- as you are interested in education, you may want to compare the requirements and curriculum in the states that you are thinking of going to school in- ie. does Virginia-North Carolina or Florida etc. have their own requirements for Education majors?? I recently went to the U. of Tampa accepted student reception. A kid asked if she could double major in elementary ed. and dance (?). She was told that Florida has a lot of requirements for their ed. majors so there was hardly room for an elective let alone a double major. There have been even more requirements since the "No child left behind" law came about. So you may want to compare the education curriculum in different states as they are probably mandated by the various State Education Departments. As my kids aren't interested in teaching, this was not an issue for us but I thought it was an interesting point. PS. I was hoping my d took an interest in College of Charleston. I checked out their website, and the school looked good to me. My d did not want to go to school in SC. I've also heard good things about UNC-Ashville. We do like U-Tampa and my d is still considering it.</p>
<p>My AP Bio teacher left at the end of the semester to go to grad school (for marine bio) at College of Charleston, and she's really smart. So I'd assume it's a good school.</p>
<p>Some of my family lives in Nashville, and I'm down there a lot for various things. If you consider Vandy, know that the area is GREAT! Downtown Nashville is cool, big city but very little city at the same time. Plus a short drive can have you in the middle of nowhere.</p>
<p>another possibility might be Catawba College in Salisbury,NC.</p>