UGA, Furman or Samford (Hellllp!!!)

Parents Forum
1

<p>My DD has just gotten accepted to Georgia which kind of throws a wrench into the whole College decision process. She had been accepted to University of Alabama, Auburn, Samford and Furman. At that point we were seriously deciding between Samford and Furman. She currently attends a small private school and is not a huge football/sports fan. She is undecided on a major, but loves to read and is a great writer so we are throwing around majors like communications, journalism and maybe pre-law track. She is very involved in performing arts (ie. both theater and dance) and would like to continue her involvement in college as an extracurricular and possibly a minor. </p>

<p>I realize that the money difference is huge. I have not gotten a FA package from Furman yet but assuming it is negligible here is the breakdown for us (we live in Georgia).</p>

<p>University of Georgia (Instate after Hope) $9,334
Samford (after $8k per year scholarship) $20,966
Furman (assume zero merit) $47,660</p>

<p>We have overnight visits scheduled and will attend a class for both Samford and Furman along with going to accepted student days. We are going to go to one of the Accepted student days at UGA (I don't think they have an overnight program).</p>

<p>I personally really like the idea of Furman, and don't know a whole lot yet about UGA but want to know more. I specifically want to understand the quality of education as compared to Furman. Furman has a very high acceptance rate to prestigious graduate schools for outgoing undergrads. Does anyone know the UGA stats. </p>

<p>I am also a little concerned about the overall environment at UGA (#1 Party School). My DD has a good head on her but I also believe that ones environment can influence ones character no matter who you are. </p>

<p>I can afford Furman but I dont want to be stupid so help me determine if I can justify spending about 5 times more a year to send her to a small LAC versus the large state school in terms of quality of education, support, and quality of student life. </p>

<p>As for DD, she is just beginning to process this decision as she wanted to keep an open mind until all her decisions were in. </p>

<p>Thanks </p>

<p>Confused GA Parent</p>

2

<p>I like Furman a great deal (and a great deal more than Samford). We’re in GA too and I’ve tried to encourage my 11th-grade son to give Furman a good look. It would be a very different experience all-around from UGA or UA - one that I would prefer and one that I’d prefer for my own student. But the $38,000 difference x 4 for me, pushes past the bounds of reasonableness. I’d think that there would have to be better $152,000 investments you could make for your D’s future than spending it on the qualitative difference between the two schools. Grad school? Global travel? Retirement fund (for her)? First home? If $152K is a drop in the bucket to you then I’d go with Furman and never give it a second thought, but I personally have trouble justifying that kind of extra expense.</p>

3

<p>I live in Birmingham and Samford is a great school. My D will be attending Birmingham Southern College next year-she has a scholarship and we have PACT which should pay around $7,000/year. I know many students go to Furman and it’s a great school but I can’t justify spending almost $50,000/ yr</p>

<p>As far as UGA and UA- they are huge schools with alot of partying but I think there are many students that don’t party and are there to get an education.</p>

<p>As Gadad said if you can afford Furman-go for it. My D likes small so I am happy with her choice.
My 10th grade son is only talking BAMA!! RTR</p>

4

<p>My D attended Furman freshman year. The school provides a lot of opportunities for students like your D. If you can afford it, I say go for it. I scrimped to send my kids to private schools when they were younger … the tuition was not easy to pay, and we had the option of public schools that weren’t all that bad. We just felt that the cost was worth it. I see your situation as somewhat similar … except that it sounds like the money is less a problem for you than it was for me. That is what money is for, and if you can do it, it’s a good investment.</p>

<p>D is at Vanderbilt now due to a change in her educational direction, but she misses Furman in many ways. If your D likes it, then go for it.</p>

5

<p>I think we are down to Furman and UGA. After an overnight at Samford and participation in a dance class, she has removed Samford from the choice. Nothing negative, I think she just left without a sense of excitement and no matter what the stats and comparisons, I think her gut should trump everything as long as she has “good” choices to choose from. </p>

<p>So now we are down to UGA and Furman. From a financial perspective, I hope we can find that UGA will be a better fit for her. She did end up getting $12,500 as an Acheivers scholarship at Furman bringing the costs down some but the difference is still substantial.</p>

<p>University of Georgia
Instate after Hope - $9,400 x 4 years = $37,600</p>

<p>Furman
After $12,500 merit - $38,000 x 4 yrs = $152,000</p>

<p>So the $114,400 (difference) question still looms. Do you get $114,400 added quality of life and undergraduate educational experience from Furman over Georgia. </p>

<p>At the risk of approaching analysis paralysis, I want to at least make sure she has all the facts from both a qualitative and quantitative perspective. </p>

<p>I really have learned more about schools from the CC forum. I do realize though that everyone is proud of their decisions and/or their kids decisions so trying to get the the “real” differences is a challenge. That being said, I am going to attempt to summarize what we see as “real” differences and asK you CC people to either confirm/dispute such differences or to add to them. I am going to compare Furman to the general student population versus UGAs Honors which I think would make the distinctions less evident, but since my D did not apply in time for Honors (Feb deadline) and her stats did not get her auto admitted (1910 SAT) then she would have to apply after a semester meaning there is still a chance she will not be in that program. </p>

<p>QUALITY OF LIFE</p>

<p>I think UGAs as compared to Furman makes the biggest difference here. No matter how much a school tries, at a certain size it simply cannot compete. </p>

<p>As UGA is spread out, a student could spend a lot of valuable time each day walking to/from classes, the library, or the dining hall. Or waiting for a bus. Long distances also exacerbate the effects of bad weather. </p>

<p>I think a sense of community comes naturally at a smaller school like Furman. If you are super extroverted I think this can be overcome with effort but it does not come naturally. My D is probably middle of the road here. </p>

<p>On the plus side to UGA though, the size makes available certain opportunities but also takes away certain opportunities. For instance, my daughter loves to dance and has done so for 14 years. She also likes musical theater. She wants to have that incorporated into her life in college without majoring in it. Furman unfortunately does not have a dance program and unless she goes off campus, performance dance would really not be available except via the “Musical Theater” group at Furman (Pauper Players). On the other hand, with 30,000 students competing for spots in both student led and school performances, opportunities are would be hard to come by. It was the same in high school. My sons were not the elite athletes, but at their small private school, they were able to participate on the Varsity soccer teams, tennis teams, wrestling teams etc… In a large public, they probably would not have had the opportunity or experience which I think ultimately was very valuable to them even though they were not the “creme de la creme” in the sport. As for performance dance and/or musical theater, she probably would have to try “really” hard to be included from a non-major perspective at UGA. </p>

<p>ABILITY TO GROW POSITIVELY AS A PERSON</p>

<p>I have read alot about the #1 Party school and what it really means. What I have read is that many students do “partake” in the party scene (primarily on weekends) but then get serious on Mondays. If my desire is for my daughter to avoid going down a path of “drinking” and “partying” which I would think most parents would probably want for their kid. I think that UGA is a very risky choice. Sure, it depends on the kid, but most kids are easily influenced and want to fit in. Sure you can find plenty of students choosing not to participate in the “party” scene at UGA but based on what I have heard and read, that is the minority of kids and to choose this path is not what happens “naturally” at the University. </p>

<p>ACADEMICS</p>

<p>To make an apples to apples comparison, I will limit my comparison to (core classes) as my daughter would not start out into the “Honors” school at UGA and limited to the undergraduate experience. Again, I think size is the determining factor. At UGA, many of her GERs would literally have hundreds of students in it and some would be taught by TAs. In contrast, at Furman all classes are taught by professors with 96 percent having the highest degree in their field. The professors will know her I think from an educational experience, Furman seems to have a distinct advantage.</p>

<p>In addition, the academic environment is somewhat lackadaisicall at UGA as compared to Furman and I think this is driven by the HOPE scholarship factor. You can see my other thread regarding UGAs 4 year graduation rate of 51% as compared to Furman’s 81%. </p>

<p>TENTITIVE CONCLUSION</p>

<p>It seems that considering quality of life, ability to grow as a person and academically, Furman appears to have more to offer. Whether it’s $114,400 worth of additional value, I do not think is quantifiable. Maybe its like the old Mastercard commercial, some things are just priceless. I wish UGA had an overnight program for prospective students. It’s really hard to get a feel for this school as compared to schools that do allow for overnights. </p>

<p>Sorry for the long rambling posts. If you read this whole thing, I commend you. Now give me your thoughts.</p>

6

<p>The six year graduation rate at UGA is 81%. I think that HOPE has allowed kids to dilly dally through school, if their parents will foot the bills for the last couple of years.</p>

<p>I would expect that the amount funded by HOPE will decrease each year, not that it will make the cost difference between the two schools that much different, but the wording of the new legislation indicates that we can expect the amount funded to vary each year.</p>

<p>We have a HOPE eligible child who is at at big state U as an out of state student. UGA was not a good fit and he did not even apply. </p>

<p>I still question whether this is a good use of our funds, but my husband doesn’t. And my son is happy.</p>

<p>The kids I know that are at UGA are pretty top notch students. I hear about the partying but I think most kids are still studying and working a fair bit.</p>

7

<p>Sounds like you’ve made up your mind and are waiting on your D to make her choice. Bottom line is that both UGA and Furman are great schools – I’m sure you (and she) will be happy with either choice.</p>

<p>Nothing else to add to your post other than a brief comment on academics @ UGA. They are what you make of them. Like any other school, lots of students don’t come to lectures but this fact shouldn’t have any influence on your child’s attendance. I’m currently taking one of those moderately-large lectures (~150 people) and maybe 50-60 show up on a regular basis. The professor is a phenomenal lecturer and understands that the people who attend regularly are interested in the course – so we generally end up having insightful and informative discussions among those who do attend. Probably not the typical experience but just goes to show that even the courses you expect to hate the most can also turn out well. </p>

<p>If your D despises those 300-person lectures, she can often find smaller sections that also satisfy the core requirements. To the best of my knowledge, no courses at UGA are taught by TAs (although TAs do lead lots of the smaller breakout/discussion sections for large lectures).</p>

<p>Best of luck to you and your D in the decision-making process.</p>

8

<p>I am a big fan of UGA and do not think the huge expense of Furman sounds wise for your family. Yes, Georgia IS big, but it offers a lot and is well-respected (especially in the South). Graduate school admissions are largely based on entrance exam scores and GPA, and I know plenty of very bright doctors and lawyers with UGA undergrad degrees.</p>

9

<p>I think you know where you want your daughter to go and only you can determine if those reasons outweigh the economics.</p>

10

<p>Just some antidotes that might help in the decision process:</p>

<p>D’s recent hosting experience at UGA was very nice compared to Duke. After returning from a tennis match, she and her host had planned to attend a non-drinking party event - seems it’s sponsored regularly by either the school or an organization at the school. The host was tried so they just stayed on the hall. It was a Friday night and D said several girls were baking cookies, quite a few more were watching a movie in the common room, and more were visiting from room to room. The hall was not half full, but D said close.</p>

<p>At Duke the week before, she struggled with host’s choice of entertainment and once back, found the hall completely deserted. She’d spent the night before in another room where the occupants did not return until 7 a.m.</p>

<p>Now, I realize hosting is a mixed bag and luck of the draw, but the activity on halls is a bit telling. Duke isn’t Furman, but both are private schools which draw in higher stat kids.</p>

<p>My sister and H also attended UGA from a VERY small town and talk of the large campus, but say you adjust quickly. Learning to navigate a large place is in itself a learning experience. As far as school spirit, you can’t beat UGA!</p>

<p>I walked the Furman campus several days in a row recently while visiting the area and loved it. I did the same at UGA while D attended a camp a few years ago. Love them both!! </p>

<p>UGA’s award winning food also can’t be beat. I stayed in the dorms and it was a nice vacation planning my walks around the superb meals served in the various cafeterias, of which there are many. At one meal, I asked for salad dressing that had been served the day before on a freshly made specialty salad. A nice lady went to the kitchen and brought out a little cup apologizing that it was all she had left. I asked where to purchase the dressing and she said, “Why honey, I make it myself!” But don’t worry, a friend’s D, now a Junior, took a “healthy cafeteria eating” workshop during Freshman Experience and hasn’t gained a pound.</p>

11

<p>This conversation is very helpful for me too, since I anticipate having a similar decision in my family a year from now.</p>

12

<p>UGA, while large, will offer many opportunities for her to “find her people”. My understanding re the dance program is she should be able to take classes and WILL have opportunities for performing, even as a non-major.</p>

<p>However, the way I’d approach it is to consider whether she may want/need post-graduate education. If the answer in any way might be yes or maybe, go with UGA and save the extra money for grad school.</p>

<p>PS S attended UGA for a semester (was a “katrina kid” displaced by the hurricane). He enjoyed it. Being in Georgia, both our kids have many friends who attended UGA and really were happy with their decision. In spite of the size, and in some cases, because of it, ALL felt they found their respective niches. What great choices she has!</p>

13

<p>We are from MA and older D graduated from UGA a few years ago. She wanted the rah-rah football fun and loved her time at UGA. We have had the opportunity to meet many young graduates of UGA over the years and my H and I have been impressed by the quality and focus of these young adults. D stayed in GA after graduation and through work and other activities, she has met many more UGA graduates - equally passionate about what they want to do with their lives. I think a large school allows you so many options and it provides you the opportunity to find the type of friends you desire. Every large university has that party label, but there are many who are attending to get a good education and preparing for life after school. My other two attended smaller private schools, supposedly better institutions, but I truly think D had an equally good education. If your D is excited about UGA and wishes to go there, you can support her decision. It is a very good school.</p>

14

<p>D IS GOING TO FURMAN! </p>

<p>We went to Furman on Saturday afternoon and attended the Playhouse production of Lysistrata that evening (PS. a little awkward to see with your Dad). We then spent the day Sunday touring around downtown Greenville. Greenville’s downtown has got to one of the best small downtown areas I have ever visited! Tree lined streets, sidewalk cafes and Falls River Park are just so “cool”. I then dropped her off on Sunday night and she did an overnight! </p>

<p>The next morning when I met her for the Accepted Students Day, the first thing that came out of her mouth was that she had made a decision and Furman was it! </p>

<p>After a little interrogating, I think it came down to the students she met. She described them as unpretentious and really down to earth. They all seem genuinely proud of their school and interested in helping other students be successful at Furman. We then spent the day touring the school which has to be one of the most serene and beautiful places/campuses there is. </p>

<p>As for UGA, she has decided not to do a second visit. She just feels that strongly about Furman. I think UGA is a great institution and I think many students can flourish there but do think the two schools give 100% different experiences. I never really understood the whole “right fit” thing until I went through this process. For some, the economics drive the process. Fortunately, we had the resources to have this choice and I do think the “right fit” is Furman for my D. </p>

<p>Thanks again for all the advice from the CC community. </p>

<p>No longer Confused Dad</p>

15

<p>What good news srockae! Don’t you love it when they make the decision and you and your child really know it is the correct one? The fit is so important and it is hard to describe “it” until you go thru the process. Congratulations and order that sticker for your car!</p>