<p>I plan on applying to one or the other early decision but I really need help deciding. It's pretty obvious that Wake Forest is the better and more well recognized school, but there are several things that turn me off about the school. For one, the intense work load, which although it is something I could probably handle, I would not want to be continuously stressed and piled with homework throughout college. Second, grade deflation annoys me and is something that could hurt both job search and self esteem. Lastly, the college is completely run by greek life and, contrary to what some students say, I feel as if I would be left out if I am not part of a fraternity. </p>
<p>Richmond on the other hand is just as beautiful of a campus, if not nicer and I feel like it is a better fit for me. It offers the majors I am interested in (as does Wake Forest) and I feel as if I would enjoy Univ Richmond more. Greek life is still present, but not to as much of an extent and the entire campus is not "run" by Greek life. Sports are also important to me, and although Wake Forest has better basketball/football teams, Richmond has sufficient teams that I can enjoy if I attend there. </p>
<p>So now the question becomes this: the better school with some downsides or the slightly less prestigious school that offers everything i want in a college.</p>
<p>I am not saying that I dislike Wake Forest, as I think I would enjoy it, maybe not as much as Richmond though. I don't think there is necessarily a "wrong choice" here, it's just a matter of which one I will be happier at and get the most out of.</p>
<p>My plan right now is to apply ED to Wake Forest (Sept 15; response within 4-6 weeks). If I were to get in, then I would have to go there. If I do not get in, I would apply to Richmond ED (Nov 15; response by Dec 15), and would attend there if I got in. My only concern with this plan is that if I want to go to Richmond but I get accepted into Wake Forest, it's over.</p>
<p>Now you see the dilemma I am facing... sorry for the long read, but any advice would be very much appreciated. Thanks.</p>
<p>Based on your post, it sounds to me like you want to go to University of Richmond more than Wake Forest. My suggestion is that you apply ED there.</p>
<p>Visited both schools in the spring along with Elon.
My daughter loved wake , liked elon and hated richmond.
I loved richmond , liked wake and elon.
The same school looks different depending on who is doing the looking.</p>
<p>There is no formula ,pick what is best for you.<br>
Sounds like you want richmond.</p>
<p>Sometimes it is hard to get a clear answer from a 17 year old , but she did not like the vibe from the student body , something I completely missed.
Maybe she was cranky from seeing a 3rd school in a day and a half. Who really knows.</p>
<p>I loved Richmond , but I'm not the one going to college.</p>
<p>FYI, I wouldn't count Elon as a safety; you may want to apply EA (not binding) to be safe. I'm pretty sure it's as competitive as Richmond, and almost as hard as Wake to get into now. M</p>
<p>(Posted this in my own thread, but I am not sure if you will see that or not.)</p>
<p>Because my friend was in a similar situation a few years ago, I can help you with this: Wake Forest is known to be preppy, conservative, and wealthy. My friend says that you can fit in if you try really hard, but is it worth the effort? While Wake gives an excellent education, like Richmond and Elon, it is also a jock school and a southern prestige school. If you think you will be happier at U Richmond, then choose that school. Believe me, if you don't fit in just right, you may be absolutely miserable at Wake. Based on your post, it sounds like U Richmond is a far, far better fit for you. I suppose I shouldn't tell you what to do, but choose wisely. Don't apply to your #2 ED and get stuck there. For what it is worth, my friend is very happy at Wake, but she refuses to tell her friends anything about her past life for fear of their judgment...and would you want to be in that sort of situation?</p>
<p>Good luck in whatever you choose. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions about Wake. :)</p>
<p>Just want to clarify. I agree that Elon's not quite up there as Richmond as you showed with the scores, but I'm just saying it's not really a safety school. It's trendy right now and a lot of kids are applying. They have a 41% admittance and Richmond has 40% (and Wake has 42%). </p>
<p>It sounds like you like Richmond a lot. It's a great school- go for it! I'm convinced students will do best in the long run at the school they feel right about regardless of prestige. Wake may be better known, but Richmond has a nice reputation and is doing a lot to improve it. Going for a school on the rise should be a lot of fun.</p>
<p>Yep... well I'm starting to completely ignore prestige (which is good), and it has come down to Villanova and Richmond now. I agree that I was somewhat wrong in considering Elon as a safety and it is definitely one of those schools on the rise. I will probably end up applying there, but for some reason I just don't view it on the same level as richmond/villanova/wake in terms of academics (no offense). Actually, maybe I'm just focusing on the business aspect of it...</p>
<p>I have a lot of friends at UR, and they love it. However, they are athletes, so of course, their experiece is a bit biased. I will say that the campus is very pretty!</p>
<p>As far as Wake? Well, Wake's campus is 5 minutes away from the largest shopping mall in the state of North Carolina! That HAS to count for something! lol</p>
<p>Well, I am glad you are narrowing down your choices. But its important to apply to many schools...at least 8 and perhaps as many as 12. You never know what happens in admissions. Weird things happen. Really weird things. What looks like a sure thing turns out to be a wait list etc. </p>
<p>On Elon: my d applied there two years ago, was admitted with a prestigious scholarship. We ultimately turned it down as being too close to home. But on the campus visit, they really impressed us with their organization, their warmth, the strength of their programs, etc. Elon sends beaucoup kids overseas every year. I know one man with a company in Hong Kong who hired an Elon kid on an internship and was so impressed by him that he almost exclusively recruits Elon kids now. He likes their work ethic, their personal ethics and the fact they dont have an "attitude" about where they went to college. That intern is now general manager in Hong Kong. Its a gorgeous campus. Great sports. </p>
<p>I do agree that Wake and Richmond are a notch up the ladder overall in "prestige" and rankings. But Elon is number 1 in Masters Universities-South, by USNWR, the same as Villanova is in the North region. </p>
<p>Ultimately selecting the right college for you wont come until you have the acceptance letters in hand in April and their respective offers of financial aid or scholarships. That choice will come down to highly subjective factors for you individually, which may or may not comport with what someone else thinks/believes/experienced. It can be somewhat anxiety ridden in April trying to decide between two or three of your top offers. Just focus on what you want and where you think you will be happiest and thrive academically and socially. Which is why campus visits are important. </p>
<p>For some kids, being in the ACC, being highly ranked, nationally recognized, and an upper income type of place makes Wake the right choice for THEM. That may or may not be what you are looking for. Or perhaps your impressions of Wake will not comport with what I said. Fine.</p>
<p>Spread your wings NOW. You can trim them back in April once you have all the acceptance letters in hand. And there is nothing wrong with a safety school...or safety/match school. </p>
<p>jckund: I have been reading some of your other posts on CC and I agree you don't really have any safties. From what I see, you really have close to B+ average (3.36) and you don't list your class rank. You have Ec's and test scores. All of the above schools look at your high school performance record first and foremost. Class rank, if your school ranks or even it doesn't, where you fit in with the rest of your class, is very important. Your guidance counselor is required to give that information to colleges...it appears on a supplement on the common application. If you were my child, I would tell you that you have two reaches and one match, which is fine. Now you need to find some safties that you would be happy to attend and can afford. I know Richmond and Villanova are full of former straight A (or close to it) high school students.</p>
<p>Well my class doesn't rank, but I do stand rather highly in the class. The school also has a rather difficult grading policy. I have safeties, in fact, I haven't even talked about many of the colleges I'm applying to at all besides for like 2-3 of them...</p>
<p>I think you guys are misunderstanding all of this. This thread is rather old as to where I am now and I have a full list with safeties and all of that. Actually, I hate to be mean, but I'm not really asking for advice on where to apply or how to go about doing it. This thread was for the sole purpose of comparing those two schools, and it started getting out of hand after that.</p>
<p>One of my best friends applied to the "Presbyterian Palace" (Davidson). She scored a perfect verbal TWICE - once uncentered and once recentered. Under the original uncentered test, you could only miss 1 or 2 in the whole section and still get a perfect verbal; with the recentered, you could miss maybe 3 or 4 and still get a perfect verbal score.<br>
On paper, she had all the qualities (top 5 in class, 1400 SAT, three sport varsity athlete, 4 time Academic Bowl starter). However, Davidson's application had a question which rubbed her the wrong way. It was something like: "Approximately how much money did you earn last summer?" with the follow-up question: "How did you spend your earnings?"
Her response? A very tactful "*** does this have to do with my qualifications for Davidson???" answer...</p>
<p>Needless to say, she didn't get into Davidson.</p>
<p>Davidson is a fine school with Presbyterian roots, but by no means is it entirely Presbyterian. Many Catholics, Baptists, Lutherans, Episcopals, Methodists go there. Its preferred by many over UNC because of its small size. No harm in applying, but if its a reach, then dont expect anything there. Though their financial aid is reportedly very good.</p>
<p>I don't know too much about Richmond, but someone I know transferred from there (now at Rice) and she hated Richmond. I can't remember everything she said bad about it, but she is glad she isn't there anymore. I think Wake Forest is the better choice.</p>