I can’t go on a tour there, due to both the pandemic and a lack of money. So, I’m really interested in hearing from current students, people who went there, and people who went on tours.
What’s their English department like? How’s their English major? What about their foreign language and history departments?
What’s the campus like? Is the weather more sunny or rainy? What are the dorms like? What about the food?
Were you admitted already? Mind if I add a question to yours? I’m fact finding for my junior daughter and was also wondering what it’s like there? Does it have a “Southern” culture? I’m from the South so I don’t mean that in a bad way…just wondering if the vibe is different from women’s colleges in other areas of the country.
I’m a Junior too! So no, I’ve not been admitted. I can recommend some schools though.
If you want a southern culture, may I recommend Berea College in Kentucky? I lived there a few summers ago and have been going on tours there with my school since the sixth grade. It was amazing!
They have days where they serve Cajun food and catfish, which is something I haven’t seen any other college do. The campus is very safe (it’s located in the middle of the town with the hospital literally a five-minute walk from campus and security checkpoints scattered throughout where you can push a button and campus security comes) and not to mention absolutely gorgeous.
All of the buildings are brick and it gives off such a rustic feel that I can’t begin to explain it, while the insides feel modern and updated. The entire campus, at least to me, felt coordinated because all of the buildings share a similar architecture on the outside. Not to mention that most of the campus is populated by flowers native to Kentucky, and seeing rabbits or squirrels while you walk isn’t uncommon. People nearby tend to walk their dogs, and they’re really friendly!
My biggest gripe is that the campus is a tad small (at least when you first see it), and half of the town is actually not seen at first. You have to go down a bit to get to fast food places. But small campuses are pretty common in Kentucky. I highly recommend the school, because it is free. They have a program where if you are admitted, you pay no tuition but you do have to do a work-study. They explain it better than I ever could.
I also recommend Belmont in Nashville. Again, it has an absolutely gorgeous campus and has amazing food. They are larger than Berea and are in the middle of Nashville. From my tour there, I heard students regularly talk about attending school concerts with country stars… Gonna be honest, they talked a lot about the fact that country stars come to their campus. I don’t know where it is at, but the campus was apparently made from an old rich person’s home, and in a spot on campus there are these amazing statues of Greek Gods and Goddesses. If you go on a tour there, see it. It was the highlight of my tour. I also got to eat at one of the campus halls, and the food was amazing.
Thanks so much for taking the time to respond. My daughter actually isn’t looking for southern culture, we’ve lived all over the US and Asia and she doesn’t love the vibe of some southern places - Little Rock for example. Again, no offense, my husband and I are both from the South. That’s why I asked about Agnes Scott, seems like it could be a good fit otherwise. Good luck to you as you explore more. Hopefully someone else will read this and benefit from your helpful descriptions!
Well, I still highly recommend Berea College for literally anyone because of its tuition free premise.
hi!
im a junior at agnes scott and your thread took me back to where i was asking the same questions as you are.
ill be sure to update with more info
im a junior at agnes scott. i hope that this isnt too late since school is starting next month, but hopefully this will be helpful for others searching for information.
the english department is one of the most popular on campus, so you wont be alone in that aspect. every spring, agnes holds a writer’s fest on campus where distinguished scholars and students can submit their work to be featured in the annual published book. there’s also a creative writing contest, too which the winner receives a cash prize and featured publication.
there’s several clubs: poetry, student magazine, hercampus (super active), theater and they were still active even during the pandemic. the clubs tend to meet weekly or biweekly while accommodating everyone’s schedule. there’s a creative writing major, too which a lot of students take up as a minor. the english minor has four concentrations to choose from divided by period, genre, theme, or individual/double authors. this isnt required, but can be helpful if you are interested in a narrower scope of literature.
foreign languages include arabic (new!), german (flagship on campus), spanish, french (what i took), greek and latin, ande japanese. it’s required to take two years of a foreign language but there’s a sub requirement if you decide to take greek/latin (i think it’s one and a half?).
the history department is another common major on campus. i dont know much about this one, but you can choose a concentration i believe.
campus is intimate and tight-knit. sometimes, it feels like a bubble because of the size (>2000 students). there’s something called the agnes scott bubble because while we are located in a metro area, college can feel enclosed (especially if you are into the social justice activism part of agnes). the weather is more sunny, but decatur (atlanta area in general) receives a ton of rain in january - march. this year, it was the most rainy during these days with rain often at night and/or lasting all day for days straight. yet, the way that campus is set up, flooding was not a problem due to most of the walkways being flat, brick areas.
the dorms, first-year dorms are decent. they’re a great size with your own closet, desk, trashcan, and dresser. the closets have a storage shelf above (for first years) and wooden flooring. they’re your average first-year dorms. i lived in avery glen, the apartments about 5 minutes away from campus. that’s where many aim after freshman year, followed by inman (lofts!), campbell (suites with your own bathroom), and rebekah. main is still being renovated as a living space i believe. the bathrooms are kept up, but there will still minor issues (drain flies, clogged drainage, hair). i never went into the bathroom with soap or tissue - housekeeping cleans up each morning and i believe at night, too. the dorms are an upperclassmen are way more up to par for what you pay for. maintenance is pretty much on time, but there were issues with air conditioners and leaks not being fixed.
the food is a hit or miss. fried chicken wednesday is a hit because the food is bomb. mollies is the preferred choice (the grill in alston); they serve falal, rice bowls, philly cheesesteaks, turkey dogs, hamburgers, etc. this is also where the declining balancing snacks are located. they have tv dinners, candies, healthy items (sunflower seeds, nuts, etc.), fruit, etc. for purchase which is where your declining balance comes in. the tv dinners are a bit more than what itd be to purchase off-campus, so itd say to skip on those unless youre super hungry. they have stouffers, TGIF, michael angelo’s, etc.
the food is good, but tiring because it’s the same thing per week. given that (unlike gsu) we dont have catering often or big name restaurants, the food gets tiring (mainly because we are a small school). there are kitchens in the first-year dorms, but they dont have ovens or stoves - that’s reserved for upperclassmen. there’s a microwave provided. keurigs (double check, though) are permitted.
i hope that this helped. feel free to comment if you need more info or clarification 
@SuperBigMusicLover thank you for your comprehensive response to the op’s questions! My D is a rising senior planning to apply to Agnes Scott and this kind of insider information is so valuable!
You’re welcome! Best of luck on your D’s journey, too