We are considering the above schools for my daughter and like parts of each of these (Elon, Furman, Wofford and Rollins) with some concerns for each of these. Any insights to the right amount of friendliness rigor and social life?
Hi Alena22,
In full disclosure, I am a Terrier alum and dad of Son Class of 25. My son looked at both Elon and Wofford and chose Wofford because for him, athletically and socially it was a great fit. He really liked Elon, but had a bit of a more northeastern vibe and was much bigger, but what really broke the tie was the price difference in the two.
At Wofford the greek life is dominant, but almost everyone participates and everyone participates in 2-3 other campus activities. It is a really nice mix. Depending on your geography it can be a little southern of course, only because that is where most of the students are from.
Thank you, My daughter and I like Elon and Wofford the best. We live in NC but I originally hailed from NJ 22 years ago. I like certain things about each. My one fear is the limited number of classes at Wofford- no unique majors like exercise science or communications et. Just the basics but the atmosphere is awesome. Still have more research to do as my daughter is a rising Senior.
My D recently committed to Elon. She got two merit scholarships, including one for a Fellows program. The parents in the Facebook group and from my town are very happy with the school. It is popular for Northeast students and they would like to recruit more from CA, IL, TX and other states. My D is not interested in Greek life and easily found a similar roommate. She will do an outdoor adventure trip to meet other Elon students this summer before starting school. I think the rigor varies, but some of the students we met had impressive jobs lined up after graduation.
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Okay, this a fair point- Elon is going to beat Wofford on specific majors and programs; however, Wofford absolutely will give you the best all around liberal arts education that will lead you into further professional programs.
There are many, and I mean many Wofford graduates who are physicians, psychologists, research Phds, pharmacists, dentists and lawyers. Of those many, a lot have non-traditional majors for their current fields because the Wofford experience makes you extremely flexible due to the rigor and the broad base built from general education requirements.
One last point, personal story I have shared before on other threads. At 19 I was certain I wanted to be DVM. After a couple of classes in political science, biology, economics and philosophy I became a Biology and Government double major. I went on to get my Masters in Environmental Science and I now work in the field of Sustainability. If I had niched too early, I may not have found my true calling. Wofford’s majors allowed me to choose my own adventure, so to speak.
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Appreciate your feedback, I went to Dickinson ( I believe we spoke on another feed) I am an orthodontist and knew that is what I wanted so I was able to just pick my favorite college. My daughter is undecided on study- so I was just curious limited offerings when undecided, not getting to take like: sports management or nutrition etc. if this was a potential problem even though we like the school better
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I’m happy for your daughter. We like it there too.
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My D is finishing her freshman year at Wofford and couldn’t be happier. She has made a great group of friends and has excelled academically. One interesting thing we noted when we were in Spartanburg for Parents Weekend was how many parents that both went to Wake Forest (like us) have children at Wofford. I think it has a similar feel to Wake from 30 years ago.
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so helpful thank you
My son just finished his freshman year at Wofford and had a great experience! Greek life there is a little different than other schools he considered. About 50% of students there are Greek, but the organizations do not have housing. The houses in Wofford’s Greek village are used for meetings and parties, but not as residences. In comparison, members of Greek organizations at Furman usually live on their sorority/fraternity dorm hall during sophomore year.
Also, parties in Wofford’s Greek village are actually open to all students, not just members of the host group and their invited guests. I loved being in a sorority during college and even served as an advisor after graduation, but my son opted not to join a fraternity. He doesn’t feel left out at all because half the campus isn’t Greek. He found other groups to get involved with and there are frequent campus-wide fun events that are are open to all students.
I’ve also noticed that a lot of students at Wofford seem to double major or have a major and one or two minors… often in very different fields… and they still graduate in 4 years! I’ve lived near Furman for most of my life and it’s a great school too.
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I love hearing this. I really loved our visit to Wofford. I am not sure what direction this year will take my daughter. Exciting and stressful at same time. But those 3 on her apply list. Thanks for the feedback
My son is will be a senior at Elon and has been very happy there. We both think Elon is a great school. It does seem to be a good blend of happy and friendly students Rigor varies…there are Fellows programs for a higher level of academic rigor (these are competitive and require an application and interview). My son was an A/B student in high school and the amount of rigor for him (he is not in Fellows) is just right. He has made relationships with professors and has always been happy socially. He is not into Greek life, is a small-friend-group kind of guy and found his people easily. There are plenty of students who are more into Greek life and a more active social life. There are not traditional Greek houses, just a small ‘neighborhood’ of like maybe 6 fraternities where males can live sophomore year only. The Greek students tend to group up in certain apartment buildings. I was a little concerned about the tiny town and getting bored, but 3 years in, no, he’s not bored. He does have a car and goes to Raleigh occasionally for concerns or nearby Burlington for restaurants or shopping. There are plenty of activities on campus for students.
I’ve heard of all the other schools and don’t have anything to offer there; I do know Elon is bigger, enrollment wise, if your D visits both she may have a preference for size.
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