Why should I choose F&M?

<p>With the high price-tag and minimal financial aid offered to me at F&M, I would like some help deciding why I should choose F&M over similar schools with more aid. I have heard only great reviews of the school, so are there other points of view out there?</p>

<p>What other schools have you applied to? It is a great school but if you applied to comparable schools and got in and they give more aid you would still receive a great education.</p>

<p>Question: on F and M's site they say they accept students with SAT scores between 620 - 700..I say no way. Most of the students I know who are going to F and M or were accepted were C+ students with SAT's around high 400s or love 500s...why do all these colleges inflate their requirements. F and M is a great school for kids who are average and what's wrong with that??</p>

<p>dazed and confused</p>

<p>2wavelength: huh? anyway, F&M is SAT optional; it is possible they only report the SAT scores of the people who submit them for admissions (unlike Muhlenberg who even if you are admitted w/o SAT, request you to submit upon matriculation).....</p>

<p>as for the C+ students with 400's and 500's.......if only in my dreams.......are "most of the students you know" out of competitive private schools who applied ED and are full pay this year? that could explain the discrepency......</p>

<p>No the students I know are public school kids with C+/B- grades. WHy would someone with 620 - 700 on their SATs apply to F and M??? I guess as a safety school. My real question is I truly believe all these schools inflate the SAT requirements and take kids with much lower SATs. What is the reason for their inflation??? Is it they don't want to post they take kids with C grades and 400 - 500 SATs?? I have no problem with F and M, my antagonism is why is it so many schools state an average SAT requirement of 600 - 700, yet most of their student body have scored way below that.</p>

<p>Hi. A mom here. Wavelength, you are talking about the tip of a much bigger problem which is that the entire system is broken...this year in particular. There are very few schools out there that don't play games with their numbers for the coveted spots they achieve in US News, Princeton guide and others. It is part of the "Big Dirty Secret" as I have heard it called by some friends in the industry. This year was a particular mess. Check out BCs numbers. They are all over the place. My daughter would have been 4th generation legacy at Dartmouth...and DID NOT GET IN... Her SATs were low 700s and her application was steller. She even had a letter of recomendation fromthe Gov. and a former President of the US.
If F&M is a choice for you, at this point, you need to put the stats aside, visit and breath the air. Talk to other accepted students and see how they connect the dots in conversation. Are they intelligent? What do they talk about? Are they "common" vibrant or asleep? That, plus any unique characteristics about program or facilities is what you should use to make up your mind. Good Luck! PS: I have three masters degrees from foreign universities, speak several languages and am retired at 48. My SAT scores (back in the day) were in the high 500s. ; ) SAT scores tell very little. That is why schools like Bowdoin and PC have gone optional and are studying their student body instead...</p>

<p>Actually F and M is not even a choice for me, just that I have heard a lot about it in recent days, did some research and was questioning their statistics and info.
My question is every school you look at states that they require 600 - 700 SATs, yet I know people attending those schools with much lower SATs. I also truly believe that most schools do not even read your essays or look at EC (extra curriculars) unless you hit a bar in your gpa and SATs, so there goes the theory of looking at 'the whole person'. My mom who is a professor at a large very prestigious eastern university knows they don't read the entire application and looks at the gpa and SATs and if you past muster there, then they proceed with the rest of the application. Also, what if you are a kid with a sold 3.5 gpa, 600s on your SATs done some sports, clubs, community service...that seems to be 'not good enough' everyone has to be stellar and stand out....well some of us are 'just average folks' who work hard, care about the world, yet aren't the captains of the teams...!!</p>

<p>My d was accepted to F&M. She did not submit her SAT/ACT scores. In fact, F&M's admission officer for our region personally emailed my d to let her know that after reading thru her application & essay (my d knows it was read bec. the officer had some very nice, specific comments on what she wrote), that my dwould be a good candidate based on her app & essay & by opting out of submitting her SATs.</p>

<p>I truly believe the smaller liberal arts schools do take the time to read thru the apps & essays (multiple times by multiple people in admissions), versus the large universities, which have to rely on the numbers by sheer necessity.</p>

<p>Oh, and my d applied just regular decision to F&M, and her experience with F&M was typical for the small LACs that she applied to.</p>

<p>irvinemom -- By any chance, did your daughter not request financial aid? </p>

<p>Regardless, congratulations on her acceptance. Based on recent history, only about 30% of this year's class will have come via the RD route.</p>

<p>Check out the data for yourself here: Franklin</a> & Marshall - Institutional Research
F & M's claim seems quite legit. Granted, only 59% of the matriculants submitted SAT scores, but their middle 50% ranges were:
CR- 600-690
M - 670 -700</p>

<p>hudsonvalley51: My d indeed requested financial aid -- in fact she requested finaid for all of her schools and I don't believe that harmed her chances in the least. She definitely applied to schools in which she researched and truly loved because of "the fit" for her, and I believe this showed thru in her app & essays (i.e., she showed her love for the school) -- and I believe this is what helped her get accepted, financial aid needs or not. (Of course, she has had her share of rejections too!)</p>

<p>The data F&M publishes in their CDS is consistent with the data from our HS. Naviance says that the average of the 10 students accepted from our HS at F&M in the past several years was an SAT score of 1299 (M+CR) and a 3.64 GPA. The lowest SAT of an accepted applicant was 1180.</p>

<p>Could someone possibly speak to F&M's English/literature/writing, psychology and history offerings? It seems that F&M is more known for their pre-professional programs for law, business and medicine. But I'm curious how strong are their liberal arts classes & profs in these other areas?</p>

<p>Also, could someone possibly comment on their study-abroad opportunities? Is this something fairly common at F&M?</p>

<p>Thank you!</p>

<p>^I would also be very interested in any feedback regarding English/Creative Writing/Psychology and participation in the Study Abroad program. (D2, a HS junior, is very interested in F&M.)</p>

<p>Wavelength... You are correct and have a right to feel the way you do. You mom is accurate. We are in the northeast too with many friends and business assoc. in this crazy business. This year, most popular label schools did not have time to look at any "whole" applicant... although I will say, F&M did and they should be applauded for that. We received a handwritten letter from my Ds reader because of the unique pieces to her application and the reader summarized my daughters character to a "T." No, it was not a letter that just complemented my D...it was accurate and guessed at her shortcomings as well. I appreciated the thought. She was ultimately accepted RD. We are quite certain, based on the the information from 10 area high schools that most of the popular New England/Ivy and others did not look at the applicant until after the GPA/SAT/Rank cut. Which is absurd. Rank tells nothing. In fact, Harvard does not consider rank because they know that some schools have many students who are ranked as number 1. This year, AOs had limited time and resources. The sad thing is that the incoming class will be affected by this...and many solid applicant will find a better home.
You should be frustrated...yet...there are plenty of colleges out there that are still in need of students where you will find an even better education, more professors interested in "teaching" and students who are eager to learn. Have you read the old Time magazine article "Why Harvard"... It sums it up nicely. When you are done reading that head over to the Colleges That Change Lives website. Loren Pope (may he rest in peace) is right on the money!</p>

<p>I am a student at F&M. First of all, lots of schools play the numbers game in order to increase their profile. But the 600-700 scores are the 25th-75th percentile of those who submitted SAT scores, not a requirement. I would say that a vast majority of the students at F&M are quite intelligent, had good SAT scores, and did well in high school. Of course, every school, even Ivy League schools may sometimes bend the rules for athletes, legacies, and those with other talents. However, I don't think your anecdotal stories are evidence of the student body as a whole. I had a 1410/1600, 2100/2400 on my SATs, I was a pretty good (A- unweighted, A weighted) student at a pretty good public high school. And I applied ED. Plus, F&M grads have a pretty good track record for success. The all important SEC chair is an alum. Forbes, which ranks schools based on graduate success ranks F&M 35th out of all universities and colleges (ahead of the likes of Cornell). Would I say that F&M is at the top of the top-tier liberal arts schools? No. But it is a very good school with a pretty impressive student body. And I would rather that student body be heterogenous (well-rounded), and not homogenous.</p>

<p>Very well stated fnm11. That in and of itself attests to the quality of the F&M education.</p>

<p>Well said...I would like to know where the all and knowing 2wave is going to school...</p>

<p>"Can anyone give me feedback on Univ. of Colorado Boulder. I love it, but also have been accepted to U. of Vemont, College of Charleston and Providence College."</p>

<p>Very well said! My son was accepted ED to F&M and we are positively thrilled! Right now we are thirsty for any information we can get about what to expect in the coming weeks and months. We are new to this website and just learning how to navigate thru it all, but would welcome any comments about the wonderful world of Franklin and Marshall!</p>

<p>Hi Gasdoc,</p>

<p>Have you been to Providence? Any thoughts?
We visited this summer...and I could comment if you would like?</p>