<p>How is the work load at Furman?<br>
Does it have the reputation of extra work?</p>
<p>Both my daughters attended (one is still attending) Furman. Older D majored in Political Science, and the other is a Bio major, pre-med. So very different majors. They both feel Furman is very challenging academically, but I wouldn’t say there is “extra” work. You do have to study a good bit to do well. Both my Ds were dismayed that their friends were making 4.0s in the large state schools, and a 4.0 is hard to come by at Furman. When my older D graduated, in a class of 600+ there were only 4 students who earned a 4.0. But there is a difference in sitting in a Bio class of 400 students and taking a multiple choice tests by clicker and sitting in a bio class of 25 and having to explain biological processes in discussion questions on tests. They both feel even though it is hard, they got/are getting a great education at Furman.</p>
<p>The workload is described at best as “challenging” and at worse as “brutal”. The word “impossible” gets tossed around quite a bit during midterms and finals. Furman was ranked 2nd most rigorous college in the nation last year and it was a well earned honor. This is the worst possible place for an underachiever or slacker. However, a great place for the overachiever and student looking for a challenge.</p>
<p>dheldreth offers a great perspective on Furman and I “ditto” BobbyCT’s entry. Our S and D just graduated in May, They were use to substantial work from private prep school in HS, but both will say nothing ( I still doubt that a little) will prepare a student for life at a rigorous college. Watching 2 different children with different styles of studying, etc., my counsel is be extremely organized, take advantage of professor’s office hours, and create networks of fellow students in most challenging classes for study groups. I definitely agree with the ranking of second most rigorous school in the country. The sciences are very tough ( all programs in that area have an excellent repurtation), so my advice is not to overload with other difficult classes ( per individual) when you have a science in your schedule. ( Unless you are a science major). 4.0 GPA’s are hard to come by. However, to give a little balance and perspective our DD spent 2 fall semesters at Georgia Tech ( known for difficulty around the country). She managed a 4.0 one semester and cumulative GPA at Tech is 3.8. She finished at Furman with a 3.6 GPA. BTW, her professors at GT were very impressed with her writing skills-to which I laud Furman. Furman provides a great education for a motivated student.</p>
<p>Thanks, challenging is fine. I have one child at Davidson and understand that. The second child is a solid B student and learns better from an interactive environment than from lots of memory work.</p>
<p>Caden, my D chose Furman for that exact reason, she learns better in an interactive, discussion based environment as opposed to lecture based. However, there is still a lot of memorization required for the exams. If you get the opportunity, I would highly recommend sitting in on a class. It is eye opening. Good luck to you!</p>