bettzke

Hi all:

D is a current senior, looking to apply EA to Elon. Before she does, we were wondering:

How are you enjoying Elon? Is it what you expected when you applied? What's better? What's worse?

Thanks for any help you can give!

DougBetsy

Subscribing.

Lafalum84

Dougbetsy, we meet again, ha ha. Also subscribing.

Elonmom2011

I don't know how many current students read these threads but my son just started his junior year at Elon and I'll let you know what he has said to me. He was really melancholy getting ready to go back to Elon this year. I asked why and he said he was sad that he only had two more years at school and then he had to leave. He absolutely loves Elon and it has exceeded his expectations. He was one of those kids that visited many schools but fell in love with Elon when he visited and it was, far and away, his first choice school. We have had many discussions about his experiences there because my two children chose such different schools and I am always interested in how students find their perfect school. My daughter chose a huge OOS flagship school and loved having 200 people in a class. My son loves the fact that there are fewer than 20 people in each of his classes and he knows the professors well and they know him well. My daughter loves being anonymous and my son loves being known. You just have to find the right fit for you. My son feels that Elon gives you the opportunity to not only learn from your professor in class but you can meet with them outside of class and learn more. My son has had dinner at one of his professors houses to meet some of her colleagues because she knew he was interested in their field. He loves that he can call his professors at home because they all give out their home phone numbers. He loves that he can see them on campus and they know his name. He has found his classes to be academically challenging but feels that he is learning how to navigate the work force that he will graduate into. He feels that all of his professors are interested in him succeeding in their classes but also that they are interested in him as a person and want to help him achieve his goals. Socially, he has met great friends that will be life-long friends. He joined a fraternity and loves the social opportunites that provides. Overall, i would say that I have a very happy son who will always be thankful to the Elon experience for enriching his life.

1 Sky Pilot

Hi,

I have been a Elon freshman for less than three weeks now. I looked at tons of schools and I had the hardest time making up my mind but I settled on Elon because 1) the money is reasonable, 2) the campus is beautiful, and 3) it is more of a "caring" environment than other school (easier transition, etc.). For the longest time I wasn't sure that I had made the right choice.

Now three weeks in, I am really happy with my decision. Great dorm room, great roommate, great hall, great hallmates (hall bonding too!), great food, great professors, great performances/cultural events, lovely fountains...the list goes on and on. I think this is the happiest that I've been in a while .

I'm perfectly at ease with being myself too, which is important to me. And though there is definitely a Greek/party scene here, it's really only *there* for the people who want it. My friends and I find other stuff to do .

I laugh to myself every time I think that I was almost going to shovel out 50K/year for a few other schools that I looked at. Elon trumps them all!

Rex212

As a current freshmen, I can say without hesitation, I have never been happier. Because I am from a huge city and I am the opposite of the "Elon mold" (preppy, vineyard vines, etc.) , I was a bit anxious about my decision. Though 3 weeks in I have already found my core group of friends (which is always expanding).

The classes are extremely challenging and interesting, but none of it is "busy work", and all of it serves a purpose. Further more, because of the small class sizes, all the professors know our names, making the learning process extremely easier.

Though I currently live in Danieley Center, I have been to all the dorms on campus, and I can say that all the dorms are extremely nice. Having spoke to tons of people all over campus, the general consensus is that everyone loves where they live and who they live with. Admittedly, it would be naive to believe this is the case across campus.

Other tidbits:
-Campus is really incredible. Pictures don't do it justice. I'm amazed at the quality of the campus staff's work. Additionally, all of the staff are incredibly helpful and nice. Just by striking up a conversation while checking out at various checkouts (or wherever), it is easy to be engaged.
-As someone who was on the lower end (as far as GPA), I have found the transition (so far) to be incredibly smooth. I know the work has yet to pick up, but I am confident with the correct work ethic, that I am certainly going to be able to achieve my academic potential.

I could go on about what makes Elon as great it is, but I think I could help better by answering individual/specific questions. Y'all can either PM me or just post in this Elon forum and I will see it and respond.

pixeljig

Hi A parent here! What are some of the known majors?

Have you heard anything or know anyone in the Comp Sc or Math dept? Thanks.

grantb

My first year and a half were great. After that I began to get bored with the social activities and culture, or rather the lack of. If that's important to you, I recommend looking elsewhere.
The academics are top of the line...once you get into your major. Unfortunetely I found that the General Education requirements were not challenging or all that interesting. It was mostly students just trying to pass so they didn't have to take it again. In specific majors, students are more driven to succeed and more focused, allowing the professors to expect more and the classes becoming more interesting.
Just my two cents.

rodney

dougbetsy, lafalum....I'm here too.....subscribing...keep it coming

3boymom

I've had boys at Elon over the years. They don't blog CC --- just don't have the interest or motivation --- so I am going to chime in. I can say without reservation that hopes and dreams which they never imagined started crystallizing at Elon, and they have clearly enjoyed the process of self discovery. I think that they would attest to the fact that each year's successes as well as setbacks provided reference points for the year that followed. Not everyone's experiences are the same, but here are things they did which seem for them to have made a difference in getting the most out of their time at Elon...

- Freshmen: like yourself for who you are, enjoy orientation, be flexible – nothing is perfect, be friendly and make friends doing goofy stuff, commit to making grades, learn to manage time, get things done, find ways to validate who you are, join groups (campus rec, greeklife, sports, church, band, theater, cultural events, guest speakers, etc.) to find your people, take responsibility for not isolating yourself, be a doer

- Sophomore: celebrate friendships and be creative in finding things to do with your friends, be selective about where you invest your energy and your time, take risks expressing yourself in class, initiate communication with professors, commit to a major, travel, be a giver

- Junior: notice how far you've come by observing Freshman , enjoy the struggle of challenging coursework as you get deeper into your major, look for a research opportunity, learn to network and collaborate with others in your major, observe that Seniors start to withdraw in the spring and leave you to take the lead in groups you associate with, look for a summer internship

- Senior: be a leader, mentor underclassmen, find a co-op or internship, look back with sentiment and look forward with confidence

Oh, and be certain to expect more than a few setbacks... missed deadlines, social life drama, failed friendships, perhaps an unfortunate encounter with the authorities, hopefully nothing too scandalous... and learn you will know better the next time.

bettzke

Thanks for all of your replies! It's good to be able to learn of real-life experience during this process.

Lafalum84

3boymom, your advice is great for students at any college, I will pass it along to my D