I’m looking at schools in the Southeast (Wake, William & Mary, Washington & Lee, U of Richmond, UVA, UNC, Davidson, Furman, Emory), and out of all these schools, Furman is the one school I can’t figure out. When I look at the school, it just looks flat out awesome. Fantastic location, super cool city, super solid academics, great at getting kids into grad schools, nice size.
But I’m still just not sure whether it is on par with the other schools on my list, or whether it is a cut below. If you are looking to go to med school, law school, or get your MBA, would, say, a 3.7GPA carry as much weight as 3.7GPA at the other schools on my list? And is Furman’s rep on par with the other schools in the Southeast (say, in Atlanta, Charlotte, Nashville, Raleigh/Durham)? One thing that stands out is that Furman grads seem to make a lot less post-graduation than grads of the other schools. What’s up with that?
I know these are tough question to answer, but Furman seem like such a cool school but I don’t want to limit my options by going there over one of the other schools on my list. Money is not a factor for me, thankfully.
In my opinion, Furman is a great school if you want a small LAC in the south. It is less competitive than the others on your list but getting a degree from there shouldn’t limit you in any way.
Plus, every student should have a mix of competitiveness on the college application list.
I don’t know that reputation is everything, but Furman around here at least is on the same list for the kids who apply to Elon, College of Charleston, Sewanee etc. It does seem to be gaining in popularity (along with the other southern schools mentioned). So a little less selective than the ones you listed. But people choose schools for all sorts of reasons and you can certainly get a great education at a less selective school. My daughter’s college counselor really wanted her to apply there but she wanted a school with more of a small town vs suburban location (although we never even visited so I could be off on that.)
OP: Among the nine schools listed in your original post, Furman University is the one that is most unlike the 8 other schools.
I have not visited Furman recently, but I used to visit the campus several times a year. A few decades ago, I would have shared that Furman shares similarities with Davidson College–but Davidson has moved on and expanded beyond being a regional, Christian, conservative school.
I like Furman. Some aspects socially & administratively (such as class attendance) resemble high school rather than a university and the typical expansion of freedom and responsibility. This is not necessarily a bad thing–just different. Furman still seems to have the big man on campus type atmosphere due to serious athletics and a fairly small, conservative student body. In short, a visit to Furman University while school is in session would be a wise investment of your time & effort.
I think of Furman’s closest academic peers being LACs like, say Sewanee, Rhodes, or Centre College. You don’t necessarily have to see it this way, nor order your preferences this way even if you do, but I would put Richmond and Washington and Lee into a different academic peer group, and then Davidson another still.
Comparing LACs and research universities is always problematic, but I’d say the closest to an academic peer on your list is probably Wake. The rest I would see as more equivalent to one of the other LACs you mentioned (exactly which depending on the university).
I note William & Mary is also a bit of an odd duck (in a good way for some kids). I’m not sure I would really be inclined to strongly associate it with any of those other schools. Honestly to me it sort of feels like a university equivalent of like a Macalester or Kenyon or such, and university-wise I tend to think of it as sorta like Tufts.
Furman is a notch below the others, has great merit aid…and as far as getting into grad school (law, business, med), the where won’t matter - but Furman will be superb.
As for business, you won’t go straight through or you’re wasting an opportunity for career pivot and /or earnings gains. You’ll work at least two years first.
For a 3.7, Furman is an outstanding choice. And you’ll have every opportunity to end up at the same place as the others grad school wise.
Agree with all of this post. My S25 is looking at many of the schools in the OP’s post. He’s a strong student and has Richmond, Wake, & W&L as reaches while Furman is more of a match and Elon a safety. He didn’t care for William and Mary. It really is very different that the others on this list.
There’s a post that refers to Furman as regional and Christian and that is not how I would describe it. US News ranks it in the top 50 Liberal Arts colleges and Furman has been secular for 30 years.
Greenville SC is very conservative too. If you are conservative it could be a good choice. I always think of Furman and Wofford together
(BTW @Publisher Davidson has always had a strong academic rep and not a conservative Christian vibe. Not sure where you got that idea. I know tons of alums and am related to some. )
Two decades ago and especially prior to that time, Davidson College offered scholarships for those interested in the ministry. After speaking with several folks in Davidson College admissions, it was shared that Davidson was trying to move away from that image/rep and that “sigh we do have many of those types here.” Noticeable segment/presence of preacher types/judgmental/holier than thou, but no longer evident.
Agree that Davidson College has always been known for strong academics.
P.S. A conservative publication “Choosing The Right College” recommended Davidson & Barron’s Guide To The Most Competitive Colleges Third Edition (2003) noted that many Davidson College graduates pursued the ministry as a profession.
In 2005, the Board of Directors voted 31-5 to allow 20% of the Davidson College board to be “non-Christian”. In protest, a member of the Belk family resigned from the board after 6 decades of affiliation.
While not typically regarded quite as highly as the other schools you mentioned, Furman nonetheless is a quality school.
UWN&WR is not the sole judge of quality, but I figure that if a school is top-100 (at least…) on their U or LAC list, it can be presumed to be a quality school… and Furman cracks their top 50 for LACs. So if I loved Furman, I’d have no qualms choosing it over any of the others. It’s more than adequate.
And in a world where high-stat kids are applying to 20 reaches, two safeties, and having a hard time finding true matches due to yield protection… I think Furman is a school that represents a true match for those kids.
Entering the ministry as a profession does not necessarily mean that one is judgmental/holier than thou. Those types of people don’t make good ministers. The very word minister means “1) to function as a minister of religion and 2) to give aid or service,” per Merriam-Webster. If you’re ministering to people, you’re feeding the hungry, visiting the ill, infirm, or incarcerated, you’re providing a listening ear to those who need one, you’re trying to combat injustices in the world, and you are deliberate about creating a space and message where you tell people that no matter who they are or what they think about themselves, that they are loved by God.
Just last week, in fact, the United Methodist Church changed/removed language from their policies that was harmful toward LGBTQ individuals. Thus, painting anyone who is interested in going into the ministry as conservative/judgmental/holier than thou can be really quite inaccurate.
And here’s Davidson’s message about its religious affiliation with PC-USA (source):
As a college that maintains an affiliation with the Presbyterian Church (USA), Davidson values the dignity and worth of all people. College governance, finances and policies are independent of the denomination. Because of its Presbyterian heritage, Davidson is committed to academic excellence and unfettered intellectual inquiry, respect for every religious and philosophical tradition and worldview, civic engagement and leadership for the common good and solidarity with people of all ethnicities, nationalities, sexual orientations and gender identities.
Absolutely. When people complain Target/Matches don’t exist anymore, I think this is exactly the sort of excellent college they seem to be overlooking. Not that Furman specifically is right for everyone, but I think there are equivalents to Furman in all the major categories of college, at least as long as you are flexible about location.
I’m telling you I am in tight with a group of Davidson alums and they are some of the most liberal and least conservative folks I know. One of them is religious and most of them are flaming atheists and Democrats and socialists. I have two relatives that went there and know a kid who is there now. It’s not the most liberal school in the country but it’s a far cry from conservative. In the 80s Davidson students joined the protests against apartheid by building a shanty town on campus. I don’t think that is Furman’s vibe. I think Wake Forest is also more conservative and business-oriented than Davidson which is a real LAC.
I had a really unpleasant interaction with anti-masker Covid conspiracy nuts in Greenville and won’t go back there. Furman is too close to Greenville for me. I’d take Davidson any day.
Agree that there is a significant difference today between Furman & Davidson that was much less so prior to the very early 2000s.
P.S. @Sweetgum : As I do not want to veer too much off-topic, I prefer not to debate the presence of conservativism at Furman or Davidson any further. I understand your position.
I disagree with your agreement. Davidson has never been as conservative as Furman. Davidson is a true liberal arts school. How many folks do you know who went to Davidson? I probably know 20-30. Definitely a small number compared to overall grad numbers but none of them has ever talked about it having a conservative or religious vibe.
South Carolina and especially the Greenville Spartanburg area is much more conservative overall than North Carolina. NC is purple, has a Democratic Governor. Charlotte is pretty liberal. Greenville is very conservative. It’s home to Bob Jones University after all.
I’ve seen lot of posts where the kids have it down to Richmond and Furman. Having a really hard time figuring out what makes Richmond more special than Furman, especially if you are looking at an extra $160,000 over 4 years at Richmond.
RIchmond is known for business and has a Leadership Program - but are either worth another $160K over Furman - which also has a B School program.?
Only if you think so.
But to me, while Richmond has a higher rank, it’s 6 and a half dozen one way or another - other than it’s bigger, likely preppier, and more Northeast in demographic.
Often times, we’ll debate $160K of an Ivy over a flagship, etc. but there’s really not differential here - IMHO.