Help, what is the vibe/difference between Mercer v Furman v Berry

We visited both Berry and Furman last year. Berry is a large campus but the main area (not the “castle” you see in the pictures) we found to be not in the greatest condition. The campus had a local feel to me that might be hard for a kid who’s been living overseas. The AO doing the info session asked everyone where they went to high school, as in which particular high school, and everyone was from Georgia. Our tour guide emphasized that he only went home once or twice a month. We’re from the PNW, so not a fit for our daughter.

Furman, on the other hand, we all quite liked. I did not get a conservative Christian vibe at all from the school, our tour guide was a Black sophomore man and he had quite extravagant earrings on that would not have vibed with an overly conservative campus. And he loved Furman. The campus is beautiful and Greenville is a cool town. My (half-Asian) daughter applied and while I’m not sure it’s her top pick, that’s mostly due to her major and that it’s pretty difficult to get to from Portland, OR.

We also looked at Wofford, which was just too southern for my west coast kid. A nice school though and lovely people in the admissions office.

I’m a W&L alum. It’s a fabulous school, but if your daughter didn’t like Davidson or Sewanee, she might not like W&L. But I’d give it a try if you’re in the area, it really is a wonderful place.

Best of luck!

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