<p>But with an open mind.</p>
<p>You are intelligent enough to realize that the only purpose to this series of “guide books” is profit for the publisher. So many other forums and sites frequently debunk the value of this series of books. My husband and I visited my D at campus earlier this week, and we saw a copy of this book in the book store. Looked through it and laughed, tisked, and scowled at just about every remark…according to her, none of it bore much resemblance to her experience with the campus. Asked some other friends to look through it, and they had similar responses; very little applied.</p>
<p>Remember that the students who respond to requests to participate in such surveys may not be totally representative of the campus. Have you looked at the information for many of the other “popular” schools in this series? For example, Duke certainly gets low marks in many areas, and so does Dartmouth in many categories, and most people find these schools terrific. So, I certainly wouldn’t place much credence in this series. </p>
<p>All that said, I am confused as to why you keep posting on Furman threads when it is obvious you have already decided you would never seriously consider Furman for your daughter bacause of your concerns. Have you talked with any students at Furman of African-American heritage to gain their experiences, if that is information that would help you? Perhaps admissions could help find someone who will candidly answer any questions you may have. If you are looking for students here to engage in a debate with you, most of them are just too busy. And a couple have already tried, but I suspect that no one will be able to dissuade you from your perceptions (or, more correctly, your assumptions) about Furman, and this is not unkindly or meant. It’s OK for you to decide that Furman is not the school for your D; perhaps it is time to just move on to other schools in your search and focus your energies there as a better strategy in your college search. Good luck in helping your daughter find her ideal choice next year:)</p>
<p>P.S. As for dressing for class, I really laugh at that one. My D gets up 5 minutes before she has to leave for class, barely combs her hair and usually wears no makeup. And from what I’ve seen, “dressing” up may mean a less shabby pair of jeans (perhaps a designer label fopr a very few) worn with the t-shirt or sweatshirt choice of the day. The students look just like kids on every other American campus; really, really the same everywhere… collegiate homogeneity of fashion! I suspect the info in these guides is WAAAAY out of date.</p>