My daughter just toured Elon and loves everything about it except the location. She is really concerned about what there is going on socially and what kids do for fun. What does your current Elon student do on the weekends and for fun? Also, what is the football game day culture like? Is there good school spirit?
This is not a big sports school. Kids do go to basketball and football games (my daughter has even gone to soccer and cross country) but it’s not an ACC/SEC/Big 10 etc school. Nor will you find that atmosphere most game days. I’m going to lie about that LOL.
Kids do things that interest them. Some kids are partying every weekend - usually at an off campus frat or sorority (the on campus houses CANNOT host parties). Non-partiers?They go to things hosted by the Student Union Board - you can follow them on instagram to see what’s going on. There’s a big comm school and performing arts school - my daughter is a cinema and television arts major and is often working on movie sets on weekends. Other kids are perfecting their craft. Honestly, unless you want to go to school in a big city, it’s not that much different from other schools…my son graduated from NC State and not a partier …he DID want a big sports school but other than that kids who don’t drink/drug need to find their people and decide what to do with them.
I have seen Elon described as rural. It is not. Elon and the greater Burlington area are suburban through and through. Burlington and Graham have really cute old-timey downtowns. Everything you could want from big box stores to chain restaurants to pharmacies to major grocery stores to mom and pop shops is within miles of campus. But if your daughter wants urban, it’s not gonna be urban. My take is that these kids are self sufficient when it comes to self entertainment or finding ways to fill their days if they are willing to engage with the campus at large. And resume-building leadership opportunities abound. My daughter is on two exec boards of organizations and has been an orientation leader and will be a orientation team lead this summer.
Where else is your daughter looking?
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She just started her search- visited South Carolina which she loved. Visited Wake and Duke mostly for size/setting comparisons. Wake was too small. Liked the size/setting of Duke. So seems Med-Large is what she wants. She spent all yesterday on Elon’s campus- two hour admissions tour, followed by nursing school tour. Then lunch at the Inn at Elon. She hung out on the green in an Adirondack chair for two hours and talked to several groups of students asking about their experience. She also walked over to the sorority houses and chatted with several girls who were sitting out front in the sun. At 5 pm when they left campus they drove to Burlington to see what is around there. She loves the vibe, the friendliness of the students, knows she will be well supported. Loves the 4:1:4 with the ability to study abroad for 4 weeks…so m any good things about it. But keeps going back to her imagining game days with friends, walking into town to go out, etc., etc. So she has a lot of things to think about. Her brother is heading to Auburn in the fall and she LOVES Auburn- I think she is imagining that kind of vibe socially.
My D does not have a car but has friends with cars so it hasn’t been an issue. Sometimes she goes to concerts, as far as Charlotte, she’s done outdoor activities like hiking and kayaking, grabs meals with friends. She’s a campus tour guide, which keeps her busy and pays pretty well, and enjoys meeting people from around the country. There seem to be a lot of parties and she went to a formal dance. Sometimes she goes to the sports events. The basketball games are not well attended so my husband can see her on TV in the stands. Overall, Elon has been a place where she feels comfortable, made good friends and could shine in the classroom.
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We visited Elon and really loved everything about it, except the location. I had the same concerns but I will say I was impressed…it seems like the school puts a lot of effort into creating on campus activities. My daughter is a dancer and was also very impressed with their dance team, which competes very well at the national level. It’s also a much easier admit than, say, Duke. And they are generous with scholarships. Ultimately decided on a different school but I think my D would have ultimately been happy there. You mentioned that Wake is too small…but aren’t they about the same size?
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I think Wake feels smaller because of the setting- yesterday there were so many students out and about at Elon, on the lawns, playing games, the farmer’s market, etc. I also think that Wake felt smaller because as she described it “felt like I was in a bird sanctuary 
”. Almost too green if that makes sense.
I think location matters. There is no question from a I could access/walk to things every day off campus, Elon is limited. We too had, what I thought was a wonderful experience and it was high up on the list pre visit before my daughter quickly took it off - like before we got back to the car. I was surprised in that she usually would say - let’s go sooner. But maybe because we had a private tour. Very nice school though but if they like U of SC or Auburn, it’s definitely not for them. U of SC was my daughters #2 choice after C of C where she goes as she likes the mid size as well but this was important to her and all her final 4 were surrounded by businesses.
Wake has grass. But my daughter again - her thought was they had parking lots in front of each building (ringing the campus) so to her it was like an office complex (vs. centralized garages, etc.).
THe point is - kids like or don’t like schools for different reasons (sometimes crazy reasons) and Elon is not going to be Auburn or U of SC on a day to day - because at those schools there are countless places to walk to each and every day and that can’t be said about Elon - no matter how beautiful it is.
Other than a small strip, there is nothing right there - and for many, that does matter and that’s ok.
If there are concerns about that, a student shouldn’t choose a school just like others don’t choose certain schools because they have too much going on adjacent (they want quieter or more serene)
Good luck to the student.
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For sports it’s not the same but the games are attended. I’ve only been there on family weekend so it’s hard for me to say. There are usually parties during the day on Saturday.
Greek rush is early spring so kids have time to decide. Sorority rush isn’t super competitive and most get a spot, even if not in their first choice. My D didn’t want to do it but really loves the sisterhood and opportunity for leadership. This is a kid who throws herself into everything and there are plenty of places to do that.
All I can tell you is that most kids are very happy there and super involved. It is helpful to have a car and many do.
If your daughter wants direct admit nursing, it’s a good option. If she’s a junior and loved it, I’d say put it on the list, apply EA, and decide after other decisions come in.
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It’s my understanding that this year for sorority rush there were over 400 girls for 200 or so spots. There were many disappointed young women. I could be off. I’m going based on the parent social media and what my daughter (who did not rush) told me.
I thought of a few more things. My D belongs to a co-ed business fraternity, which taught her a lot of skills like interviewing and they have fun as a group. Elon has many study abroad options and students can go abroad for the short J-term or a semester or year. My D plans to go to Italy and travel around Europe. So there is fun and adventure beyond the campus area!
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From what understand it’s more than 200 spots. The numbers aren’t released. It could also be girls who didn’t get their top choice. My daughter’s had 5 who didn’t accept bids, for example.
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Yes. There are one or two who do not fill their slots. My daughter got an unsolicited email from one about COB, but it was not something she was interested in. She is really busy with other organizations and did not feel she had time.
I also read all the parent Facebook group discussions and I think it was overblown.
Could definitely be. My daughter did not participate so I only know what I read secondhand.
OP, your daughter sounds like she is super engaged so I’m guessing she would do well at Elon, however the vibe is not at all going to be the same as an Auburn or a U of SC. My student is heavily involved in events planning at Elon (full disclosure). She wanted to go AWAY hence UNC and NC State were of no interest to her and whenever we made our way out to Elon we’d always stop along the way so she honestly did not realize how close it was till I took her out there two weeks before classes started freshman year and she was like “WE’RE HERE ALREADY?” lol. She hated U of SC because when she went to visit a group of frat guys drove by in a truck with a confederate flag hanging off it. Immediate no-go for her.
The Greek life thing is going to have to be addressed by Elon if they continue to grow their classes. My daughter doesn’t participate but I know there was a lot of upset this year and Elon basically just tolerates Greek life so they aren’t going to want to become known as a school where rushing and disappointment go hand in hand; this is the first year that’s happened if I understand correctly.
There really isn’t a lot to walk to in Elon besides the little main drag there. There is a bus that will take them to shopping centers. There are couple of bars walking distance and as far as I know all the off campus Greek affiliated houses are walking distance too. My daughter has a car but only one other friend (also from the Raleigh area) does as well.
Good luck with your decision, your daughter sounds like she will find her place wherever she ends up.
Oh, and yes, I was concerned about J term - but the kids love it. It’s a quieter time on campus and most kids use it to get a harder required class out of the way. There are also “bubble classes” taught by the students - this could be anything from coding to crochet. That’s pretty cool.
PS my son hated Wake Forest … he ended up at NC State.
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J term is good for getting through an intense requirement or for study abroad. D took math with a group of first year friends. Or it’s a long break for those who find they need recovery time, like after study abroad or just because.
Thanks this is really helpful. My son really liked NC State and it was a strong contender for him before he chose Auburn. We did not take her to visit since they do not have nursing and wanted her to see a couple smaller schools (why we showed her Wake). I heard about the sorority thing since Elon is a pretty popular school in our NE town. Someone described it as a "bloodbath"this year- yikes. Will be interesting to see where she ultimately ends up applying. She def wants to keep Elon on her list but will one of those things where once she has a list of schools to decide between she will have to consider what she is willing to compromise on. It always reminds me of that show House Hunters where the narrator is like “he wants a mid century modern move-in ready and she wants a traditional colonial she can make her own”. And then they each give up something they thought they had to have Anyway, I guess we will see.
I love so much about Elon; unfortunately, it wasn’t my daughter’s vibe ultimately. With regard to sorority rush I believe that one of the houses (Tri Delt?) on campus has been suspended for the next year or so from recruitment so I wouldn’t expect this next year to be any better. I’m a Big 10 alum and yes it’s often that students don’t get the house they prefer vs. not getting a bid at all. I’ve been so impressed with all the activities Elon posts on Instagram so I’d imagine there would be plenty to do!
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