Furman University

I love Furman and have yet to regret my decision to come here. The students are friendly and the faculty are very accesible(most give you their home phone numbers in addition to regular office hours). Be preapred to work hard if you come, especially during the ridiculously short winter term.

1st Year Female -- Class 2005

Education Quality: A+, Social Life: B

Furman's a good place to be, overall. The faculty (in my experience) is interested, helpful, and approachable; I've never had any serious problems with a professor. The students, by and large, are polite and friendly enough, though there is an element of conservativism (which is lessening as time goes on), particularly as regards religion (and there have been religious tolerance problems). There are a diverse range of groups you can be involved in, and it's not terribly difficult to start a group, if you so desire. The campus is beautiful; just be forewarned that that means leafblowers at 8AM (and, more problematically, during classes). The library is presently being remodeled, and one would hope that the collection will be improved; conducting any in-depth research means ILLing everything. There are a lot of research and internship opportunities, and Furman is very helpful in setting these things up. There's also a strong network for helping people apply for (and, often, receive) non-Furman scholarships, grants, etc. Something prospective students might want to be aware of is that there are no minors offered at Furman; there are concentrations in a few areas (eg, Women's Studies, Asian Studies, classics), and double-majoring is very common. There are a lot of general education requirements, but these are not hard to obtain, and there are lots of options. The advising system is excellent; you'll be receiving close advice from the first time you register for classes. Greenville, the town, is a growing area; it's not a metropolis, but it's not a hole in the wall, either. The downtown features bars, clubs, restaurants, shops, used bookstore, etc and is quite pleasant. Overall, Furman has allowed me to acheive my goals; I'll be doing in the fall what I intended to do when I entered four years ago, which is to be beginning a good grad program.

4th Year Female -- Class 2002

Friendliness: A+, University Resource Use/ spending: B-