Meredith College

Date: May 28 2011
Major: Other (This Major's Salary over time)
I majored in both history and English, which are academically strong departments at Meredith and staffed by some of the most wonderful professors and people you could hope to meet! At the time, we "arts" majors were sometimes a little jealous of the newer facilities and technology that the sciences/math programs received. I attended during the time period when the newest math & science building was built, and Meredith was reprioritizing its budget. The tuition, which hadn't been raised in some time, went up significantly every year I was a student there, which was the main complaint of many of my classmates.

Socially my time at Meredith was very rewarding, and many of the friends I made among my classmates are still my friends today, which I believe is rare. But I think these good friendships had much to do with my participation in the Honors Program—our freshman year, we all lived in the same dorm and had a lot of general education courses together. We also went on special Honors trips to places like Charleston and the NC coast. But many of the non-Honors students living with us became close friends as well, forming a large group that some nicknamed the "Faithful Forty" because we often were the most participatory in the college traditions, student government, and extracurricular activities. Most lived in the dorms near each other all four years. That is rare, I know, and I cannot speak for other students who did not find it so easy to make good friends.

Meredith, like many women's colleges, has unique and quirky traditions that give it flavor—but they are not to everyone's taste. That's okay as long as you know that ahead of time. They're Southern. They're sentimental. Silly. Often loud, full of souvenirs and props and t-shirts. Usually marking some special time in your college career. I found my college years to be more fun with them.

I've come to believe that my choices were the ones that made my college experience so good. I chose to participate in extracurriculars. I chose the Meredith departments with excellent faculty and reputations. I chose to study abroad for a summer with Meredith—which changed me inside and out. I chose to attend Meredith, and I made my time there count. Sure, we all griped and complained when during a heat wave the AC went out in the dorms (which have since been renovated)…but then we had fun sneakily cooling our feet in kiddie pools in the hall parlor and setting up a tent one night in the main courtyard.

If you don't like your college experience at Meredith, I would guess it's because you chose the wrong school. And some women do transfer, which is a good choice for them. Save yourself the hassle, and keep doing your research and make sure it's a place you could choose to be happy in.