Elon University

Date: Apr 29 2013
Major: Psychology (This Major's Salary over time)
The quality of life at Elon is unbeatable. I have visited a lot of colleges, and the campus outdoes just about every single other college's. You'll have to visit to see what I mean. The weather is also perfect for someone who likes seasons, but prefers warmth. There seem to be more dinning halls and more smaller retail locations with more quality options here than any where else as well. I never got sick of the food. The housing too is amazing. Danieley and Colonades are unbelievably nice housing for freshmen, and it only gets better as you start to move into places like the Oaks and Mill Point Station.

The academics I experienced were awesome too. There was lots of hands on work and interesting discussions. My professors were all accessible and willing to go the extra mile for their students. I did even go out for tea with one professor, and was invited with my class to another's house for a movie and homemade baklava! The biggest class I had was intro to psych with probably 35 students. My smallest classes was a philosophy elective with about 10 students. In particular I CANNOT recommend the HUMAN SERVICE STUDIES department enough. The faculty is absolutely amazing, and the program is very unique and immersive. If you are interested in helping people as a future career I highly recommend you look into it. Also if you are interested in helping people, I highly recommend looking into PERICLEAN SCHOLARS. My advisor and those who I worked with in the career center were also always very very nice and high invested in my success. Some of my classes were easier than I would have liked, but I feel as though I gained something from every class.

The study abroad is great between all the options to go abroad for a semester or for winter terms or both! They are very flexible and you can pretty much study abroad as much as you want. If you take enough hours of conversational spanish classes they buy you a plane ticket to spain too!

The opportunities at Elon are completely amazing, as are the facilities in every regard. You should also check out the Center for Leadership programs.

HOWEVER, ALL OF THAT BEING SAID, I am transferring next year. This is why:

Student body: While the student body is generally friendly, they for the most part were also very normal and "cookie cutter." It was not appreciated if you are the quirky, creative type. I found this very boring and stifling because my favorite people are those who are a little off-beat and different. Pretty much everyone dresses really well everyday (typically very preppy) which is annoying when you just want to go to class in sweatpants and a tee shirt. Most people are pretty apathetic about world-issues, and many are shallow and self-absorbed. I did feel challenged or inspired by most of my peers, which I think is a very important part of college. Wealth is definitely extremely prevalent.

There are some very awesome people at Elon as well, but they are definitely the minority and do not have the dominating presence on campus. You can be happy at Elon if you are part that minority, but usually those people at one point or another at least consider transferring.

Greek life: even though less than half of the school is greek, it is a VERY strong force on campus. It is very high school especially between sororities the way there is a clear hierarchy. People definitely view you differently based on the letters sewn on your shirts and bags. Greek life is pretty much social life. The university does it's best to provide things to do but those who are in Greek life definitely have a lot more to do than people who are not. Because Elon is a really small town Frat parties are pretty much the only thing anyone ever does on the weekends. They are kind of fun?but also kind of not. If you love pretty gross dance parties and slightly douchey people then you might enjoy them. For me though, they got VERY old.

North Carolina: I am from New Hampshire. I did not think North Carolina would be that different, especially being in a school that is made up of a lot of northerners. However, it definitely did have a different vibe, the people had a different air, and there were definitely more republicans than I was used to. I have talked with many other people who went far away from home for college only to realize that they love where they are from and transfer back closer to home. I also did not think that not being able to come home other than for winter break and summer would be a problem, but it is certainly something that was more stressful and depressing than I ever thought. I suggest that you really consider these things when looking at schools, and realize that a school in your hometown region may make the most sense for you.