With a spring-fed lake, golf course and miles of paved woodland trails, Furman University has a peaceful gated-community feel — conducive, administrators hope, to what they and students both describe as a rigorous academic experience.
“It’s hard. Get ready to work. But it’s worth it,” says student body president Brian Boda, a senior from Marietta, Georgia, majoring in political science.
A student-faculty ratio of 11-to-1 keeps average class size to 19 and fosters close relationships between students and professors, students say.
“There’s no handholding,” says Boda, but professors are supportive. He was especially impressed that one of his political science professors spent hours helping him hone a personal statement for a grad school application last semester.
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Health sciences, political science and business administration are the most popular of 45 majors, and the music program is particularly well-regarded. Among its alumni is Boston Pops conductor Keith Lockhart.
Though Furman has only two graduate programs, in education and chemistry, research opportunities with faculty abound. Undergrads are “the primary collaborators,” says Brad Pochard, associate vice president for admission. “When they leave here, they have grad-level research experience.”
Six years ago, the school launched an annual “engage day,” during which students present research across campus, with topics ranging from population control policies of China and India to the significance of the millennial vote.
Internships are strongly encouraged: Some 68 percent of students now complete at least one at partnering institutions such as Greenville Hospital System, the accounting firm KPMG in Atlanta, and the U.S. Trade and Development Agency in Washington. The goal is 100 percent.
About a quarter of students are from South Carolina and two-thirds are from the Southeast. Pochard says that 15 to 18 percent of the population is considered “nonwhite,” including international students; but to some, at least, the campus seems too homogeneous and affluent.
“I wish it was more diverse,” says health sciences major Melanie Brannon, a junior from Roswell, Georgia.
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A taste of the wider world is provided by the location on the edge of Greenville, a city of 61,000 noted for its lively downtown and arts and music scene. Thanks to the nearby North American headquarters of French tire manufacturer Michelin and German carmaker BMW, the former textile hub has a thriving international community.
Furman fields 20 NCAA Division I teams, and club teams in rugby and cycling are known for being extremely competitive. The region is rich in outdoor recreation, including kayaking, skiing, rock climbing and biking.
More than 150 organizations offer the possibility to get active, the most popular of which is the Heller Service Corps, a volunteer organization that involves some 1,800 students a year with 50 partners; they do everything from host a Valentine’s dance for adults with special needs to volunteer at animal shelters.
A big attraction, says programming director Deanna Heine, a senior from Carrollton, Georgia, is that volunteering gets students “out of the Furman bubble.”
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— University of South Carolina
This story is excerpted from the U.S. News “Best Colleges 2015” guidebook, which features in-depth articles, rankings and data.
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South Carolina College Road Trip: Furman University originally appeared on usnews.com