On the Road Again – Elon University – This leading liberal arts university is located on a stunning campus, 45 minutes from Raleigh/Durham, 2.5 hours from the mountains and three hours from the beach. The 6300 undergrads enjoy Division 1 sports, Greek life and community service. With classes capped at 33, students get a lot of individualized attention and opportunities to participate in class discussions. Here are some other highlights:
Elon Experiences: Experiential learning underpins Elon’s philosophy toward education with the five Elon Experiences – research, internships, leadership, study abroad, and service learning. Students must complete two of the five Elon Experiences to graduate. Close to 90% of students participate in community service including locally in the town of Elon. An optional experiential learning summer program for freshman ranges from high adventure outdoor fun to rewarding volunteer work.
Academics: Academically, Elon offers so much including business, liberal arts, engineering, education, nursing, dance, acting and musical theater. With its Jan term, students benefit from taking one intensive class in January. Elon follows a core curriculum beginning with the freshman Global Experience course, an interdisciplinary course exploring issues around the globe and including a senior year interdisciplinary capstone seminar. In Elon 101, students meet in small advisory groups which includes an upper-level student to help students acclimate to campus and college life. Regardless of major, critical thinking skills are emphasized. The brand new engineering building is set up for collaboration and includes concentrations in environmental engineering and bio-medical engineering. The School of Communications includes impressive new digital TV studios where students broadcast the local Elon news.
Housing: Students are required to live on campus for two years but many opt to stay on campus for all four. In addition to traditional dorms and apartment style living, Elon has more than 20 living/learning communities bringing together groups of students with common interests including sports management, business, performing arts and STEM.
Peace Corps: Aligning with their community service values, Elon has a Peace Corps preparation program on campus.
Cost: Elon’s all-in cost is $59,000/year, making its sticker price much lower than many other private schools. Plus there are merit scholarships available ranging from $7500-$10,000. One unusual scholarship is the marching band scholarship. If requested, Elon will do an early read for financial consideration.
Admissions: Elon is test optional but will review standardized tests if submitted. But, this is not a large piece of the admissions decision. However, demonstrated interest is and Elon encourages visits to campus or virtual visits.
Greek Life: Greek life is alive and well at Elon. Twenty percent of men and forty percent of the women participate in Greek life.
Student/Professor relationships: Student are encouraged to get to know and ask questions of their professors. This can be seen in the small class size. Outside of class, every Tuesday in the fall and spring, students can participate in “college coffee” and have coffee and breakfast with their professors for informal conversations.
Oak tradition: Elon is derived from the Hebrew word meaning oak. Upon arrival at campus, each student is given an acorn and when they graduate they each receive an oak sapling, symbolizing their growth.
If a student is interested in a personalized education with nurturing faculty at a mid-sized university, Elon should be at the top of the list.
