This morning I had the pleasure of attending a breakfast hosted by Rhodes College. I'm happy to report that the more I learn about Rhodes, the better it sounds. Rhodes is a small liberal arts college located in Memphis, Tennessee. (Hey you, over there, the one slowly moving away because I started talking about a college you haven't heard of in the middle of the country. Stay where you are and keep reading). My favorite things about Rhodes include:
1) It has a student run honor code. In the same vein as places like Davidson and Haverford, honesty is taken seriously. Trust is valued. This morning I learned that only 18 colleges in the country can make this claim and in a world where every glossy brochure from every 'good school' looks the same, this sets Rhodes apart.
2) It is a part of the Colleges That Change Lives book. If you've met with me, you probably know that I love CTCL schools. I love their mission. I love their commitment to learning and education. I love that they usually value what students contribute over what their numbers say. Read the chapter on Rhodes and THEN we can talk about if you still want to sneak out of the room.
3) They take demonstrated interest seriously. On paper, the acceptance rate at Rhodes might make it seem like it is a school that any qualified ElRo student would get into. But don't plan on using Rhodes as a backup if you haven't taken the time to seriously consider the school. Rhodes values when students visit campus, take advantage of the opportunity to interview, or attend regional receptions. When you pass up the opportunity to do this, they notice. I wish more schools would pay more attention to this. I think it might help reduce the college lists that are 15 or 20 applications deep with students putting down a million schools they aren't actually interested in. What would the college admission landscape look like if student only actually submitted applications to schools they were seriously considering?
4) With a major in Neuroscience, they prove that liberal arts colleges are not just the right fit for English and History majors. Too many people assume that a person who is 'pre-med' or wants to study science has to go to a huge flagship university. This is not true!
5) Students from all different income brackets are awarded financial aid, including both need based and merit based aid. This school year, the average aid package to students from homes making more than $150,000 was about $28,000. This brings the cost down to the range that a SUNY might cost.
Thanks for breakfast today Rhodes! If you are reading this, check it out!
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