Longwood University

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP who asked about Longwood...

I think the question is: why bother with Longwood when UMW is more convenient and CNU has the Greek culture if you are into that.

What does Longwood have to offer that others don't? --- most people can't answer that with anything that makes it a better option -- and so Longwood doesn't make the cut.

It's probably fine for what it has. It's just that you can get that at other places. And, as someone who drives I-95 regularly --- less time on 95 is MORE.

No snobby attitudes like this

Then answer the question -- what is unique to Longwood that you can't get at another college? If you live closer to Longwood than any other option, then sure, it makes sense. But, what is Longwood's pitch to someone who is otherwise considering CNU? or UMW? or Radford? What sets Longwood apart? I just don't know of anything that makes Longwood "better" than the other options. If you are coming from NoVa, then trust me -- a shorter distance when you are going back and forth to pick up or drop off the student is a big plus.

One of our kids toured both Longwood and UMW and didn’t chose either. But they preferred Longwood because it felt more like a traditional campus, especially since it’s a D1 sports school. UMW felt so much smaller and also felt like there was less of a campus life feel.

Longwood student population=5096
UMW student population= 3493

Is the difference that noticeable?

Maybe it’s just the way they’re laid out. But when we toured them Longwood just felt more like a traditional campus and UMW felt smaller. The kids we knew who went to UMW said lots of people left campus on the weekends.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP who asked about Longwood...

I think the question is: why bother with Longwood when UMW is more convenient and CNU has the Greek culture if you are into that.

What does Longwood have to offer that others don't? --- most people can't answer that with anything that makes it a better option -- and so Longwood doesn't make the cut.

It's probably fine for what it has. It's just that you can get that at other places. And, as someone who drives I-95 regularly --- less time on 95 is MORE.

No snobby attitudes like this

Then answer the question -- what is unique to Longwood that you can't get at another college? If you live closer to Longwood than any other option, then sure, it makes sense. But, what is Longwood's pitch to someone who is otherwise considering CNU? or UMW? or Radford? What sets Longwood apart? I just don't know of anything that makes Longwood "better" than the other options. If you are coming from NoVa, then trust me -- a shorter distance when you are going back and forth to pick up or drop off the student is a big plus.

One of our kids toured both Longwood and UMW and didn’t chose either. But they preferred Longwood because it felt more like a traditional campus, especially since it’s a D1 sports school. UMW felt so much smaller and also felt like there was less of a campus life feel.

Longwood student population=5096
UMW student population= 3493

Is the difference that noticeable?

UMW grad here. I think that would make a difference, and not a negative for Longwood. Mary Wash, as much as I love it, was very small.

[Anonymous]

I like CNU’s campus, I don’t perceive the buildings as fake.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP who asked about Longwood...

I think the question is: why bother with Longwood when UMW is more convenient and CNU has the Greek culture if you are into that.

What does Longwood have to offer that others don't? --- most people can't answer that with anything that makes it a better option -- and so Longwood doesn't make the cut.

It's probably fine for what it has. It's just that you can get that at other places. And, as someone who drives I-95 regularly --- less time on 95 is MORE.

No snobby attitudes like this

Then answer the question -- what is unique to Longwood that you can't get at another college? If you live closer to Longwood than any other option, then sure, it makes sense. But, what is Longwood's pitch to someone who is otherwise considering CNU? or UMW? or Radford? What sets Longwood apart? I just don't know of anything that makes Longwood "better" than the other options. If you are coming from NoVa, then trust me -- a shorter distance when you are going back and forth to pick up or drop off the student is a big plus.

One of our kids toured both Longwood and UMW and didn’t chose either. But they preferred Longwood because it felt more like a traditional campus, especially since it’s a D1 sports school. UMW felt so much smaller and also felt like there was less of a campus life feel.

Longwood student population=5096
UMW student population= 3493

Is the difference that noticeable?

UMW grad here. I think that would make a difference, and not a negative for Longwood. Mary Wash, as much as I love it, was very small.

I guess I see what you're saying.

So far for us, we've only toured JMU, VT, GMU and VCU. Next up is WM, CNU and UMW. Which all seem like they're going to fall into one "small" category compared to the first four. That being said, our kid deemed VT "too big" so I guess there are subcategories.

[Anonymous]

If you know you want to be a teacher or nurse, Longwood is the place for you. 5-year masters programs. Everyone I know that I went to college with are teachers. I might go on a limb and say they have the best education program in the state with regard to producing great teachers and getting them jobs.

I went there in the 90s when it was a complete s-hole before the fire and all the new construction.

The comments about the local law enforcement are correct. Corrupt, good ol’ boy system. They love harassing students and giving parking tickets. Well known that it was safer to drink and drive than walk if you don’t want a run-in with the fuzz. I’ve been back once since I graduated, and when you enter Farm Vegas you know/feel it in terms of being in a different, scary world. The whole town puts on a dog and pony show when they know perspective students and parents are in town.

FarmVille is still segregated. The whites live north of the train track, and the blacks live south of them. Longwood is right in the middle. The local white families send their kids to the private Fuqua School, and all the local black students attend Prince Edward County HS.

Greek life dominates. If you don’t join a frat/sorority or aren’t a member of a sports team, then your social life will be severely limited.

There is nothing to do in FarmVille, so students turn to drinking (a lot) and smoking weed to occupy their time.

One post was correct about the student body: a lot of people from small towns in Virginia with some kids from VA Beach, Richmond suburbs and some NoVA people attend. Not very diverse. Maybe one Asian student when I was there. A Korean guy, and he was super popular because it was almost a novelty to some people (he was cool and funny which helped). No Hispanics or anything else for that matter. That may have changed but that was the way it was when I was there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP who asked about Longwood...

I think the question is: why bother with Longwood when UMW is more convenient and CNU has the Greek culture if you are into that.

What does Longwood have to offer that others don't? --- most people can't answer that with anything that makes it a better option -- and so Longwood doesn't make the cut.

It's probably fine for what it has. It's just that you can get that at other places. And, as someone who drives I-95 regularly --- less time on 95 is MORE.

No snobby attitudes like this

Then answer the question -- what is unique to Longwood that you can't get at another college? If you live closer to Longwood than any other option, then sure, it makes sense. But, what is Longwood's pitch to someone who is otherwise considering CNU? or UMW? or Radford? What sets Longwood apart? I just don't know of anything that makes Longwood "better" than the other options. If you are coming from NoVa, then trust me -- a shorter distance when you are going back and forth to pick up or drop off the student is a big plus.

One of our kids toured both Longwood and UMW and didn’t chose either. But they preferred Longwood because it felt more like a traditional campus, especially since it’s a D1 sports school. UMW felt so much smaller and also felt like there was less of a campus life feel.

Longwood student population=5096
UMW student population= 3493

Is the difference that noticeable?

Maybe it’s just the way they’re laid out. But when we toured them Longwood just felt more like a traditional campus and UMW felt smaller. The kids we knew who went to UMW said lots of people left campus on the weekends.

This was our experience as well. Longwood definitely has more of a traditional campus feel than UMW.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you know you want to be a teacher or nurse, Longwood is the place for you. 5-year masters programs. Everyone I know that I went to college with are teachers. I might go on a limb and say they have the best education program in the state with regard to producing great teachers and getting them jobs.

I went there in the 90s when it was a complete s-hole before the fire and all the new construction.

The comments about the local law enforcement are correct. Corrupt, good ol’ boy system. They love harassing students and giving parking tickets. Well known that it was safer to drink and drive than walk if you don’t want a run-in with the fuzz. I’ve been back once since I graduated, and when you enter Farm Vegas you know/feel it in terms of being in a different, scary world. The whole town puts on a dog and pony show when they know perspective students and parents are in town.

FarmVille is still segregated. The whites live north of the train track, and the blacks live south of them. Longwood is right in the middle. The local white families send their kids to the private Fuqua School, and all the local black students attend Prince Edward County HS.

Greek life dominates. If you don’t join a frat/sorority or aren’t a member of a sports team, then your social life will be severely limited.

There is nothing to do in FarmVille, so students turn to drinking (a lot) and smoking weed to occupy their time.

One post was correct about the student body: a lot of people from small towns in Virginia with some kids from VA Beach, Richmond suburbs and some NoVA people attend. Not very diverse. Maybe one Asian student when I was there. A Korean guy, and he was super popular because it was almost a novelty to some people (he was cool and funny which helped). No Hispanics or anything else for that matter. That may have changed but that was the way it was when I was there.

Attended in the 90s too and this is accurate.


For those who want to know what sets Longwood apart or why a student would go there - it’s the best school for those who want to become teachers.

The school was founded to educated women to become teachers and arguably that is still one of their strongest programs of course it’s coed now.

Looking back I realize that a lot of the young women back in the 90s were from Richmond and further south and wanted to get a traditional job for women bc they envisioned a traditional lifestyle post college - marriage, sham, kids - and that is what the majority of those I was friends with ended up with. People forget that VA is a southern state. I would assume it has changed somewhat over since the 90s