Any discussion of Southern schools on these boards accuses them of being full of knucklehead, knuckle dragging racists looking to lynch somebody on a Saturday night.

Anonymous wrote:It’s in the South, ergo it sucks.

So tiresome. Duke, Vandy, Rice, Davidson - all excellent, all in the South.

It’s in the South, ergo it sucks.

Anonymous wrote:Sewanee is near the very top of my DC's list. We visited last fall and it was stunningly beautiful, albeit, isolated. He's an outdoorsy guy and seems fine with it and I actually think the environment will suit him well. (Just for grins I looked up Top 10 restaurants in the nearby town of Monteagle, TN and the Waffle House was in the Top 10.)

Anybody have any direct experience on how generous they are with merit aid?

Well, to be fair, Waffle House is great.

One of the most beautiful campuses I've ever seen.

Sewanee is not on par with Middlebury as some have claimed but it is heading that way.

It is increasingly drawing students from outside the region. Although steeped in Southern tradition, it is not a conservative school. I would classify it as moderate. The school will say it is 50/50 conservative/liberal. That means that liberals think it is conservative and conservatives think it is liberal. It is certainly a tolerant atmosphere.
It was originally founded right before the Civil War and was torn down by Union forces. When it was re-founded just after the Civil War, many of the professors and supporters were confederate veterans. Many of the dorms and buildings are named after confederate soldiers.

It is struggling with that legacy as this story in the hipster Nashville Scene notes: http://www.nashvillescene.com/news/pith-in-the-wind/article/20980277/if-sewanee-can-do-it-everyone-can-do-it

Incidentally, John McCardle, now president of Sewanee was the head of Middlebury for many years which is why the two schools are often mentioned in the same breath.

Anonymous wrote:Sewanee is near the very top of my DC's list. We visited last fall and it was stunningly beautiful, albeit, isolated. He's an outdoorsy guy and seems fine with it and I actually think the environment will suit him well. (Just for grins I looked up Top 10 restaurants in the nearby town of Monteagle, TN and the Waffle House was in the Top 10.)

Anybody have any direct experience on how generous they are with merit aid?

They are actively seeking kids from the DMV.

Sewanee is near the very top of my DC's list. We visited last fall and it was stunningly beautiful, albeit, isolated. He's an outdoorsy guy and seems fine with it and I actually think the environment will suit him well. (Just for grins I looked up Top 10 restaurants in the nearby town of Monteagle, TN and the Waffle House was in the Top 10.)

Anybody have any direct experience on how generous they are with merit aid?

Anonymous wrote:The Episcopal private schools in this area and others have "discovered" Sewanee as a NE type SLAC that one can reasonably have a shot at admission without a hook. It's been a symbiotic relationship as Sewanee gains solid, well-off and well-connected students and their families, building the school's profile, reach and endowment in the process.

It's about #5 for highest percentage of Greek life. Not going to apply.

The Episcopal private schools in this area and others have "discovered" Sewanee as a NE type SLAC that one can reasonably have a shot at admission without a hook. It's been a symbiotic relationship as Sewanee gains solid, well-off and well-connected students and their families, building the school's profile, reach and endowment in the process.

Anonymous wrote:My kid will be doing an overnight visit. Can you recommend things for me to do outside of campus? I'll be staying nearby.

If you like hiking. There is a 20 mile hiking trail on campus. Caving, fishing, etc.

If not, I would go to Nashville for the day or go on a bourbon tour.

My kid will be doing an overnight visit. Can you recommend things for me to do outside of campus? I'll be staying nearby.

Anonymous wrote:OP, I don't know your child, of course, but Sewanee's acceptance rate is 40.6% which doesn't make it very selective. I've always considered it a 2d or 3rd tier school. College counselors often don't have a clue. Ours made bizarre suggestions that didn't fit our kids or budget. Please research any school extensively on line and especially in college confidential before wasting valuable resources and precious time. There are other schools that might be better suited for your child to visit during spring break.

This thread is three years old. I suspect OP's kid is close to graduating, from somewhere...

OP, I don't know your child, of course, but Sewanee's acceptance rate is 40.6% which doesn't make it very selective. I've always considered it a 2d or 3rd tier school. College counselors often don't have a clue. Ours made bizarre suggestions that didn't fit our kids or budget. Please research any school extensively on line and especially in college confidential before wasting valuable resources and precious time. There are other schools that might be better suited for your child to visit during spring break.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:can someone explain why you would choose this place over say, Davidson -- assuming you could get in to both?
Makes no sense to me. Seems approximately equivalent to Elon (Not that there's anything wrong with that!).

Nobody in their right mind would choose Sewannee over Davidson. By every objective criteria Davidson is superior (acceptance rate, yield, test scores, etc.) and not by a little.....by a lot. I'm sure it's a fine school that delivers a solid education with a distinct culture but at best it's a third tier LAC.

^ well it my be better than "third tier" (that's a bit harsh), but I can't believe people on here are saying with a straight face it's anywhere near the equivalent to a Davidson or Vandy -- not that most Sewanee attendees would be admitted to either of those schools in the first place.

I have an actual interest in this since, if DC doesn't get into Davidson or Vandy, we will consider Sewanee. (Yes DC is from a Northern prep school.).

Then he will fit right in at Sewanee. I hope that he is admitted to his choices of Davidson or Vanderbilt.