Inside Rhodes

Introduction
The first thing a high school student should consider is size. Rhodes is very small and that size has a huge impact on the campus atmosphere. If you don't want your professors to know your name (and when you're not in class), don't 'come to Rhodes. Do you want to discuss your ideas and have them challenged by professors and students alike? Do you want to know or at least know of most of the student body? Do you want to work really hard? Do you want to complain about how expensive everything is? Rhodes will give you the opportunity to do all these things. A big draw for me was Rhodes' location in the city of Memphis, Tennessee. I'm from a small town, and I wanted to live in a city where there would be more opportunities for work and fun, and that's what I got!

Campus Life and Social Life
My boyfriend goes to a school of about 12,000 undergrads, and everytime he visits he comments on how quiet campus is. Granted, he's always here on weekends, but he's not entirely wrong. Rhodes campus is small and relatively quiet. Of course, this changes when there are fraternity parties (they are open to the whole campus and the houses are on campus), concerts (several major school sponsored ones each year), or well-known speakers. Greek life provides a lot of party fun to the whole campus, not just Greeks. The school itself also puts on lots of activities for students. Anything from free movie nights to $20 weekend ski trips to North Carolina, $5 Redbirds (St. Louis Cardinals' farm team) tickets to $15 Lion King tickets (at the gorgeous Orpheum Theatre that draws major touring broadway shows). If big exciting sports games are your thing, don't come to Rhodes. We play Division 3 and there's a big difference between 3 and 1. People who go to sports games are usually going to support friends, which is a different kind of fun than cheering on the nation's #1 quarterback. Memphis has great restaurants (especially if you love BBQ), a fabulous music scene (home of the blues), and wonderful theater. I've never felt like I had nothing to do on a Saturday night. Advertisement
Academics
Academics at Rhodes are serious, but not so serious that you won't have time to play a varsity sport, be Greek, and volunteer at St. Jude's. Students work hard--there are always people studying at the library or in the 24/7 Middle Ground. The official number is "3 hours of work for every hour you spend in class," but it really depends on the professor, the class, and how good you are at skimming through reading. Rhodes is a liberal arts school, so a good bit of writing is required, even if only while getting general degree requirements done. A few of my professors (mostlynew ones) haven't been the most engaging (boring), but I've had more professors that I've adored. Rhodes professors are scholars themselves, but also really value the teaching aspect of their career as well. No classes at Rhodes are taught by TAs, all are taught by full professors. Professors are really interested in seeing you succeed in their classes and also that you have fun. Dinners at professors' houses are not uncommon. Once a professor bought me a pizza because I pointed out a reading assignment that wasn't in the book. At Rhodes you'll really get a quality education from professors who are happy to give you all the personal attention you need.

Student Body
The student body at Rhodes is not very diverse. This is probably my least favorite thing about the school (that and the pricey parking tickets). The majority of students are upper middle class to very upper class. There's a lot of the "rich white kid" stereotype flying around. It's partly true--there are a lot of rich white kids--but there are also other types of kids. To its credit, Rhodes is constantly working to increase the diversity of its student body, trying to draw students of varied races, geographic regions, and from different socioeconomic backgrounds. Also, since Rhodes has an honor code, social regulations code, and committment to diversity that are signed by all students, I don't feel like there are big divisions within the student body. Everyone mingles pretty well.

In Closing...
You cannot mention Rhodes without saying how beautiful the campus is. Oaks and magnolias everywhere you turn, azaleas in the spring, and gorgeous (and uniform) architecture throughout the campus. I love walking across campus on a sunny afternoon listening to "Dear Prudence" or Cat Stevens on my ipod. I just get happy. It's a really great place to live.