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College Prowler

Campus Housing

The dorms are all nice, but they all have their differences. Warren and Wilson are the two newest dorms and are the only ones with air conditioning. Norwich Lodge is in back campus and the farthest away from the academic buildings. Norwich is the only dorm where the individual rooms actually have cable. Bundy has a polyglot hall on the first floor, as well as the two wellness floors. Barrett has an amazing feel to it; the residents there always seem to be having a good time, and it is sometimes referred to as the ‘party dorm.’ OA has the same feel as Barrett. Hoerner is the quiet dorm, and you can get a lot of studying done there. Earlham Hall is connected to our dining hall as well as the student center and some classrooms; it also has Health Services on the first floor. Earlham Hall is the only dorm where guys and girls are separated by wing. East Hall is the new dorm that connects to both Warren and Wilson. It has a coffeeshop and suite-style rooms.

Campus Strictness

Officially, Earlham is a dry campus, so if you are drinking, you are breaking College policy. That being said, it’s a totally unrealistic policy, and the College knows it and, therefore, doesn’t enforce harsh penalties on everyone they catch. There’s some system where if you get caught three times it goes to a student judiciary, I think. I haven’t heard of it being too much of a problem to drink and not get caught, however.

Computers

You don’t need your own computer. They’re always available, unless you’re the type of student that waits till the last second to type a 10-page paper. The only time I had a hard time finding a computer was during finals week, when everyone thinks that hanging out in the computer lab for 24 hours will somehow raise their grades. Also, if you’re not Mac-inclined, like me, then you are in for a treat, because most of computers in the computer labs are PCs.

Diversity

Racially, in comparison to the general population, all colleges are less diverse than they should be, and Earlham is no exception, although I find it more racially diverse than Haverford and many New England schools that I visited. Earlham has a large international population, which adds to its diversity, I guess you’d say, and I think it really enriches the campus as a whole. Politically, most people would say that, in general, Earlham is very liberal, and I’d agree (that’s the main reason I transferred to Earlham). I think, however, that there may be more conservatives than you might originally guess, and that although many people identify as liberal, there is actually a wide range of opinions within this liberalism, and a wide range of commitment to activism. It ranges from people who can do no more than recite the liberal tagline, to those who have a lot of experience in community service and protest-organizing and have really done (and continue to do) a lot of radical work. Economically, there is definitely more diversity than a small, East Coast liberal arts school.

Drug Scene

Drug usage does exist at Earlham, and one need only walk through back campus to find this out. Nonetheless, students should not feel pressured to do drugs. You can easily meet and make friends with people who wish to be drug-free. It will be assumed that people are not averse to light drug use (marijuana, alcohol), so if you are, be sure to express your aversion assertively. People who do use drugs are often no less worthwhile (and certainly no less interesting) than people who don’t, so be open-minded.

Facilities

The facilities on campus are fantastic. We have a new, beautiful athletic center that is wonderful for working out or playing intramural sports. We have a great student center that is the center of campus. Earlham has a small campus with great academic buildings (many of which are new and restored) and the dorms are much nicer than many I have seen at other schools. Although people complain about the cafeteria (as at any college), in comparison to the food at my old school, the cafeteria does a wonderful job of preparing food and providing diverse options for most dietary needs (although it would be difficult to be a vegan).

Greek Life

After coming from a school where Greek life controlled the school, I am so happy not to have frats and sororities. It seems that, although there is alcohol on campus, much less of the social interaction is alcohol-obsessed, and more is focused on actually getting meaningful interaction with the people on campus. Also, because there is no Greek system, the College puts a great deal of time and money into providing alternative social events, like concerts, dances, and other events. There is usually at least one concert or dance every weekend, if not more.

Guys & Girls

Earlham is, for sure, one of the ugliest schools ever. Man, oh man! I expected lots of gorgeous, natural-looking ladies and whatnot, but it seems like most people here—well, I don’t know what else to say. Yeah, there are exceptions to that, like everywhere else; there are, however, more attractive women than men at this school. Ladies, keep on shopping. This place is geek heaven. Remember the boys who would write messages to each other in binary during class in HS? Yeah, they’re all here.

Local Atmosphere

The town sucks, with some exceptions. It’s a fairly conservative town, in strong opposition to our hippy-dippy liberal college. There’s not much in town—on the surface, at least. You’ve got to dig deeper to get to the good stuff. There aren’t any other schools around us. The Gorge is great; it’s a long canyon that runs through the middle of the town, and it’s got a creek in it and an abandoned record factory. Veach’s is the toy store in town, and it’s nice. The owner of Tom’s New York Deli is an Earlham parent (his sandwiches are good, too), and Steak ‘n Shake is essential for late-night digs—It’s one of the three places open 24 hours in town (one of which is a gas station).

Nightlife

I just transferred to Earlham this semester and actually didn’t go to very many parties. This question also majorly depends on one’s idea of a good time. I guess I should say that, for me, the further from a frat-like experience, the better. For example, I went to one at La Casa Hispana, and people were actually dancing, and I can say that truly everyone seemed to be having a good time. It also depends on what your definition of party is—I went to a festival at the farm, which was awesome. There was bluegrass and dancing, and I thought it was fantastic. I’ve also been to some really fun smaller gatherings at some houses. Yet, I’ve also been to some parties where if you just plunked me down there I could have been at any college in the United States, and I can’t tell you how fast I wanted to get out of there. I think parties at Earlham really run the gamut, yet on average, they are less frat-like and better than at other colleges.

Off-Campus Dining

I haven’t been to too many off-campus restaurants, although I’ve been to what may be the two most popular: El Rodeo (a Mexican place), and Little Sheba’s (a sandwich place), both of which I’ve found to be good and inexpensive. The other restaurants in town are all chains, basically. But the great thing is that there’s a supermarket one block from the College (it’s practically on campus), so you can go grocery shopping and cook in the kitchen in your house or dorm if you get tired of Saga food.

Off-Campus Housing

Well, all the people I know who actually live off campus (as opposed to houses owned by the College), really wanted to do so and really like it. They have been able to find houses in Richmond that are within biking distance to the College. I suppose whether or not it’s ‘worth it’ depends a lot on your financial situation, what you can find in Richmond, and what you are looking for in housing.

Overall Experience

Earlham is a great experience if you make it one. You have to be willing to give up what you are used to. The size of it makes you work really hard to find things that you like and people that you want to spend time with. There are days, weeks sometimes, that you’ll be frustrated and want to go back to what you are used to. But the people are friendly, motivated, and excited about life. If you smile and go in with a good attitude, you’ll have a great time. You’ll start calling it the ‘Earlham bubble.’

Parking

There are a lot of people on campus who have cars. Parking isn’t horrible, but most of the students do not want to walk forever just to get to their cars. Many students use the one-hour parking and eventually get parking tickets, but there is not a shortage of parking, just not an abundance by certain dorms. Warren and Wilson may be the only dorms that have enough parking directly by the dorm.

Safety & Security

Campus is pretty safe. I mean, you aren’t likely to be jumped in a back alley and have your money taken. At the same time, though, you should always be cautious about how much you are drinking at parties and who you are trusting to make sure you get home. The Campus Safety and Security officers are friendly, though sometimes their response time is a little slow. But, then again, when you are one officer and have 1,200 students who call you for everything from being locked out of their dorm room to emergencies, it must be difficult. The card-swipe access to the dorms is nice, but it’s a pain once you only have access to your dorm between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m.

Transportation

Public transportation is, in a word, inconvenient. Walk if you like to get exercise, make friends with someone who has a car if you don’t. And drive if you can afford to have a car.

Weather

Winters are typically cold and raw but without much snow to enjoy; they always have a welcome but temperamental thaw. Fall is not nearly as beautiful as what I am used to (moreover, the mowers take care of all the leaves before one can enjoy them), and summer is hot and steamy. Spring is the most beautiful season at Earlham, with everything blooming and blossoming in mid-April. So bring summer clothes for warm spring days, hot May, August, and September days, a light jacket for cool fall and spring nights, and a heavier coat for the cold days in December through March.

Academics

The profs seem to fall into one of two categories, save for a few exceptions: either they’re hip and young, or they’re old and stodgy. In either case, they seem to care about the students and their progress a lot. For the most part, they really try to make class enjoyable and engaging, but there are some exceptions to that, especially concerning religion classes. I find classes interesting, but I feel sometimes that they are less productive than they have the potential to be. Class serves more as a time to meet up and discuss assignments and mess around rather than do intensive learning (though, I take a lot of humanities classes).

Athletics

There is a good selection of varsity sports on campus, and if you want to try a sport, coaches try not to turn you away. Many of the varsity athletes are multi-season athletes. Soccer and basketball tend to have some of the biggest turnouts for games, although all of the teams have audiences and support throughout their season. IM sports are big on campus. There are tournaments for basketball and soccer, as well as Wiffle Ball in the past.

Campus Dining

The food isn’t bad, at least not compared to other school cafeterias I’ve eaten at. There is a wide selection of things, and if you have allergies, they will do their best to help you, but at the same time, you have to remember that this is mass-produced food. Some days you’re lucky, and some days it’s not amazing. And they rotate the menu, so every three to six weeks you’ll see the same things again. The Coffee Shop is a good alternative, serving Subway and grill items, along with salads. Jazzman’s is the place to get caffeinated and find sweet items. There are also pizza places nearby, and you can always go out to eat at any of the many fast food locations.