Franklin & Marshall College
Reviews

First Touch of Japanese

I have stepped in the world of well-known cherry blossom since one Fall day at F&M. The class featured Elementary Japanese with one apparently strict Japanese male professor and a quite mild assistant professor. As the course went along, lots of improvement in each of us could be witnessed thanks to the full availability of my two decent professors. With heavy, yet diversified workload including written homework, song listening practice, skit presentation, cultural field trip and so on. We are immersed in the current world of daily Japanese life, with language, people and culture from Japan. If one's looking for a place to pick up the first touch of Japanese, Franklin & Marshall College should be an ideal option.

Pretty Good

I got pretty good financial aid, but I still wouldn't say this is college worth coming to. I'm transferring its awful.

Nowhere's Safe

The lack of safety at Franklin & Marshall College is among one of the institution's many shortcomings. The college's past president sold almost all of the houses that surround campus to low-income families. As you can probably imagine, this brought in immense crime. I'm not exaggerating when I say this, but I would receive emails EVERY SINGLE weekend and EVERY SINGLE DAY of the weekend (fri, sat, sun) from public safety about a crime committed to a student. Students were assaulted, robbed, held at gunpoint & knifepoint, and even one student had there house broken into from the second floor window!! I fortunately never had any of these experiences, this also is due to the fact that I pretty much never left my dorm except for classes (COLLEGE LIFE!!!!!).

I was a freshman this past semester, and dropped out within the first week of spring semester. I already got accepted to one of my top choice universities to transfer to next fall, and am waiting to hear on others. I would strongly not recommend this institution to anyone who is looking for the quintessential college experience. I was lucky to get out. I'm only talking about the safety issues, but there are MUCH MUCH more issues with this college.

Overall Experience

I really like most things about F&M, with the exception of the rigor of the pre-med course work (especially in the chemistry department). The chemistry department is notorious for harsh grading, insensitive professors, and unrealistic expectations for their students. Every other department, however, has wonderful professors who are more than happy to allow you to engage in independent studies and/or research, and the friends I've made here at F&M will last me a lifetime. Overall, I think it's a great school; you just have to be ready to work.

Athletic Facilities

We just got new ellipticals and exercise bikes with interactive programs where you can race each other, create an account and track your workout progress, and watch TV/listen to music while you're exercising. The facilities are really nice and are always open. The pool is also really nice and is always available as long as the swim team isn't practicing. It's in a very convenient location and I think it's run very well.

A Place for Me

I chose Franklin and Marshall for one significant reason and that is the faculty. I never experienced such comfort with the faculty members, including professors. They are easily approachable and they consistently remind the students to stop by. I come from Los Angeles so I have had those moments of feeling homesick but many faculty members always encourage me to stay positive.

The Sooner, the Better.

The sooner a student applies for financial aid, the more aid they will receive which is much better than waiting close to the deadline. Also, scholarships are helpful; applying for scholarships can only help you not hurt you. My financial aid package changes somewhat often which is complicating but I'm learning to fix the problem so it won't happen so often.

How to Get Where I'm Going.

There are plenty of options for transportation at F&M. There is a nightly shuttle that transports the students to different areas of campus and near off-campus for safety purposes. Also, there is a shuttle called the Lancaster Loop that transports the students to the Park City Mall every Friday afternoon or Central Market and Walmart every Saturday morning/afternoon. The city bus also runs daily for an alternative option. For transportation during breaks like Thanksgiving and Winter break, there is a shuttle that students can use by reserving a spot online and paying in advance to transport them to the nearest airports or train stations.

Go, Fight, Win!

The students are very supportive of F&M sports. Students are usually lined up in the food section of a tailgate or socializing whenever there are home football games. The athletic facilities are available for everyone, even people who are not on the athletic teams which is cool because it still gives students the opportunity to work out, exercise, or try out a sport they may be interested in. Unfortunately, there are no pep rallies but I guess the tailgates can make up for them.

Awesome Campus and Facilites

The campus at F&M is AWESOME. There's a lot of green space and adirondak chairs on all the lawns. There are two libraries that are both open really late for studying. Dorms are overall good; the rooms in some dorms are really big, and some are smaller, but they're still big compared to dorms at most schools. Most academic buildings are very modern and nice.

Average Looks

There are a few beautiful girls and attractive guys, but on average, most kids just look good because they dress nicely and wear expensive clothes. This is no school for models; it's a place where students care more about their studies than their looks (on average).

Catering to the Creative

My specific reason for choosing F&M was their special English major, with a focus of Creative Writing instead of Literature. I write, and I enjoy literature, but I want to be a writer. The professors recognized that not all students wanted to study only literature, so they fashioned the English major into two tracks: the Creative Writing track and the Literature track. It is nice to have the choice, considering most colleges don't give you the option. The professors are also terrific. They love the talk with students about the courses, everyday life, experiences, practically everything. They also understand that stress of being a college student and are very reasonable people. If they know you work hard but just can't take the heavy work load, they understand if you need an extension. Very negotiable. The workload is on the heavier end, but it's very satisfying to get through it all and know I worked hard for a worthy reason. The curriculum is wide ranging, with many Medieval to Victorian to monster based courses--a liberal education, which is what F&M is good for most definitely. The facilities are okay, but soon they will be even better when the English department moves to a renovated building. I'm in love with the English department, being my home away from home. I spend an insane amount of time socializing with my professors and talking about my plans for the future and how I want to enjoy my time as a early twenty year old.

Touristy but Charming

F&M is located in Lancaster, famous for its Amish Central Market, which is a fantastic food and gift spot on the weekends. However, the multiple parks and shopping available outside of tourist activities make it a great town.

I LOVE IT

I love this school. It is gorgeous. The boys are generally cute. The girls are nice. The parties are awesome. The professors sincerely want to help you which is huge. For example, I am not a science person. There is 1 lab science required for Gen-Ed requirements. I wasn't doing well in the class but the Professor met with me about 4 times before the final to help me study AND gave me extra credit work to complete in order to bump my grade. I love this school.

There Is So Much!

There is so much! Everyone is very friendly and that is definately one of the big things that sets F&M apart. The kids are very welcoming and generally, unless you become enemies with the wrong group of people, you're experience will be the best. F&M also has the best new President ever President Porterfield is so nice and personable. I have already met and spoken with him, just walking through campus. He is wonderful. Additionally, we also have amazing facilities which really set F&M apart from other small liberal arts schools.

Honestly, Not That Strict.

I have never felt that P Safe went out of their way to get in trouble. If people were being dumb and vandalizing or something, they always made sure to sort it out...But, generally, they are there to help you. I have never felt as though they wanted to get you in trouble. They are there more for safety of the students than for disciplinary reasons.

Everything Is NEW!!!

Everything in is tip top condition. Seriously though. I think the oldest building on campus (that hasn't been recently updated) in like 2000...or maybe the late 90's. They just made an entire new dorm that is HUGE! And the gym is beautiful and especially the pool which is the largest in Pennsylvania (I think!). Everything is gorgeous, especially LSP which is my favorite place on campus. It is the science building, but it is the best place to study. It has little alcoves with chairs and tables to work at and it is right near the Quiche and Crepe eatery which is never a bad thing!

Public Safety Is Stern but Not Strict

Public safety is very good at monitoring situations, they are not strict about underage drinking unless things are out of control for example having a large, loud party in the dorms.

More Diversity Than You Think

There is actually a significant international population on campus. In my dorm alone there are students from, Singapore, Ecuador, and India as well as Hong Kong.

Pretty Good

The buildings are pretty good, recently renovated and are always cleaned by f&o

Know where to look

Been there, done that. You can find any party drug, and people to it with, on this campus. However, out of necessity it is very much underground.

Anybody on campus dealing anything other than bud is going to be very secretive about it, since Public Safety will come after you if you get a reputation as a dealer of hard stuff. But at least once a month, kids will bring back small amounts of acid, shrooms, and mollie/E from Philly and New York. And no, "rolling" is not restricted to off-campus partying. People who have rolled at F&M parties have reported great experiences and tolerance for their method of partying among other students.

Some of the smartest, nicest kids at this school like their drugs. It's all out there. It is college, after all.

Grass is not Greener

I can't tell you how many people I have heard complaining about the girls at F&M compared to other schools. First off, remember, there are only 1,000 girls here, compared to 15,000+ at other schools. That's why it seems like there are fewer hot ones.

Proportionally, our ladies are just as pretty on average as anywhere else. They come from well-to-do backgrounds in Jersey, New York, and Philly, so they have good genes and good parents. This also means that they can come off a little prudish, but you can't blame them for wanting to protect their reputations on such a small campus. Many become boyfriended so as to get regular sex without the drama, so remember this when macking on a Friday night. Only the loose ones have sex on the first night...party hook ups are commonplace though, and often a mini-relationship/steady hooking up with a girl will get you what you want.

Best Scene for Miles

People will trash talk the F&M party scene. This is because A) people love to whine...surprise, surprise and B) because they TOTALLY saw bigger ragers at Rutgers/PSU/Maryland. Well duh, we can't exactly compete with the big state schools. However, go 10 mins down the road to Millersville to know just how miserable even a school of 20,000+ can be when it comes to partying.

For a school of 2,000 where everyone has too much work, F&M does a really good job. My fraternity for one puts a lot of effort into our parties with good results. I have had so many nights there I barely remember with friends and girls I will never forget. Sometimes the party scene gets a little slow, but if you have a good social group you will always have multiple frats as well as house/apartment parties to make your weekends fun and memorable.

The guys are...guys...nothing special.

As a freshman I have hooked up with a few people since coming here, and all of them have been very fun! I wouldn't suggest hooking up with people who you have class with if you aren't looking for anything more than a one night thing, it can lead to awkward encounters. For any prospective students looking to come to f&m the one thing you HAVE to know about hooking up and dating at F&M is how small the school is. There are only so many people you can hook up with on a 2200 person campus. It is small and you will see the people you hook up with everywhere. and by everywhere i mean everywhere. you will see them when you look your best, worst, and everything in between. plus, if you wait too long, at least one or 2 people who you know will have hooked up with them before you...sickness gets spead quite quickly here through the student body. also, on the note of relationships, they really do happen here despite what others say...Many of my friends are currently in exclusive things and i hope to be soon as well!

Yum!

I love going out to eat in Lancaster. Unlike most of my fellow students, I try to stay away from WOW (a wingery) and Iron Hill. THey are nice once in a while, to grab a milkshake or dessert or fried food, but there are so many places nearby! Rosa-Rosas is a 5 minute walk from the dorms, and has been a staple of F&M student's dining since their opening, with their delicious pizza and famous spaghetti pizza. Addisu Ethiopian just opened up in the strip mall next to Waffle House in the past year, and is absolutely delicious. They give discounts to F&M students, and if you go at lunch, they make sure you get extra food! Sakura, Blue Pacific, and Ginmiya are all good places to get sushi from, believe it or not. Blue Pacific and Ginmiya deliver, and all three are close by. In close driving distance is the mall, with the typical chains (Olive Garden!) and a Wawa. Downtown Lancaster has local chains such as Issac's, and independent cafes, Sakura, local ice cream places, Korean food, Vietimease food, and fabulous restaurants in general. Whatever you are craving, you can find pretty easily here.