In a word, Guildford is great.
Overall Impressions
Guilford is a small, private, liberal arts college. It is set in the college-friendly city of Greensboro, NC and the campus is surrounded by woods, walking trails and lakes, offering the best of both city life and nature. The vibe on campus is inclusive, progressive and communal, and visitors can feel their Quaker values of community, diversity, equality, excellence, integrity, justice and stewardship. They offer very generous financial aid packages and 100% of students receive some financial support. Check out their website to learn more!
Who is Guilford for?
The type of students who do best at Guilford are the students I especially love to work with: They are bright, creative, quirky, and don't necessarily "fit the mold" (in all of the best ways). They would benefit from a small, nurturing learning environment that offers a great deal of support, as well as the opportunity to explore a wide range of subject areas. Students who appreciate nature, a strong sense of community, and a progressive environment would thrive at Guilford. If you can imagine yourself sitting around a bon fire with your friends, or attending an intimate lecture hall to hear the Biden's speak, while also developing solutions to real-world problems in your community, this might be the place for you. I believe Guilford brings out the best in students who may have struggled in a traditional, public high school setting.
Here are some specs:
Small campus - 1500 undergraduate students
Student/faculty ratio is 14:1
Very student-centered with lots of support services available
Diverse student body
3-12 semester system: Each semester starts with a 3-week intensive course, followed by a 12 week standard semester
Most students complete an internship and many study abroad
Excellent facilities including a telescope and planetarium
Very strong criminal justice program
Students address professors by their first names
Strong commitment to community service and leadership
Some fun facts:
Students can rent our the planetarium to view lunar events such as blood moons and eclipses, but also for private movie showings, to play video games, or even to watch the Super Bowl.
All students create a capstone project and they are encouraged to create something that will directly benefit their community.
All courses are 4 credits, which allows students the option to complete a double major and a minor and still graduate in 4 years.
Downtown Greensboro is 10 minutes from campus, but the campus itself feels rural as it is surrounded by woods.
They often have big name speakers, comedians and politicians come speak at the campus. Some examples include Jill and Joe Biden and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
There are 28 colleges within 50 miles of Greensboro and they often host events together.
Most students live on campus all 4 years.