Anyone here applying to Earlham for Spring '09? I know it's not exactly the norm yet it's what i'm going for so it'd be nice to know someone in the same boat.
Hey Robyn, it's alright. One reply is better than nothing at all :) I'm not quite sure really. May '07 is quite far off considering the increase in diversity at Earlham but it might as well be just the same. One question on my end would have to be the interaction between International students and Americans. Is there much discrimination? Especially against Arabs? Muslims? I haven't exactly read anything bad online in that regard but then again, I haven't exactly asked an experienced Earlhamite (or ex one) either. I'm from Kuwait, which is basically known for the Gulf War and a country that borders Iraq. So... yeah. I think if i get accepted, I'm going to be the first Kuwaiti to ever attend Earlham. Haha.
Also, do you have any idea if having an admissions officer ask several coworkers to email me is a usual Earlham thing to do or not? So far my officer has gotten the director of the major i'm interested in, and his wife who is the associate director of the IPO to email me asking if I had any questions and expressed their enthusiasm in my plan to possibly attend Earlham this January. I'm not sure if they're just being extra nice, or are subtly hinting that I have a good chance of getting in. I haven't exactly received this type of attention from any of the other schools I've applied to (which is not many to be honest but still)
Sorry for the long comment, I tend to ramble at times.
My guess is that they're kind of itching for you to go Earlham, since they like to have diversity there. I can tell you that the majority of Earlhamites are fairly liberal politically (and pretty outspoken about it, for the most part), and also internationally friendly. I'm not sure what stage of the process you're in, or how much you've found out from your admissions officer, but Earlham is a Quaker school, and Quakers are all about equality. So, as far as I'm aware, discrimination of any kind is pretty rare on campus. That being said, the school is located in Richmond, which is a pretty conservative small town. I think if you're going to run into any problems of discrimination, it would be off-campus. My advice is not to let that stop you from going to Earlham- it's a great place, and very accepting for the most part.
There were quite a few international students when I was there a few years ago. Mostly from Japan, but there were a few from the Middle East as well.
About the people e-mailing you, that sounds normal-ish to me. I never had them do that for me, but like I said, Earlham is always interested in international students. It makes sense that someone from IPO contacted you, since they handle all of the study abroad programs. Which major is it that you're interested in?
Thanks, I pretty much inferred that from what i've read around the net but sometimes hearing it from someone who actually knows helps.
Hm clearly it has increased then. They told me that there are students from 71 countries and to quote "23 Arab students from Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Palestine, Lebanon, and Jordan." Which is pretty wicked for such a small school.
True, but wouldn't that be something to address once i'm in? Seeing that at the moment I don't exactly plan to study abroad since i'm not exactly a Earlhamite. I don't know. That's the way things tend to work here. You get in, then you find out where to go/what to do from there. I guess it's because there's a major split here between gov. and private English/American schools and the latter doesn't really take you in unless you're a student of theirs. Anyway, I'm interested in Peace & Global Studies. There's no need to ask about yours since from your info page i see you're a vet student :D
I knew there were a bunch of students from Palestine, and I also knew there were some from Algeria, Egypt, and Iraq while I was there, but those are just people that I knew personally; I'm sure there were more.
I think maybe their point was to try to show you how internationally active (don't know if that's the word I'm looking for) the school is. To let you know that they have study abroad programs in lots of different countries and that they embrace international diversity. But it's the same here; once you're at the school, you'll get chances to join clubs and go on study abroad programs and such.
That's neat- I had a few friends that were PAGS majors. And my major wasn't even closely related to vet med- I was a French major. :) Most people at my school majored in biology, so they all look at me funny when I tell them what my major was.
Also, do you have any idea if having an admissions officer ask several coworkers to email me is a usual Earlham thing to do or not? So far my officer has gotten the director of the major i'm interested in, and his wife who is the associate director of the IPO to email me asking if I had any questions and expressed their enthusiasm in my plan to possibly attend Earlham this January. I'm not sure if they're just being extra nice, or are subtly hinting that I have a good chance of getting in. I haven't exactly received this type of attention from any of the other schools I've applied to (which is not many to be honest but still)
Sorry for the long comment, I tend to ramble at times.
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There were quite a few international students when I was there a few years ago. Mostly from Japan, but there were a few from the Middle East as well.
About the people e-mailing you, that sounds normal-ish to me. I never had them do that for me, but like I said, Earlham is always interested in international students. It makes sense that someone from IPO contacted you, since they handle all of the study abroad programs. Which major is it that you're interested in?
As you can see, I tend to ramble, too. :)
Reply
Hm clearly it has increased then. They told me that there are students from 71 countries and to quote "23 Arab students from Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Palestine, Lebanon, and Jordan." Which is pretty wicked for such a small school.
True, but wouldn't that be something to address once i'm in? Seeing that at the moment I don't exactly plan to study abroad since i'm not exactly a Earlhamite. I don't know. That's the way things tend to work here. You get in, then you find out where to go/what to do from there. I guess it's because there's a major split here between gov. and private English/American schools and the latter doesn't really take you in unless you're a student of theirs. Anyway, I'm interested in Peace & Global Studies. There's no need to ask about yours since from your info page i see you're a vet student :D
Reply
I think maybe their point was to try to show you how internationally active (don't know if that's the word I'm looking for) the school is. To let you know that they have study abroad programs in lots of different countries and that they embrace international diversity. But it's the same here; once you're at the school, you'll get chances to join clubs and go on study abroad programs and such.
That's neat- I had a few friends that were PAGS majors. And my major wasn't even closely related to vet med- I was a French major. :) Most people at my school majored in biology, so they all look at me funny when I tell them what my major was.
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