Founded as Randolph-Macon Women’s College in 1891, Randolph went co-ed in 2007, and has just under 700 undergraduate students. Not surprisingly, most classes at Randolph College are between 8-12 students, so they are fully engaged in each class. There’s no anonymity here!
Randolph has some interesting majors and minors: sport/exercise science, multimedia journalism, creative writing and elementary education. Randolph focuses on the traditional liberal arts, and has not tried to build the pre-professional majors, though many students go on to medical, law school and other professional tracks. The Model UN and equestrian programs are well-regarded.
The student panel that spoke to my group talked about what they liked most about the college: the feeling of family; lots of activities and a strong social life; the non-competitive $2000 RISE grant that supports internships and other experiential learning. A student from a large high school in Texas recalled thinking at his high school graduation how bizarre it was that he was graduating with people he had never met. Here at Randolph, he knows everyone.
When asked to describe their fellow students, one of the student panelists said, “honorable.” The honor code is an important part of the culture here – students can schedule their own exams (within the time allotted by each professor), and they leave their computers and backpacks in the student center without worrying about things being taken.
Advising is particularly strong here; every student is advised by a faculty member. Randolph is steeped in tradition but has transitioned well into a co-ed college, providing a traditional liberal arts experience to its students. The average GPA for incoming students is 3.6, with an average SAT score of 1095 (CR+M) and 25 ACT.
Evelyn visited in November, 2015. You can see all of her photos here.