CQA College Visit with Rhodes College

Memphis, Tennessee

May 2025

Admissions Rep: Alexander Mise: Rhodes College: Associate Director of Admissions-

New England Representative-misea@rhodes.edu

Location

●      Rhodes is a 10-minute drive to downtown Memphis.

●      Memphis is bordered by the Mississippi River

●      Rhodes is a gated campus: it is restricted, and visitors have to show an ID to get onto campus.

●      Memphis in general: Like all major cities, there are a few dangerous areas and other beautiful areas. Rhodes talks about safety during orientation with new students.

●      Rhodes has a great relationship with Memphis

●      80% of its students do community service while at Rhodes

●      Rhodes is located in a green space, with a big zoo, and park areas nearby

●      Fun neighborhoods: Overton Square, live music, restaurants, shops, and outdoor space

●      Cooper Young: LGBTQA++ friendly neighborhood with festivals and restaurants

●      Downtown is right along the Mississippi River, and there is a beautiful park and riverwalk with festivals, etc

●      Culture, history - The National Civil Rights Museum is located in Memphis

●      Outdoorsy student: Shelby Farms is a 15-minute drive; it is a vast public park where there is kayaking, biking, and hiking

●      Memphis sports teams

Honors Program

●      Students do not apply from high school - they apply later through their major/program.

●      Students do not apply to a major; they pick a path once they get to Rhodes

Rhodes Facts

●      Has approximately 2000 students

●      58% female, 42% male

●      It is considered a small liberal arts college - focus on students, community, relationships with professors, letters of rec

●      There is an average of 15 students per class

●      Student/Faculty ratio: 10:1

●      Multicultural & international students make up 38% of the student body.

●      Students know the faculty well and belong to a close community

Academics

●      Through 21 academic departments and 13 interdisciplinary programs, Rhodes offers more than 70 majors, interdisciplinary majors, minors, and academic programs.

●      Students declare a major in the second semester of their sophomore year

●      Most popular majors

○      Business

○      Biology-premed track

○      Political Science

○      Psychology

○      Computer Science

●      There are graduate tracks in pre-law and pre-med advising

●      Rhodes is good at prepping students for graduate school

●      Rhodes College offers unparalleled opportunities for students to pursue rigorous undergraduate study in the liberal arts and sciences. Hence, its curriculum is built around 12 Foundations (12 liberal arts skills)

●      Known as the Foundations Curriculum, these courses provide a framework for liberal education and lifelong learning. Various courses from different departments can fulfil most Foundation requirements, and some courses fulfill two Foundation requirements.

●      Rhodes College offers unparalleled opportunities for students to pursue rigorous undergraduate study in the liberal arts and sciences.

○      F1: Critically examine personal, social, and cultural values.

○      F2: Develop excellence in written communication.

○      F3: Engage in historical thinking about the human past.

○      F4: Read and interpret literary texts.

○      F5: Create art and analyze artistic expression.

○      F6: Gain facility with mathematical reasoning and expression.

○      F7: Explore and understand scientific approaches to the natural world.

○      F8: Use theory and empirical research to explore aspects of human experience and interaction and apply these to contemporary issues.

○      F9: View the world from more than one cultural perspective.

○      F10: Demonstrate intermediate second-language proficiency.

○      F11: Experiential Learning Foundation

○      ​​F12: Develop skills to become an informed, active, and engaged student-citizen.

●      The curriculum is built to give flexibility and options for students (i.e., mathematical reasoning can be in math, logic, stats, music theory, CS).

●      Its 11th Foundation is an Experiential Learning Foundation, which guarantees that a student will do some research, study abroad, or internship; most students do a variety of 2-3 options in their four years.

●      Entrepreneurship program

●      Top 25 in Student Internships: Princeton Review

●      Internships: Memphis has the highest per capita rate of any U.S. city and offers students great experiences. Strong career services dept. Over 70% of students do internships before they graduate.

●      Research: Rhodes is almost entirely undergraduate students, but has a handful of accounting graduate students, so students get direct access to research with professors.

●      And there is research off campus, as Memphis's hospitals allow students to do research. The pre-health track is popular.

●      Study Abroad: ⅔ of Rhodes’ students study abroad. There are options of different lengths (year, semester, Maymester), and the student’s financial package travels with them. There is a lot of flexibility on where they can go. There are Rhodes options, too, that the professors explicitly teach.

●      Lots of academic support for all types of students

●      Political vibe on campus: tends to be a liberal student body. Fairly purple campus

●      Although located in a red state, Memphis is a blue city

●      Student Body: ⅓ come from TN, and a vast majority come from the surrounding area, states: TX, LA, AL, KY, and AK. A handful (10-20 students) from New England every year, mostly athletes.

Student Activities

●      Active student body, with over 130 clubs and organizations

●      23 men’s and women’s NCAA Division III intercollegiate teams and club/intramural sports too

●      ⅓ are student athletes

●      Greek life - 50% are involved/Divine 9 is there too

●      Fraternity and sorority houses are not residential; more like clubhouses

●      Greek recruitment takes place during the second semester

●      Interfaith organizations

●      Students have to live on campus for the three years - creates energy and activity

Admissions

●      47% of applicants are ranked in the top 10% of their high school class

●      89% had a grade point average of 3.50 or greater

●      Mid-50% SAT Math 650-740 / EBRW 660-730, ACT 27-31

●      Multicultural & international students make up 44% of the class

●      Common App only, no application fee, no supplement essays required.

●      Test optional (50% apply TO)

●      They highly recommend students get to know their admissions counselor- they are very happy to chat with students, especially during the summer!

●      It is a holistic admission review

● Students’ Activities- they look for commitment and leadership

●      AP - take 4 or 5 for credit

●      Dual-enrollment - like to see them - particular about dual-enrollment credit - for Rhodes credit, must be beyond HS grad requirements, taught by a college professor

●      ED I Nov 1st ED II is Jan 15th around 20-30% of the class apply ED: there is a 3K ED grant and it is a rolling release of decisions - usually 2-3 week turnaround.

●      20-30% of class filled ED

●      Dec 1 priority deadline for merit-based scholarships

●      EA Nov 15 deadline and hear around Jan 15th

●      RD Jan 15 deadline and hear around Mar 15

Scholarships

●      All applications are reviewed for merit scholarships, and an additional application is required.

●      The vast majority of students earn a 20K merit scholarship

●      Merit range $20K-43K

●      Merit is a 4-year award if you maintain a 2.5 GPA

●      There are scholarships that have applications and deadlines (range from $10K to full ride). Look at the website for details

●      Physics/art and music/Jewish student (there is a Hillel)/bonner -community service/and social justice

●      These scholarships stack on top of the merit scholarships

Financial Aid

●      Generous financially with ED students - not a detriment if you apply to ED

●      495 of the Class of 2028 received need-based aid

●      Total cost 2024-25

●      $57,110-tuition

●      $ 13,620 room and board

●      Total: $70,739

●      $75K for indirect cost, etc.

●      Generous with need-based aid - 49% received need-based aid

●      Can appeal the need-based award

Some of Rhodes' accolades and rankings include:

●      Recognized by the Wall Street Journal as among the 2025 Best Colleges in the U.S.

●      The Princeton Review for value, internships, community service, and campus beauty

●      U.S. News & World Report's list of 2025 Best Colleges

●      Money magazine's list of Best Colleges

●      Named a Top Music Business School by Billboard magazine

●      Recognized by Niche as the #1 Liberal Arts College in Tennessee for 2025 and a Best College nationally for 2025

●      Featured in the Fiske Guide to Colleges for strong programs in economics, English, international studies, history, chemistry, business, biology, and psychology

●      Identified by Stacker as a best college in a big city

●      Listed by Forbes magazine as a 2024-2025 Top College in the country

●      Designated by the Fulbright Program as a top producer of U.S. scholars and students studying and working abroad

●      Awarded Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement for being an institution with extraordinary commitments to our public purpose

●      Rhodes is also one of 50 colleges included in both editions of The Princeton Review’s list of “Colleges That Create Futures” and continues to be included in each new edition of Colleges That Pay You Back: The 200 Schools That Give You the Best Bang for Your Buck.

Traditions

●      As a college with more than 165 years’ worth of history, Rhodes is home to a wide range of traditions. And with each new generation of students that passes through our halls, new traditions are established and embraced.              

●      The Honor System - For over a century, the Rhodes Honor System has encouraged students to fully express their individuality while living harmoniously with the broader community. Every fall, our first-year students participate in a solemn ceremony, where each signs a pledge to not lie, cheat, or steal, and to help create a community where respect and compassion for others are valued and embraced.

●      President Diehl′s Statue - President Diehl, president when the school was moved from Clarksville, Tennessee, to its current location in Midtown Memphis, is commemorated by a larger-than-life statue in Diehl Court. Once—after a basketball game against our rival, The University of the South—Dr. Diehl's statue was seen wearing the head of their mascot.

●      Oak Alley - After the college moved to Memphis, college engineer John Rollow brought seedlings from the famous oaks on the former campus to Memphis, where they were planted in two rows, flanking the “ceremonial” entrance to campus.

●      The Rhodes College Seal - The Seal of Rhodes College is located in the Cloister of Southwestern Hall. Tradition holds that if a student steps on the seal, he or she will not graduate on time. The senior class finally gets a chance to cross the seal during Commencement.

●      Graduation in Fisher Garden - Seniors have historically graduated in Fisher Garden, a quiet, open space in a grove of trees. When the garden isn’t full of seniors throwing their caps in the air, you’ll find many students enjoying some quiet time there.

●      "The Rat" - The primary cafeteria on campus, the Catherine Burrow Refectory, is affectionately known by students as "The Rat." No reflection on the quality of the food, the name has several different stories attached to it. One of them stems from a group of cafeteria employees who started an intramural sports team. They called themselves the Rat Pack, which students shortened to The Rat. In honor of the Rat’s name, there is a small rat statue outside the dining hall.

●      Pancake Study Breaks - Every semester during exams, faculty and staff cook enough blueberry and chocolate chip pancakes to feed any students who need a break from studying. Everyone from college deans and directors to staff and professors volunteers for the evening.

●      Halliburton Tower - Halliburton Tower is dedicated to Richard Halliburton, a native Memphian and adventurer who is said to be the model for Indiana Jones. His exploits took him worldwide and included being the only person to swim all 50 miles of the Panama Canal.

●      Whiteball - The Whiteball Court, located on the west side of Gordon White Residence Hall, has been for decades a favorite site for alumni and current students to play a version of handball using the slate roof of the passage connecting White Hall to the Refectory.

Campus

●      The Princeton Review named Rhodes the #1 Most Beautiful College Campus in America in its 2017 edition of The Best 381 Colleges.

●      Rhodes’ Collegiate Gothic campus sits on a 123-acre, wooded site in the heart of historic Midtown Memphis. In this beautiful, supportive environment, our students and faculty comprise a community unmatched in its dedication to learning and a life of honor.

●      Our walkways, quadrangles, residence halls, common areas, and classrooms are all intentionally designed to encourage intimate conversation, exchanging ideas, and life-changing connections.

●      The Rhodes Arboretum originated in the early 1950s under the supervision of Dr. Arlo Smith, longtime Professor of Biology. A number of Rhodes faculty, staff, and students have been involved over the decades to conserve and increase tree species on campus.