Longwood University
Longwood University (visited 3/22/24)
I finally had a chance to visit Longwood, located in the southern part of Virginia. I visited on an admitted student day; I’m really impressed with what a great job they did putting this together – everything from the pre-event communications to the multitude of signs and greeters around to welcome people to campus set the tone for the day. The rep, himself an alum, recognized that this isn’t always the easiest school to get to: “I know a lot of people say, ‘I don’t know if I want to go to school in rural America’ – but this place has a way of pulling people in! This is such a great college town. There is always something to do. There’s lots of recreational activities in town: historic sites, outdoor stuff, and a downtown scene. At some point, y’all will be turning 21 and there are plenty of options for you there, too.”
Maybe because of its location, Longwood seems to be kind of the forgotten child of the Virginia Publics which is unfortunate – although after making it into the initial round of March Madness this year (2024), maybe it’ll end up on a few more people’s radars! There’s a lot going for it, including being ranked as a Top 10 Public University in the south, and the students seem to be well taken care of. Being a DI school (despite its smaller size) means there’s a lot of school spirit.
Because it’s not on as many people’s radars, it’s one of the more accessible Virginia schools – and I believe also the smallest with only about 3,200 undergraduates (Virginia State, Norfolk State, Mary Washington, and Christopher Newport are the next closest, ranging from about 3500-4500 students each). “Being smaller has its perks,” said our tour guide. “You really have to check out these smaller schools – there are enough people to make it interesting but you get so much more access to things. It helps you make friends, connect with professors, focus, and stay engaged,” he said. All of these have been shown to lead to higher success rates.
About 70% of classes have fewer than 30 students; the average is 18. They offer more than 100 areas of studies. Their Civitae Core Curriculum helps students develop the skills needed in the 21st Century workplace: thinking critically, communicating, making decisions from collected data, and making students a more well-rounded professional. A few unusual concentrations or majors offered at Longwood include Books & Printmaking (within General Art); Public History; Water Resources; Cyber Security, Forensics, & Policy; and Therapeutic Studies. “Every area has a hands-on component,” said one of the reps. “Longwood allows you to build a solid foundation before the job market or grad school. It’s all about connections and experiences; internships may feel scary, but it sets you up for success and your life. It’s more than a degree.”
This is a highly residential community with a lot of traditions and events that bring students together. Octoberfest and Spring Weekend are big deals on campus, including Color Wars when students get either green or red thrown at them depending on their year. Around campus at different places on the sidewalks, people have spraypainted 2 rotundas and 7 crowns. Students are NOT supposed to step on the rotundas and will be diligent about going around them – but stepping on the crowns is good luck! “If you accidentally step on a rotunda, you have to find and step on all 7 crowns to counteract the bad luck,” our tour guide told us – and he enthusiastically jumped on the crowns when we went by them on our tour. “The one with the best luck – and the most sentimental value – is the one at the top of the steps by the quad. This is the last one we’ll walk over as we process into graduation.”
The symbols represent a couple major things on campus. The rotunda building was the original building when the school began as Farmville Female Seminary. In it stands one of 3 Joan of Arc statues; students will rub the hand of this statue for good luck. The crowns represent a secret society, the Princeps, dedicated to leadership. There’s also a Secret Society, Chi, is dedicated to service. People in these groups are sworn to secrecy until they get revealed as Seniors in the spring at a special ceremony.
Students must live in campus housing for 3 years; the university owns 2 apartment complexes located within a 10-minute walk of campus that they’ll count as part of the 3 year requirement. All on-campus dorms have been renovated within the last 5 years; they’re attractive and centrally located. The two towers (on the edge of campus – but still easily walkable to classes) house a lot of the first-year students. About 20% of students join Greek Life; many of the sororities room together in one of the female dorms; there’s no separate housing. Students in the Honors College can opt to live in Wheeler Hall. Many opt to do so, but this is not required. There are 9 dining options scattered across campus including Moe’s, Starbucks, and Panda Express. First-years can have cars on campus; they can pay for the parking pass along with deposit and will get the pass at orientation.
For admissions, they have Early Action and Regular Decision options; the only people allowed to apply Early Decision (the binding type) are nursing students. Applicants interested in the Honors College have to fill out a separate application. Admitted students, once they submit their enrollment deposit, can register for orientation and classes, submit housing preferences, and set up college email. Virginia residents should also submit their in-state tuition form on their portal.
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