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Millsaps College Visit Report


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Millsaps is a small LAC in Jackson, MS with a strong academic component. IT is one of the colleges that is listed in Colleges That Change Lives. It is a Methodist institution. We were attendees at an event called Curiosity and Catfish. As my dd said, while she was already somewhat interested in the college, the title of the event really attracted her, even though she isn't a catfish (or any fish, if given the choice) eater. The entire city was under a boil water order due to a mishap with a water main and the college took good care to supply ample water bottles. The organization was very good and we had no problems with parking, finding our way, or getting questions answered.

 

We first went on a tour. The campus is fairly small and compact. It is completely fenced in. There are three big hospital complexes within a square mile. There is a area with restaurants, small shops, a natural food grocery, etc. about a half mile away and the campus provides a bus service to there. Students are allowed to bring cars and parking is available. THe campus looks in good shape. The freshman get the most utiliatarian dorms but they are nicer than many of the dorms we have seen since the rooms are fairly big and include a high divider so the sleeping area is separate from the study area. They have built some new upperclass dorms in the last few years and they look very nice. The classroom buildings and other buildings look in good repair. THe gym is very nice but smallish with a small outdoor pool which is not a regulation size pool.

 

What we learned about the school= they superscore the ACT. They merit scholarships of 9000=20,000. They also have need based aid. They are a yellow ribbon school. Many of the students either have double majors or majors and double minors. One of the students we heard about had both double majors and double minors. Study abroad is very popular and they have centers in the Yucatan and on the Albanian border. The Yucatan center is focused on archeology (they are excavating a Mayan temple), biology, business, and Spanish language. I didn't find out what was going on in Albania. Writing is a major focus of the curriculum. Research opportunities are excellent since like many smaller colleges in the last decade, the professors here have gotten grants for research and are directly working with undergrad students. Being in a capital city and with all the educational and medical institutions along with the government, there are lots of internship possibilities. The college is Run by Methodists but religion is not forced. There are a number of religious clubs on campus and we saw prayer request envelopes up which looked like people were using them. About 50% of students go Greek but there are no sorority houses and the majority of frat members live in dorms. All of the people there kept saying how the Greek situtation is very friendly and not the same at all as at the state universities. The average class size is 11 and the biggest class is 35.

 

Sports are popular and 55% of students participate in intermurals or club sports. The campus has no classes scheduled from 4-6 so students can do sports or go to club meeting or have campus activities.

 

One thing that impressed me is how the staff responds to students missing class. They notice and take action like visiting the student and making sure everything is alright and taking steps if it isn;t. Apparantly, this is much more of a problem with boys who tend to get caught up in video games or other electronic distractions, start staying up too late and then sleeping in and missing classes. Since my family has already gone through problems with my oldest missing classes at another college (also small) and no one notified us or attempted to help him until he was very far gone, I really appreciate such efforts. They don't notify parents right away but do notify them if they have serious concerns.

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Sounds like a great visit! :)

 

The attendance issue must be very widespread because my dd just attended pre-registration at Belhaven. She said the registrar addressed this issue head-on and basically warned the students of the same thing...if you miss class, you will be visited. Dd ALSO said they HIGHLY encouraged the students *several* times to sign the release form allowing them to contact parents. She said the registrar's words were basically, "We care about you, your parents care about you and we encourage you to make it possible for us to work TOGETHER with your parents as a team to help you be as successful as you can be over the next four years." I was VERY impressed with that.

 

So, where do you think Millsaps will rate on your dd's list? Sounds like a lot of great opportunities! I'm sorry you all had to weather the boil water situation. I guess she got a taste of a possible *worst case scenario*! LOL!

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My husband and I are Millsaps grads, and I have volunteered for years with my sorority on campus. If you have any questions about the school, I will try to answer them.

 

What you were told about the Greek system being friendly is very true. I never considered myself the sorority type, but then I got to campus and saw that at Millsaps there isn't really a single "type" that goes Greek. It is inclusive with something for everyone. I was actually proud to be in a sorority.

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