Scott and I are in love with the Berry College campus. We drove over to Rome, Georgia, Sunday night and talked with the admissions folks yesterday, including the recent grad we’d met at a college fair. This campus is quite unlike others I’ve seen. Bill has worked for Rice University and Washington University in St. Louis, and like these campuses Berry has lovely architecture. But unlike these schools, Berry has vast expanses of open grassland, hilly heavily wooded forests, log cabins for guests and faculty housing and herds of deer leaping around like they own the place. Barns, columned buildings that reminded me of the University of Alabama and a private elementary school for Berry’s education program. It’s just a very unusual campus. A mountain campus hugs the hills about two or three miles apart from the main campus, and we drove up there being careful of the deer grazing near the road. Past Swan Lake (yes, we saw two of them), at the end of an unpaved road, we found an old mill with a huge water wheel. With 28,000 acres, Berry claims to be the world’s largest campus, at least in acreage. Parts of the movie “Remember the Titans” and “Sweet home Alabama” were filmed here.
No personal pictures because while I remembered the camera, I forgot the flash card. My bad. These images are from the college's Web site and I hope they don't mind me sharing them.
It’s going to be a huge problem to find a more lovely campus, but Scott has more schools to look at and unlike the junior who was along on our tour, we have started late.
Those of you who read this blog regularly know I write about education from time to time. This particular journey with my son is personal, but many parents have traveled the road to helping their children find a good school. Me, I happen to think that you can find a good education in all sorts of places. While I graduated from the University of Alabama with two degrees, I also went back to school when I was 50 at a wonderful community college, College of DuPage, where I had two of my best teachers ever. I credit them with helping me rediscover my passion for art and design.
Christmas Countdown – 27 days
11 comments:
I felt certain you’d like Berry, for the atmosphere if nothing more. I hope you’re satisfied with the academic standing of Berry, and the courses offered that will fit into your plans.
My mother had a cousin (that we kids called “Aunt Callie”) in Rome. and as a kid I got farmed out to her nearly every summer for a while. Callie’s husband owned a business that transitioned from making chenille bedspreads, etc., into a carpet manufacturer when the rage for carpet-making in that area began. When Carter was elected president that company made the new rug Carter installed in the Oval Office.
Don, I didn't talk about Rome, but it seems like a great town. We drove around it and since we are big fans of Italy, it was fun to see a she-wolf statue at city hall just like we'd seen on our travels in Italy. The downtown business district puts Montgomery's to shame. There were lots of cute shops and restaurants and it was thriving unlike our ghost town.
Ohhh, Sheila! It's a good thing I'm not a young student...I don't think there is a campus where I would rather be than this one!
thanks for writing about it...I know education is not about the place where it is given...but Berry captures my heart!
Marion, it truly is beautiful. Plus, the school is big on community service. It's fun to think that this school is a possibility.
Remember The Titans is one of my all time favorite movies...and I love the picture of the mill. I think I'm going to have to snag that one - as one of the blogosphere treasures I've come across - for my companion site, The Good, The Bad And The Ugly {Things I've Found In The Blogosphere}
Wow - that'll have to be on one of my future visits to that area. I love architecture of that nature, not to mention the mill setting. You take wonderful photos, Sheila. ;)
Thanks for stopping by, Kilroy. Your site sounds interesting. I'll be visiting.
Tim, I only wish I'd brought the flash card for the camera which I did bring. These are from the college's Web site. I forget what part of Tennessee you are from, but Berry is halfway between Atlanta and Chattanooga. The mountain campus feels like the area around Cade's Cove.
I'd never heard of this school, but it is lovely to look at. I don't suppose it has a reputation as a party school, does it? hehe
DB, I had never heard of Berry either until we visited the college fair and met an admissions rep. No reputation as a party school. No Greek system. In fact, Berry has roots as an interdenominational Christian college , although there are no religious requirements like chapel and such. The founder, Martha Berry, believed strongly in service and that's emphasized. I asked if they had football, and the student tour guide said, "No. Martha Berry didn't like football."
It's just an unusual college in a quirky and endearing way.
I'm big on serendipity. The day after we visited, my husband met a stranger and was talking to him about his son visiting a college. Turns out the man was a graduate of Berry and nothing but good things to say about his Alma Mater.
Berry College looks great. The scenery is beautiful. Gosh being at a place like that would feel like being on holiday to me not going to study Sheila! Seeing the deer would be the icing on the cake.
Hi! I just found your blog through a random search. I'm a Junior at Berry College and I just wanted to say that it's an amazing place to go to school and I can't imagine going anywhere else. I actually did for my freshman year, and when I came to Berry, I knew it was the place to be! My email address is ldriskell@students.berry.edu and I would love to answer any questions you have about the school. In fact, we're having this orientation thing called Discover Berry in a few weeks in which prospective Berry students come and get information about the campus from current Berry students. It's an amazing experience! Just thought I would share this with you. Oh, and I saw something about a party school... no, Berry is definitely not a party school. It's a dry campus and if you get caught with alcohol on campus, then there are serious consequences.
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