Residential Life
A lot of your time at Furman will be spent in class, studying, or working on projects, research or the other stuff that makes up engaged learning. But don't worry, there's still plenty of time for fun.
Fun and Friends
Friends come easily at Furman—thanks to a great orientation program, the natural openness of campus, and a “we’re-all-in-this-together” mentality. Brief conversations turn into all-night sessions. A study question turns into a collaboration with a friend from your Political Science class. Pretty soon you’re going all Furman crazy, like:
- Grabbing a bite at the DH (Dining Hall)
- Checking out a movie down at the UC (University Center)
- Heading over to the library to see what’s going on for the rest of the night
- Challenging a buddy to a Halo tournament
- Cheering on the Paladins in an early fall football game
- Catching a shuttle downtown for a slice of pizza at Barley’s and mind-blowing ice cream at Marble Slab, then some acoustic music at the Coffee Underground
And then, suddenly, you realize you haven’t had time to be homesick (and, if it’s your birthday, your new friends will be throwing you in the lake, but that’s another story).
What’s Going On?
At Furman there’s always something going on. FUSAB (the Student Activities Board) sponsors a ton of events throughout the year, from Homecoming to movies to Texas Hold ‘Em tournaments—they’ve even welcomed Dave Matthews and Howie Day to campus.
Keep your eye on your CLP (Cultural Life Program) count. You need 9 a year, or 36 before you graduate. It might sound tough, but it’s really not that hard—there are CLP events practically every week, and they can include everything from musical performances to speeches by world leaders. And we haven’t even mentioned all the events sponsored by Furman’s 168 student organizations.
To get a taste of what’s been happening lately, check out the Furman campus calendar.
Work It Out
Don’t forget: to keep a healthy mind you need to keep a healthy body. Thankfully, there are a lot of opportunities to stay in shape. Join an intramural or club sport (there are 28, ranging from Aikido to volleyball), play in our Division I athletics for men and women, or work out at the Physical Activities Center.
Life at Furman: Residence Halls
Sisters and Brothers
You may have gone away to college, but you haven’t left all your sisters and brothers at home—in fact, you’ve acquired dozens more. Each residence hall is divided into individual halls where students live, and each hall has a brother or sister hall—which means instant fun and friendship whenever you get together for activities, which can range from movie night to dodgeball.
Explore Your Options
Furman has 12 traditional residence halls, not including the North Village apartments. You'll find these halls in two different areas—South and Lakeside. Your housing options range from singles to four-person suites, and some that are coed by floor. For detailed information about different residence halls (even down to the dimensions of the furniture), visit the
Housing and Residence Life Office.
When you become an upperclassman you can move into the North Village Apartments, which offer all the amenities of apartment living while allowing you to stay connected to life on campus. Furman also hosts
language houses in Chinese, French, German, Japanese and Spanish, as well as the
Greenbelt Community, an experiment in sustainable living.
RAs and FRADs
We try to make the move-in easier by providing you with seasoned Furman students who know their way around campus. Each hall is led by a Resident Assistant (RA), an upperclassman who will provide advice, plan hall events, and enforce University policies. In addition, also on the hall are Freshman Advisors (known as FRADs), who serve as mentors for their residents while helping them adjust to the first-year experience in college.
Living/Learning Communities
As a freshman you may choose to participate in a residential learning community for first-year students where students live together in a residence hall while participating in an academic program taught by Furman faculty. Students may choose to particpate in any one of several class programs taught by dedicated faculty who take the learning that occurs in the classroom and provide opportunities for extracurricular learning. All classes offered fulfill graduation requirements or GERs. Students also participate as a team in activities such as O-Week and the annual Homecoming competition as well as take pride in planning their own events such as a Coffehouse series. For more information, visit the
Housing and Residence Life website.