From Reddit, to Seniors: College
Seniors have I think all heard back from colleges now--Redditors at college/recently out, what do you think of your college? The more information to decide my school for the next four years of my life, the better. Give us all the obvious facts that we can't get from the admissions folks, and some besides.
In particular:
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When did you go? (or current, if current)
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Program or sub-school & concentrations
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How are the professors (or, how approachable are they)?
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Peers? What kind(s) of people are they?
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Is there significant administrative overhead? Can you enroll in all the classes you want?
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How are the surroundings?
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How is the quality of life (social, eating, fitness)?
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Research? Internships? Co-ops? Study-abroad?
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Anything else worth mentioning!
Posted Apr 4, 2010, 6:17 AM UTC · edited
It seems to be hip and trendy on the Internet to bash college education these days. The people on reddit that have received a poor college education are very vocal about their experiences... so does Maddox. Those that love college may not see your topic because they're, well, out doing college things (which entails studying, where I go).
I personally feel really uncomfortable answering your questions, but I've had a very positive experience for a pretty unreasonable cost (one that I think will eventually pay for itself).
The answer to many of your questions, however, depends on what type of school the person goes to and what he or she majors in. Is it a public university with a high student:teacher ratio? If so, there will be less student/teacher interaction, and a higher probability that the student has dealt with a teaching assistant. Since most people that go to college to to big universities, the majority of the responses you receive will probably come from people from big universities. Take factors like this into consideration if everyone has a very poor (or, conversely, Utopian) experience.
Oh, I mean, I'm definitely going to college. Just a matter of where.
I would like to turn your attention to College Prowler. It was invaluable in choosing a college for me, and I applied to 8! I took advantage of the free applications and places offering me scholarships to apply for free so I could have my options open.
It does cost some money, but it's totally worth it. I mean, you're going to invest a lot of time and money wherever you end up going, and spending $15 (or whatever it is) to make sure you go to the right place is absolutely justifiable.
Wait, what did you pay for? I used it, and all I had to do was register.
I had to pay for it back in high school when it had really limited stuff to view. It also had a completely different layout. Glad to see it's free now!
I go to Purdue which has a rather large student population and a high student to teacher ratio but I disagree that your interactions with professors decreases. You have to take the initiative to make contact with a professor. Here, every professor is required to hold office hours and they usually sit around alone completely willing to talk to you and help you with the course. This has worked for me in classes of 300+ people to classes of just 30. It was all about going out there and making the effort and after doing that and getting to know the professor, it made getting a spot doing research as an undergrad much easier.
Purdue is a good school, though, so I feel like this is an exception. I want to add in that the latter is just what I think, not what I know.
I would expect Purdue students to go the extra mile of waiting in a queue (if it exists) to talk to their teachers during office hours.
I just wanted to clear up the misconception that professors are cold people that don't have time for undergrads. My personal experience has never had me waiting to see a professor either.
My advice is to make sure you visit different colleges to see if they have the right "feel" and fit for you. You will learn a lot more about each school if you show up and tour the campus, a dorm, and try out the food and just get a general feel for the atmosphere.