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Education Quality   A
Collaboration/Competitive   B+

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Quite Bright
I graduated from Augie in ’07. Overall I had a good experience, and if I had to do undergrad all over again I wouldn’t mind gong to Augie. If you live in the region and you want a good undergrad education and don’t mind having $120,000 in student loan debt then Augie isn’t a bad choice. It’s a small college in a small (boring) town, and unfortunately the campus is located in the ghetto so it’s not the safest of areas. You won't get the full college experience that you would if you went to a state university in a college town, but you will also leave with something more than a McCollege degree. Honesty, the lack of entertainment can often be a good thing. Being free of distractions will leave you plenty of time to work hard and get the good grades you will need to get into grad school. But back to not getting the full college experience. For example:

*No real parties. The so-called “frat parties” are over by 11PM and the partygoers are mostly nervous freshman, because all the 21+ students are downtown at the bars. But that won’t stop the fraternities from designating one member to stay at the house serving cheap beer to a bunch of dumb kids who don’t know any better. It’s all about making a $ in exchange for a false sense of belonging.

*No real fraternities / sororities. They aren’t nationally recognized. Post-grad they will do NOTHING for you as far as networking in the professional world (making them in my mind completely pointless / useless), so pretty much you are just renting friends. The Greek life at Augie is kind of the joke you don’t mention while you are there, because if you do you can say goodbye to having friends for the next four years (members take their status very seriously, making it even more comical). The social life *mirrors* that of high school (nothing but cliques). I would say that generally there is a “join a sorority / fraternity or be an outcast” mentality among students. But if you are an outgoing person you will be able to make more than enough friends.

*Athletics. Lol, I couldn’t even type the word without laughing a little. Let’s just say that if you are into NCAA football and basketball then go to a Div-1 school. Augie isn’t about sports (only someone forgot to tell the jocks).

Bottom line: Regionally, Augie is a well respected college. I’m from Illinois, and I have yet to run into a person in my profession that hasn’t at least heard of Augie, and people have a positive perception of it. My B.A. helped gain me an entry-level position in IL State Government, as well as admittance into grad school. Outside of the region, having a degree from Augie will do nothing for you as far as name recognition goes. It will be just another undergraduate degree from an accredited university. If you have plans to work professionally or attend graduate school out of the region, save yourself a lot of $ and go to a state university. If you want to work in Chicago, or get into a good grad school like Northwestern, U of Chicago, Loyola, etc., having a degree from Augie can be a useful tool. The lack of distractions forces you to study (what else are you going to do with your time?), and the student – teacher ratio assures you will be in class (or have your absence noticed). No 400 seat lecture halls to skip out on, sorry. My biggest complaint = the system they have in place for signing up for classes, which is so inadequate it is unforgiveable. I can only hope they have gone electronic by now…
Education Quality: A, Surrounding City: F
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May 16 2009 4th Year Male -- Class 2007  
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Bright
I transferred to Augustana College (due to a job relocation) as a nontraditional student (at 25 years of age). I felt that my counselors didn't know what to do with me and all of my credits from University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. I felt very out of touch with what is commonly referred to on campus as the "Augie Bubble," because I lived on the Iowa side of the Mississippi River rather than on campus. I did not join campus clubs or organizations because they were inconvenient to my work and study schedules, as I was working part-time throughout my duration at Augustana. One student told me, "yeah, there is a certain stigma about being older" when I responded to why she may not have seen me around campus the previous year and a half. Three other non-traditional students relayed to me that they experienced similar treatment among the faculty, staff and student body. Looking back, I would have much preferred completing my degree at a larger school, where the faculty, staff and student body would likely have been much more accepting of diversity among the student population.
Starting Job: Paraeducator, Preparedness: B-, Reputation: C
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May 09 2009 Alumna Female -- Class 2000 
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Bright
After being here for a year, I've sat back and reflected on my experience at Augustana. Overall, it is a positive experience and I have enjoyed this year.

I agree that it feels like high school - way too many clicks, and on campus, it becomes a greek vs. non-greek way of life. It seems that many people in greek groups become hostile toward non-greeks, especially in other groups.

Pros:
-Professors seem really nice and most seem to care about you as both an individual and student.
-Trimester system makes classes you really hate go by very fast.
-Smaller school can help you make more friends quicker
-Class choices are very diverse and are interesting
- If you get drunk, they don't care.
- Bathrooms are cleaned daily
- Lots of intramural sports and various activities for free
Cons:
-Expensive. Dorms are expensive, the food is actually cheaper if you pay in cash than if you buy the pre-paid meal plans, but if you live in the dorms you *need* to pay for a meal plan
-Fines. Park in a near empty parking lot for 5 minutes while you drop off a package = $50 ticket. Some drunk kids break a toilet = $500 floor fine (what toilet costs $500?).
- Clicky (see above)
- Parties are the social life for many. Don't feel like drinking on a Saturday night? Unless there is a concert or something, good luck finding people to hang out with.
- Surrounding towns are a dud. Downtown Rock Island is "bar city". Moline and Davenport aren't much better. Besides the $10 movie theater, there isn't much to do off campus.
Extracurricular Activities: A+, Surrounding City: D+
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Apr 20 2009 1st Year Male -- Class 2012  
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Quite Bright
Augustana prepared me to do well in graduate school and then law school. Augie gave me a broad based education, and all the skills that come with a liberal arts education.

If you want to go to a classic "small midwestern liberal arts school," Augustana is a fine choice.

BTW, Rock Island is a perfectly pleasant river town.
Starting Job: Lawyer, Preparedness: A+, Reputation: B+
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Mar 22 2009 Alumnus Male -- Class 2000 
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