Saginaw Valley State University

I came here as a Freshman, Fall 2014. I left at the end of the semester.
They tell you the tuition is low. That is true. But what they don't tell you is how many fees you will be paying and trust me, it is a lot. Even when I moved out of the dorm, they charged me a fee. When you come for a visit, ask about the fees and see what they tell you. And then see what shows up on your billing statement. I assure you, it will be more than you expected.

My second issue is that some of the Admissions people have no idea what they're doing. I consulted with an Admissions person prior to enrolling and received absolutely wrong information about transferring credits. When I brought it up to the head of the Admissions, that person was shocked at what shoddy information I received. I was really upset about the bad advice and unfortunately, it set me back. I think everyone they hire in Admissions are people who graduated from SVSU who can't find jobs somewhere else. You'd think that would make them well-versed in SVSU, but then you'd think wrong.

The dorms. Ah yes, the dorms. They are new and air conditioned and just the best place. Right? Wrong. I think the original idea was probably ok - have little apartment-like dwellings (living centers) within the dorms. But here's the problem - you are slammed into a living center with 6 other people. It's just too many people! How are that many people/personalities, supposed to live together? It was a bad idea but the college is stuck with it now, so they try to pass it off as a wonderful living arrangement. It's not. There are very few questions on your Housing application about your personality, which means the Housing Dept. isn't interested in matching personalities. What I ended up with was a nightmare. I had a neat freak. I had two total slobs who refused to do their dishes and they sat in the sink for 2 months. Several of my roommates would not be quiet at night and called me names when I asked them to be quiet so I could get some sleep. It was a hostile environment and really, a nightmare. And for this, I paid a nice sum of money. They take your money and you get no say in what you receive in return. This is another reason why I am leaving.

The SVSU campus is beautiful. I won't argue with you about that. I was taken in by this as well. But when you get to school, you realize that literally everyone leaves campus Friday-Sunday. It is deserted. When I asked about this during a Saturday campus visit (about why the campus was so quiet) I was not given a truthful answer. My home is a few hours' drive away, and I was unable to go home every weekend. On the weekends, campus was a ghost town. There is simply no campus life. It would have been nice to have know this up front, so I am telling you, if you are serious about SVSU, either be ok with the fact that you are alone on the weekends, or be able to go home every weekend.

There are clubs to join, but seriously, before you come to this college, really look at what clubs are available. It's not much. Look them up on the website. I did play intramural sports to try to get involved and meet people, but it seemed like students were not overly friendly. It felt like I walked onto a campus where everyone already had friends. I'm not sure if the friends were their roommates and I missed out because my roommates were so dreadful, or if people brought friends with them. This is something for you to consider. If you aren't coming with a friend or two, it might be a lonely time for you.

Good luck with your college search. I can only tell you my experience, and it was not good. I ended the semester with a 3.2 GPA, which I was happy with. I think the instructors, for the most part, were good. It's just that when you pay a lot of money to live in a dorm and be a part of campus life, and that turns out to be a real dud, it is a very big disappointment. I can't give SVSU a good review because having a decent campus life is really important. You can get academics anywhere, on any campus. But without a good campus life, then it's just not the place for me.

1st Year Male -- Class 2018

Just not happy at this school. It is lonely here unless you were lucky enough to bring friends with you. I don't find students to be friendly or interested in making new friends. The academics are ok and the professors are ok, but I am researching a transfer because I believe my mental health is being affected. If the college could find a way to stimulate campus life, it might be a good place to be. But until they figure that aspect of it out, I wouldn't recommend it, especially if you come here on your own and think you will be able to join clubs and get involved and make a lot of friends. If you are a commuter student who is just coming here to take classes, you'll be fine. If you're coming here because you think you'll have a great campus life, then you will be disappointed. I've seen this said in other reviews on this site, and is it true.

2nd Year Female -- Class 2017