Where do I begin? When I found Stephens College I was ecstatic! I found a small college close to home where I could take my dog and have several minors with my Legal Studies Major. I was very excited for move in day. FOOD:
After a few months of being here I realized the food was poor quality. The fruit is rarely fresh, the mashed potatoes are not all the way mashed, the chicken is not always cooked thoroughly, the lettuce is pretty nasty, and the food is not very good. Also, I got sick an hour after drinking a smoothie from Kaldi's, the coffee shop here on campus. The hours for meals are also horrible. Although they claim to open at 11am for lunch, the food is never ready until 11:15. Dinner is also only open from 5-7 so if you are a theater or fashion major, plan on starving.
PETS:
I met some pretty friendly students right of the get go. Having a pet helped make friends as people are continuously looking for other dogs to play with their dog. However, the famous doggy daycare here is worthless. The girls can only have 2 dogs at a time so if you do not get there right when it open, you do not have a spot for your dog. Usually the same two dogs are in there all day every day. It is also expected that you do not wash your dogs clothes or bedding in the washing machines as they do not want pet hair in the washers. Also, good luck getting a washing machine. Most buildings have one washer and dryer per floor. Your pets are also pretty much confined to your room or outside. Don't think you can sit in the lobbies that nobody uses with your pet. Also expect fellow students living in the pet dorms to complain. They will complain as they do not like animals, yet chose to live in the pet dorm. If you have a dog expect to participate in a poop pick-up party. Whether the poop someone did not pick up was your dogs or not, everyone has to pick it up.
FACULTY/STAFF:
At first the faculty and staff seemed very helpful. There are still many professors who are very helpful and friendly. In fact, I am very happy with the majority of my professors. The other faculty and staff are the problem. Some of us who are planning on transferring were told by a person who is quite high up that we would fail if we went anywhere else. It's quite upsetting when someone believes you will fail simply because you are leaving due to the school not catering to you educational needs. A friend of mine who is a fashion communications and marketing major was also told my one of her professors that she would be back. If anything takes too much time and effort for the staff here, don't plan on them handling it. It will get ignored.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT POINTS:
If you are busy between 5 and 7 or 8, do not plan on getting all of the community engagement points you need to keep your scholarship. In other words, if you are a theater major, fashion major, equestrian major, or have any commitments such as work-study do not plan on getting your community engagement points.
LEGAL STUDIES DEPARTMENT:
They cut my major this year, without letting those of us know who were enrolling ahead of time. In my opinion if they lose Professor Zylstra because of this they will be losing their best professor. She is a hard grader, but you learn even when you aren't trying to during her classes.
OTHER MAJORS:
If want to major in psychology, do not come here. There is talk that this major will also be dropped soon. Unless you are a dance, theater, fashion, or equestrian major it isn't worth your time or money to come to Stephens. I have also heard talk of the equestrian program being dropped so I would look into that before you come here.
DORMS:
The rooms are big, which is nice. Most rooms also have a full length mirror in them. The closets are also nice and big. However, the bigger rooms only have 4 outlets and the baby singles only have 2. Plan to also bring some adapters as not all of the outlets are three pronged. Buy any cleaning supplies to clean, too. There are suppose to be brooms and dustpans to clean, but I have never seen them. I have heard the freshman dorm, Pillsbury, has them but the broom is disgusting. The dorms are old and you can definitely tell that they are. Some of the heaters do not work properly.
BATHROOMS:
Also bring shower shoes: the showers are rarely cleaned. The community bathrooms are pretty disgusting: the toilets usually do not flush everything down and in some not all of the lights work. On the bright side, the water pressure is wonderful and you can take very hot showers. Be warned, though, when someone flushes the toilet your shower gets even hotter. I have heard in Pillsbury the mats have mold underneath of them.
KITCHENS:
In searcy, cooking anything in the main floor kitchen sets the fire alarm off. The only other kitchen is in doggy daycare. The kitchens are also very outdated. Pretty much, don't plan on cooking anything unless it goes in a toaster or microwave.
FELLOW STUDENTS:
Nothing is different from any other school when it comes to students. Some are snotty and unfriendly while others are open minded and friendly. You win some and you lose some. You will probably have drama and you will feel as if you are in high school again but when you put a bunch of girls in one school that is expected.
CLASSES:
Some classes are interesting and some are not. Some your teachers always show up and some never show up. Also, don't expect to get into every class you want. Most likely the ones you really want into are going to fill up really fast. It will most likely be a struggle to get in all of your classes and graduate early as classes are usually only offered at one time.
SPORTS:
Sports are a joke here. None of the sports do well. In fact, I once heard the President talking about our sports compared to others during a Volleyball game. She commented on how Columbia College had excellent teams because they recruited for sports based on sports whereas we supposedly based it on academics and then from those recruited for sports. I'm not sure why, based on that theory, there is so much money wasted on sports.
WHERE IS OUR MONEY GOING?
That is a wonderful question. Money goes toward renovations of buildings, it seems. Buildings such as the President's house and classrooms. Or renovating the ten ideas, which still look like crap after being fixed. Or ways to get people to walk across the bridge. Bike calming things were put in and taken down 8 hours later. They were put back in again a few months later. Then taken down when the snow hit us. After the snow melted they were put back in again. That is a pretty big waste of money right there. Where the rest of our money goes is a big mystery. Our 100 computer fee is supposed to help get high-speed internet. The internet is slow and has gone out many times during the year. Don't expect to use the printers in the residence halls as most will not print out.
OVERALL:Stephens College is not worth it. I am in so much debt from this school and I have only been here for one year. If I could go back, I would not go to Stephens College. It just isn't worth it.
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