Shepherd University

Academically, it's a mixed bag. There are some excellent professors there, especially in the psychology department. The Honors program comes up with some creative courses. You will get plenty of individualized attention in your classes though. People make friends with professors all the time.

But overall you won't be challenged much here. What you learn is going to be more or less useless to you in the work world. Especially if you're a nursing major, because they've threatened to revoke Shepherd's nursing program at least twice.

Shepherdstown has a couple of bars, and nearby Martinsburg has a bunch of strip clubs. Shepherdstown doesn't have many students around in the summer, but if you know some of the townies it can be pretty nice. The shops in town are unique, and aesthetically it would be hard to find a prettier campus. Shepherdstown has a lot of old brick and stone houses, and won't let the college destroy the old-town feel.

It's about as easy to make friends at Shepherd as at any other college. Like I said, the people are nuts though. I'm not one to make sweeping judgments like that, but in this case it's warranted. Program Board tries to organize events to make students feel welcome, and there are a few Greek organizations. But I think the dorms are really the best place to make friends.

Overall, I think I would have chosen a better college if I had it to do over again. But the experience was character-building.