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Statistical Analyzer:

 
Survey (Identifying information hidden.)
ACT:
AcademicSuccess: 8.46
Again:
Attitude:
Competitive: 8.46
Creativity: 6.92
ExCuricular: 3.85
FAttitude1: 1
FAttitude2: 1
FAttitude3:
FAttitude4:
FAttitude5:
FAttitude6:
FacultyAcc: 6.92
Friendly: 8.46
FromArea: 1
FundingUse: 9.23
Gender:
GradYear: 10
Grounds: 6.92
Intellect: 4
Maint: 5.38
MindExpect: 4
MindUse: 4
Programs: 6.92
SAT: 1100
SAttitude1: 1
SAttitude2:
SAttitude3: 1
SAttitude4: 1
SAttitude5: 1
SAttitude6:
SAttitude7:
SAttitude8: 1
Safety: 4.61
Social: 5.38
Standing: 1
SurroundingCity: 7.69
TAclasses: 5
USE_THIS_DATA: 1
Usefulwork: 9.23
Worth: 6.15
Valid Email Address

Many people say that the first year for a student is probably the most influential and most confusing time of a student's four to five year college career. However, being at a site where high schoolers are close to becoming college freshman, our input is pretty important. The Stevens Institute of Technology definitely proves this pertinence.

After about a year of completion here at Stevens Tech, I am left in much confusion and dismay as there are so many things around me here that aren't bad per se, but can be much better. However, it's one of those places that is unique in its own right and will be hard to leave (or find anywhere else). Let me explain how I came to this and why you (the reader) might come to the same conclusion.

This is a long read, but I hope it's detailed enough.

PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT

A lot of students consider the physical environment of the school to be a grand importance. Stevens gets a bare plus here mainly because of its history. The administration (more on that later) decided wisely to keep a lot of historical elements of the school, such as the Edwin A. Stevens Building, as well as new modernistic styles to fit the times. However, the problem with that is that they don't quite blend together. The older facilities, such as (most) dorms, are left just that—old and waiting to break down before repair. Many of the bathrooms are using quite old equipment and the freshman dorms are definitely in need of a maintenance upgrade. Only one of the freshman dorms have air conditioners (more to come in about ten years time), and none have their own personal kitchens (except one to cook things in—obviously). The upperclassmen dorms, however, are quite nice and have all of the necessary commodities available in the room (bathroom, kitchen, etc.).

ACADEMICS

Even though Stevens has a very small influence outside of New Jersey, it is, in fact, a powerhouse engineering school that concentrates on (almost) nothing but that. The engineering programs are stellar, leaving many options for all types of engineering, from the more common ones such as Mech. Eng. to the absolutely obscure like Underwater Basket Weaving. However, I said almost because Stevens is also trying to develop an equally powerful (and probably more noticed) Business school. It has received top ranks worldwide, and has produced a lot of successful graduates (as well as a lot of female entrants). It is somewhat new, however it is a powerful force.

There are two tidbits here, though. Firstly, as far as engineering cirricula goes, the teachers are mostly non-English speaking professors. You will have an easy time understanding them for some (Chemistry, for example) and a not-so-easy time for others (Calculus). However, despite their language proficiency, most of them are experts at what they do, graduating from high-ranked colleges and universities worldwide. If you are here to learn, you will not be disappointed, unless, of course, you are also here for other things.

Secondly is the humanities program. The humanities program here is mediocre, to say the least. There are a handful of professors that are well qualified to teach an in-depth and worthwhile humanities course such as Writing or History. However, the majority of them fall far behind this characteristic, making one question how they got there in the first place (probably due to the fact that a humanities program is required to be accredited). A perfect example of this is my Writing professor who frequently came late to class to offer NO writing lessons whatsoever (no grammar, no basics, nothing).

However, Stevens has an agreement to allow (certain) humanities courses at New York University serve as replacement credit. Therefore, one gets not only the engineering education from Stevens, but the world-renowned humanities program only found at the College of Arts and Sciences at NYU. Be careful of the people there, though; a lot of them are hard to come by without flashing a $20.

It is also worth mentioning that the Stevens Cooperative Educatino program is one of the strongest in the country, almost guaranteeing high-performance jobs to EVERY student who does it as well as invaluable experience at a very early stage.

SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT

This is a huge danger zone that prospecting Stevens entrants should watch out for. Stevens Tech is AN ENGINEERING SCHOOL, not a STATE UNIVERSITY, therefore expect a lack of girls, clubbing, partying, and the like. I must say that the girl issue is slowly (but painfully) resolving itself, since the ratio of females to males has improved every year significantly.

However, that problem still has not solved the quickly boring fraternity parties, ill-advertised club events, etc. Even rather huge events like Knicks games and Broadway plays receive little fanfare simply because many like being home rather than doing other things.

Also, I cannot comment of lifelong friends because it's hard to predict how I will make out in five years, however as a freshman, expect a slight change in what you've seen in high school. The dating scene is rather low, anti-socials are prominent here (You probably will not meet a portion of your freshman class simply because they don't come out), and cliques form as rapid as bacteria and are not as easy to join into them.

In short, if you are a male aspiring to come here, do not expect to be changing girlfriends every week unless you can manage changing girlfriends with rather shallow (or inexperienced) girls. However, a female here (I believe) has a good chance of finding someone to be with, intelligent or otherwise.

SURROUNDING AREA

Hoboken, NJ is small, very small (nearly 3 sq. miles). However, if you are over 21, Hoboken has the world to offer. Finding a bar or club is extremely easy, and there are many ways to enjoy your night.

However, if you are under 21, New York City is also pretty close (about 15 minutes on the PATH train), giving nearly limitless activities to do on a random weekend or a break from studying. However, be prepared to spend at least $20 to $30 minimum over there, mostly on food and transportation (railfanning from New Jersey costs $30 each time).

SPORTS

Stevens Tech is a Division III school, however the sports teams and programs probably play just as hard as a Division I team. Our volleyball, baseball, and basketball teams, for example, have won a huge majority of state and intercollegiate championships since its advent in the early 20th century. Stevens is also very popular for the fierce Lacrosse team, which has been going strong ever since 1904 (which is also the year where the first Lacrosse match has ever been played on a college level).

However, once again, the turnout of games is low becuase (a) we are a small private school and (b) the huge influx of home-returning students on weekends.

Stevens Technical Enrichment Program (STEP)

If you are a minority reading this, I would pay attention here, since quite a bit of minorities are accepted through this group. STEP is basically a program to promote the furtherment of Hispanic and Afro-American engineers in the American workplace. They do that by allowing some "exceptions" to the admissions rule (lowering SAT standards, GPA standards, pre-requisites, etc.) and making one take a six-week Bridge program which covers most of the first-semester courses in depth.

If you are an open-minded individual that likes to be around his or her own people, then you will like this program. You meet a lot of people that will struggle as much as you will, as well as help you when in need. It is almost like a self-established family. You will (possibly) see yourself closely associating with your STEP friend well into real college life, which to most seems like the better alternative.

HOWEVER, if you are like me and try to be open-minded, yet open to other races and people (and try to avoid the stereotypical image of "The Hispanic Man,") then I would avoid the STEP Program (unless it's conditional, in which you aren't left with much choice). It started okay (dated someone in the program, met close friends at the meetings, etc.), but then quickly hit a deep decline right in the middle of the program. Most STEP students are in a HUGE clique, which in turn forms subsets of cliques. Furthermore, the program tries to push the element of multi-culturalism and diversity straight into your face like prison food, and you have to accept it at the end in order to "graduate" from the program. Finally, and probably the most damning part of the entire experience, is that NONE (absolutely none) of the classes are credited towards anything. They are meant to "prepare" one for the real college life, therefore cannot be counted as credit (which, to me, almost seemed like a very loose answer as to why STEP isn't a remedial program, being that a lot of the students are missing the initial pre-requisites to get in in the first place).

I am slightly bias against the principle of the STEP Bridge program, however it is an opportunity for many people and did help bring success for many who attended it. I recommend that you do your research; go to the meetings, talk to the directors, and review before you regret. Who knows; you might just find a pretty girl at those meetings like I did :-).

I was asked if I would go elsewhere had I been given a chance. I also said that this school is a very hard school to detach oneself from, as the reasons above show. However, I would probably have chosen somewhere else where studying does not becmoe the most entertaining thing to do on my Friday nights. Nearly every night, I am alone in my dorm room either studying or wondering where to study. Furthermore, every day being on this campus is a somewhat depressing one, as I look around and imagine how much different things might have been at Penn State, even if I would have gotten into the Engineering program a bit later. Therefore, for the sake of happiness, if I had the chance, I would have gone to a bigger university like Penn State or Georgia Tech, where my social life is at least a bit more guaranteed. However, don't let my experience dissuade you; if you are serious about the quality of your education and can sacrifice some social aspects of your life that can be made up later, then I would look no further than Stevens.

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