Mark a survey and Inform Staff

Peer Review:

Statistical Analyzer:

First of all, I would prefer to stay somewhat anonymous, which is why I do not list my major. However, I had a positive experience at CUA, all in all. I'll discuss the negatives first, and then take a look at what made my experience positive:

I'm a very politically progressive person who was in one of CUA's few majors that skewed to the left. Many of CUA's other departments were definitely conservative. I often found CUA difficult in its politics, as it has a strict speaker policy which usually only allows for conservative speakers. This could be incredibly restricting at times, and I do wish that the university handled dialogue better (however, I do understand that this is indirectly the fault of the USCCB, which essentially runs CUA).

I am also a queer student who happened to come out while at CUA. If you are an LGBT prospective student, I would not recommend this school. It makes you feel uncomfortable in your own skin. I overheard conversations in my dorm about "the gay agenda" and had another girl confront me about "the lifestyle." As a woman, I felt respected. As a queer woman, I did not. Oddly enough, the staff in Campus Ministry were some of the most accepting people on campus, in my experience.

On to the positives…

I LOVED my program. There are so many great professors in the social sciences and liberal arts (I can't speak for STEM). I formed many great relationships with professors, who often invited me to office hours with them. In terms of academics, CUA was great. They could offer some more modern courses, but that's about it.

I developed a lot of strong friendships at CUA. Sure, there are a lot of the vineyard vines types, but there are many others who slip through the cracks, like myself. While there were many snobby students, it wasn't hard to find truly friendly people. CUA is not diverse at all, however. There's very little ethnic diversity, and almost no diversity in terms of sexual orientation. I felt somewhat isolated. Another downside: the God Squad. I did not like having Resident Ministers in my dorms, as they often tried too hard to relate and came across as fake. Everyone deeply involved in campus ministry was incredibly fake. There were many kind religious people, but these people were often not deeply associated with campus ministry. On the whole, the people at CUA are great, though.

The activities on campus are so-so. There are many clubs and groups, but the events they throw, besides the end of the year event, are often pretty disappointing. I had a lot of fun at CUA, but the events weren't one of the highlights.

You'll find a lot of opportunities on campus if you excel as a student. I am a dedicated student and throughout my time at CUA was noticed by my professors who truly cared about me. I would recommend CUA on the whole, I loved my experience there and would consider going back for graduate school, especially if the environment becomes more accepting.