West Virginia University

Date: Feb 19 2008
Major: Other (This Major's Salary over time)
I am a 28-year old, non-traditional, distance learning student at WVU (however, I was on campus in Morgantown from 1999-2001). First of all, the administration and the faculty that I have dealt with have all been very helpful and go "above and beyond" in many cases. I have been to 2 other institutes of higher education, and WVU leads the pack in this area. Secondly, I have no complaints really about the academics here. Many departments leave a lot to be desired, but it is one of the best schools in the region in terms of programs offered, flexibility, and programming. Of course, the social life of students in Morgantown tends to revolve around drinking and sports events—but those sort of things do wonders for school spirit!

As far as being a party school—I transferred here, so I never lived in the dorms. My place was actually outside of Morgantown…in the Cheat Lake area. I was involved with concert band, Hillel, and some people who attended some other schools in the area. Nonetheless, I felt no "pressure to party" really. I had good times without blowing tons of money (I live in Miami…where any sort of "good time" can set you back a hundred dollars or more). It was a very comfortable, happy place to go to college.

WVU gets a thumbs down from me regarding ethnic diversity (I'm a minority, and I DO NOT feel WVU is racist…but it does feel alienating sometimes) and financial aid/costs for out-of-state students. Also, Morgantown gets piss poor marks for its landlords (at first, I did stay in Morgantown on Dillie St., but had major problems with my landlord—or should I say "slumlord"). However, as a distance learner, I avoid these issues (tuition for the online classes I'm taking is charged at one flat rate)…so I'm happy at the moment :-D

So in a nutshell, WVU is not an ivy-league school; but I do not think you could ask for a more well-rounded college education. I would surely recommend to others!