Pittsburg State University

Date: Feb 26 2008
Major: Chemistry (This Major's Salary over time)
PSU is a small state university in which classrooms are medium- to small-sized (mostly small: 10-90ish). As far as extra-curricular activities go, there are many opportunities available if one seeks them out and there is a lot of school spirit, particularly with regard to the very competitive football team. The students mostly are approachable and very friendly but, perhaps comparable to any other lightly-populated place I've been to in the midwest, many simply lack perspective.

Tuition and other living expenses are very low, however I have absolutely no experience with on-campus housing. Also, I certainly will not walk away with a huge debt like what may have happened at other schools.

As far as academics are concerned, classes are hit-or-miss. Some are very challenging, whereas others are filled with nothing but busywork. One very positive side of being a smaller school is that it is easy to get one-on-one time with nearly all of the good professors I've come in contact with.

It is not easy to decide if I would have preferred going to a more academically-rigorous school because the benefits of the small size and accessibility for the overachiever weigh very heavily against the quality of the general education. I do not have many regrets going to PSU for my bachelors degree in science compared to surrounding schools and it certainly compares well to other universities in the midwest of similar size. I suppose with a school like PSU, it all comes down to how much you feel like applying yourself. If you slack off easily, you better watch it here because most of the teachers will not try to challenge the top students.