Western Michigan University

Date: Jun 13 2008
Major: Education (This Major's Salary over time)
My years at WMU were probably some of the most difficult years of my life. I really struggled academically after breezing through high school with a 3.5 GPA. I graduated Western with a 2.59 GPA. However, the learning experiences I went through while in Kalamazoo were priceless. I learned how much a university president truly effects a campus. I learned that when it comes to your career, you better take control of it because no one else cares. I also learned that when it comes to school, you can either choose to learn or do just enough to get by. C's get degrees and once you are in the real world, it really doesn't matter. I feel that these days an undergrad is basically like graduating high school and necessary for you to get a half way decent degree. The only way you truly become prepared for the real world is to be immersed in it. Furthermore, college is a way to help you figure out what you really want to do so that you take an ownership in your career. What you make of what you learn on the job determines whether or not you will be average or great. Western Michigan University taught me all of this and more by letting me float around in a hands off approach. The school is very much a weed-out university and graduates the people that truly want to graduate. If you're there to party, you will eventually find your way back home and enroll in a community college in the Detroit-metro area. The math department basically ushered me out the door because I averaged a 2.75 GPA and that was not going to be acceptable in their eyes. From there, I decided that I needed to do what I was truly passionate about and found my way into the physical education department. I was never happier once I found my way into the HPER Department and was able to learn from some of the best and highly acclaimed professors in the country. The HPER Department at WMU is the crown jewel of the University and is rarely highlighted despite the accolades that it has earned. Dr. Deb Berkey is a rockstar in the Health, Physical Education, and Recreation profession and yet she truly cares about each and every one of the students that graduate from her department. If you are someone that is looking for a career as a coach, physical education teacher, athletic trainer, physical therapist, or other fitness related career, I highly recommend WMU. I feel that the University prepared me very well for my job as a football coach. I only hope that the University does a little more to promote its quality programs as opposed to trying to push newer programs such as the engineering college in order to generate more revenue. The only real drawback to WMU is its insatiable thirst for the almighty dollar.