The Wentworth Institute of Technology

Date: Jun 30 2008
Major: Civil Engineering (This Major's Salary over time)
I am entering my 3rd year at Wentworth Institute of Technology, and I'd like to start by saying I transferred here from UMass Amherst (where I actually majored in music performance), which is a huge school in a rural setting. I had also taken a full year off to work full time in between transferring, so my point is that I am able to make a legitimate comparison between two types of schools.

I'm a Civil Engineering Technology student who transferred over from the

high and mighty Wentworth Architecture program.

Let me tell you, WIT architecture is not all it is cracked up to be.

Right now you're probably assuming I dropped out of the program because of the work. Not true at all! I did all my work and I did it well. It was a lot, but not so much where I was forced into a mental breakdown. I switched because WIT's arch. program concentrates TOO MUCH on the art aspect, and not enough on the ability of these structures to stand up and operate with people either working or living in them.

Plus, take a look at the United States' best architecture and engineering schools. Do you see it anywhere in the top 50?? I sure don't. Even before I came here I went against the advice of my friends who went here and told me it was horrible, and also my uncles, who are almost all architects (one of them who went to BAC and is currently the project manager at MIT, another who went to Columbia and has one of his projects on the June 2008 cover of Architectural Digest as the featured design), and went here anyway. Oops!

Then there's the involvement. UMass had TONS of clubs and organizations that were very easy to join and make friends in. Now, I realize Wentworth is small, but they offer very little. The clubs and organizations they "offer" don't seem to be very serious, and they don't exactly attract many students. And don't even bother emailing anyone about them, because nobody is going to get back to you.

Professors here, while skilled in their individual fields, are horrible at teaching them. I've had to go to more tutoring sessions than I ever needed to at UMass. I've NEVER been one who has struggled in school, the professors here just don't explain ANYTHING.

Then there's the disciplinary process. This is the most ridiculous thing I've ever experienced. I'd NEVER been in any serious trouble my whole life until I came here (sorry but talking in the middle of my 10th grade class doesn't count). I've gotten in trouble 4 times at this school for the pettiest things. I even moved off campus this past year to get away from it, because I'm 21 and Wentworth doesn't allow alcohol in the dorm even if you're of legal age, which was NOT the case at UMass. But did it help? NO! Wentworth Police started patrolling the surrounding areas so they could bust WIT students EVEN THOUGH WE LIVE OFF CAMPUS! I'm 21 years old and don't buy alcohol for ANYONE, and I'm STILL getting in trouble for parties I'm not even throwing and for underage kids drinking alcohol that I didn't even buy them! AND I LIVE OFF CAMPUS! INSANITY!

The head of student affairs is a two-faced, bitter, and cruel man named Marlin Nabors. I would like to point out that I am NOT saying this out of spite, and that I am also NOT the only person who thinks this way. For all incoming students who are crazy enough to come here, I pray to God you never have to meet this man. He is someone who says one thing, and thinks another. He will bring you in for a meeting, pretend to listen, and then screw you over worse than anyone has in your entire life. On one occasion, one of my friends simply had the flu and was very delirious, but Wentworth Police saw her on campus and Marlin said

No. you were drunk. You're getting in trouble.

No joke. On another occasion, there was around 5 people in my dorm. All but one were having a drink or two, not being the slightest bit loud. The other one was washing dishes. We all got in trouble for drinking in the dorms…including the entirely innocent kid merely washing the dishes! I am not kidding. Marlin Nabors hands out sanctions like he's stepping on ants. He thinks it's no big deal that he is messing with people's lives. It's a very serious matter that I and other students have been bringing to the attention of WIT.

The housing department is completely incompetent, unorganized, and just down-right horrible. They're another department that never gets back to you. When I transferred here I was 20, so after I received my acceptance letter, Wentworth sent me another letter explaining how they respected that I wasn't some newbie 18-year-old freshman coming in, but that I had both gone to college before and taken time off. So, they said they were going to put me in an upperclassmen dorm with people my own age. I ended up getting my housing assignment a month and a half late (5 days before I moved in) and not only that, but they put me in a FORCED TRIPLE WITH TWO FRESHMEN!

They finally let me switch dorms halfway through the 06-07 year. I asked the director of housing TO MAKE SURE she was going to be available to help me get all the paperwork and everything done the day I moved to the new dorm. She assured me she would be. NOBODY was there to help me fill out anything or program my ID so I could get into the dorm and suite. I didn't even know who my R.A. was until halfway through the FOLLOWING semester. The first thing that I noticed the day I moved in was a big hole in the wall of my suite that was obviously from some guy kicking it. The crazy part is that I STILL GOT FINED FOR IT! I had to pay $75 out of my own pocket because of a hole that was made from another student BEFORE I EVEN MOVED IN! I tried contesting it and they said if I didn't pay I wouldn't be able to sign up for classes. Let me tell you, they try to get EVERY nickel and dime they can out of you, but for some reason don't put all that money to good use.

Then there's the look of the campus. I don't think I've seen uglier buildings. You'd think a college with architecture and interior design programs would make a campus that looks half decent. The quad in the middle of campus? It's open for about a month before they close it off for the remainder of the SCHOOL YEAR. They open it up and do some landscaping around campus before the summer, that way the visiting high school students and their parents will think

oooo what a beautiful campus!

It's quite ugly, about 8 out of the 12 months.

By far though, the worst thing here is that EVERYTHING is a DEFCON 1 situation. They make everything at least 5 times harder than it has to be whether it's a simple email, getting in touch with your professor, getting in touch with your advisor, getting in touch with your department head, or signing up for classes. There is ALWAYS an issue that comes up that makes life harder for the students. Department heads, professors, advisors, the student service center, NOBODY is EVER there to help.

I transferred majors from architecture to civil engineering, something that maybe should have taken a couple hours maximum to get my department head signature, sign up for new classes, and submit them at the student service center. OH NO. It took me 5 straight days up driving an hour in and out of Boston to come up here and try to hunt the right people down, because OF COURSE they didn't even give me the time of day when I needed them. It ended up being one of the biggest hassles I've ever dealt with. Keep in mind gas prices are ridiculously high, and traffic was purely insane.

Please don't assume I'm just some bitter guy who is the sole person with this opinion. I've talked to quite a few students here, and I'd say 95% of the people, and no that's not an exaggeration, absolutely hate this place. Everyone has IDENTICAL complaints. In every class you go into you'll hear things like "F-ing Wentworth…" or "yup that's Wentworth for you!" Yea sure, when you're tour guide is getting paid to take you around campus, OF COURSE he/she is going to say nice things. But if you talk to a random student and really ask people who go here, they'll give you the truth. Unfortunately, most of us know that it's hard to get in touch with anyone if you even want to complain, and even if you file a complaint, nothing will get done about it because the superiors here at Wentworth simply don't care.

The only good parts of this school are the location, because it's located in a great area of Boston, and the co-op (internship) program. I've been a part of the Career Center at Wentworth which is one of the only 2 bright spots about WIT. They have great coordinators and directors, and a very good program to help students find internships for their co-op semesters, and for their post-graduation jobs.

I would NEVER recommend this school to anyone. Like Marlin Nabors himself, Wentworth is very two-faced. It looks great on the surface, and they make it sound like they are one of the top engineering schools. Trust me, I know, as I was one of the people who bought into all of this. I used to think Wentworth was an elite college that would bring along great opportunities. Boy was I wrong. Other than the career services, this school offers nothing but stress and sorrow. Nobody at this school cares about the students or their lives. They're at Wentworth because they can't make it in their own professions or because they need the money…or both! This school is the worst school I've ever been a part of. I'd STRONGLY recommend looking elsewhere if you're considering attend Wentworth. Not to take away from a lot of good friends I've made here, but for me personally, if I could go back in time, I would definitely be at another school. You should too.