Sacred Heart University

Date: Oct 04 2008
Major: Undecided (This Major's Salary over time)
-Detailed and Honest Review-
The majority of people who go online to write reviews about their college are usually hopelessly dissatisfied, or extremely enthusiastic to be attending. However, what I have to say is complete truth. I do not enjoy taking sides, but what I have to say is very negative. I will not start ranting, and I will not blame anybody in-particular for this school's flaws.

For starters, this school has one of the HIGHEST transfer rates in the country. This confused me at first, because on the SHU tours the guides explained how much "fun stuff" there always was to do around here. Well, the only lounge on campus has been closed off due to construction. So, on the tour, when I was told that everyone could go hang out with other students around campus, I was lied to. Everyone stays in their dorm rooms on the weekdays, and the only people you will run into are in the hallways are going to class.

The campus is a cluttered disaster. The Chapel that has been under construction for over 3 years now is nowhere near completion, and there are literally 0 workers on the job. The dorms are extremely messy, and human waste (fecal matter, urine, and vomit) can be found in the hallways. Occasionally, the faculty will refuse to clean it, and when they eventually come around, the extra fee is charged to the students on the floor. On a regular day basis, something breaks. Of the 2 elevators in my dorm (Merton), one rarely works (repairmen come and fix it at least once a week) and one has had the same "Broken" sign on it since I arrived. This leaves the handicap students in our building with no access to the upper floors. When it was hot the air conditioning did not work, and once fall came around, the heat could not be turned off. During a sports season, this was very frustrating when we were all trying to sleep at night to prepare for the next days game. We were all extremely uncomfortable, and nobody seemed to be even slightly concerned.

The food… is disgusting. As a Division 1 school, you would hope that SHU would provide us with better nutrition. During the orientation, for example, they used real eggs. Now, they use powdered eggs. There are literally days when there is nothing appetizing to eat. The school purchases its meat from Factory Farms, the ones we constantly see on the news due to employees abusing and torturing the animals they "sell", and the unsanitary conditions that our meat is processed in. Many people are constipated, and some cannot stop going to the bathroom. Entire sports teams were, and still are, complaining about this. As an athlete and a student, this was very difficult to deal with on top of many other adjustments I was trying to make.

Like many of the more intelligent students on this campus, I was bribed with scholarship money. When I first applied to this school, they SEEMED very happy that I was interested. Administration members always called my house to see how I was doing, and wished me luck with my college searching, even if I didn't choose Sacred Heart in the end. They also emphasized how they were always around to help. So between the money, false excitement, and lies I was dragged into their scheme. What is this scheme you ask? MONEY. It is all they care about here. In the first weeks here at SHU, the food prices have gone up TWICE, and printing is no longer free. Despite student petitions with literally thousands of signatures, the school refuses to even bring up the issue, never mind solve it. During the first weeks of school, they REFUSED to take back books in the bookstore, so the students couldn't get full refunds after they were done switching around their schedules. Literally, the day after September 15th, they were suddenly accepting book returns again, but could no longer give full refunds because it was past the 15th (the significance of this particular date was never explained but all I know is that it was some sort of deadline). So, as soon as they had my money, it was almost as if the administration stopped caring about me. My “work studies mentor has not gotten back to me after 3 emails, constant phone calls, and several visits to his office. It is almost impossible to squeeze money out from this school so I can afford my tuition. I am supposed to be getting $2000 for this job, yet I feel as though receiving $100 would be a luxury at this point.

It is very hard to take school seriously with all the trashy behavior taking place. Starting on Thursday student after student comes back at the most obnoxious hours drunk and throwing up. Some even went so far as to knock on everyone's door, just to start a drunken ruckus. After a busy week of studying it is very disappointing to see the campus become completely deserted as all the students go home, go to cheap clubs, or just leave to more eventful colleges for the weekend. When students do come back, they are drunk or high, and lock themselves away in the dorms. As a serious college student looking for chances to unwind, it is hard when the campus is dead.

The bottom line is that this school is not what you think. If you're reading this, then you're doing a great job researching. Don't see what just the colleges themselves have to say, listen to the students who have actually lived on campus and been in the situations you are concerned about. I have tried everything on campus, between sports, organizations, and socializing. Nothing has been helpful to me personally, and I find that when people visit they ask, "Where is everybody!?". During one of the tours, I was told how lucky I was to be accepted into such a great school. Yet another lie. Every day I see more and more idiots and I ask myself, "How did these people get in here?" Well, the truth is, this school is easy to get into, and should be a safety school. They're looking to increase their enrollment rate, and this school was not particularly known for its academics in the first place. SHU is not intellectually challenging, so if you're looking for cheap clubbing, white trash, and a dead campus, by all means please come to Sacred Heart. If not, then do the smart thing and avoid this school. I know I will be transferring to a more respectable place as soon as possible. To do so, I will be putting my school work in front of my social life, but seeing as how there is no social life here at SHU, my task will be that much easier.