Bowling Green State University

Date: Mar 23 2009
Major: History/Histories (art history/etc.) (This Major's Salary over time)
Campus life at BGSU is mediocre at best, there are not a lot of fun things to do and living in the dorms is a drag. I hated having to check in after midnight and eat the same bland, overpriced, unhealthy food day after day. BGSU has a two year residency requirement if the student's permanent address is not within 50 miles of the school.

The clubs are okay, there are too many sororities and fraternities though. I wish there more of a variety of clubs that suited everyone, not just people with a lot of money. About 15% of females pledge sororities and 15% of males pledge fraternities and many (not all) of these people are boring, predictable, and conceited. I didn't feel like those who belonged to Greek organizations at the other school I attended were as much like this. Of course, that school was so big to begin with and had a smaller percentage of Greek students that it didn't seem like too many at all.

Too many people on campus are alcoholics, I'm not joking either. Everyone has the right to go out and have fun but a lot of people put drinking before everything and this gives the school a bad reputation. There is a big difference between drinking to loosen up and go dancing and flat out abusing alcohol. The local blotter is always filled with petty crimes related to alcohol abuse. The bars around campus are not really safe, there are always fights and sometimes people who aren't even involved in the fights get seriously injured.

What I do like about the school is the faculty. Especially in my department, there are some well educated instructors who are great at their job. Having smaller classes is a big plus because it allows you to get to know the instructor better and possibly build more contacts. No instructor that I have ever had pretends that their time is valuable to talk to you or help you out. I went to a bigger university where some teachers were like this.

The aesthetics of the campus are once again mediocre at best. The older buildings are nice but some of the other buildings are tacky and have strange designs that don't fit with the rest of the campus. There is a lot of pavement but there are also a lot of trees. I will give Bowling Green this, they are launching a project to improve many of the older campus building that desperately need it but I wish they would focus on this first rather than build the new sports arena that they plan on building. Academic buildings need to be a priority.

The morale is another thing that needs worked on. The school needs to make improvement so students can feel good about spending their money here and being a part of the university. I can't stand the embarrassing slogans used by the university when they advertise themselves. This in combination with the over-saturated orange color that is so prominent around campus make the campus seem undignified.

The surrounding city is not very eventful, but at least it's safe. I find that the lack of eventfulness helps me get more work done because I am not tempted to blow off my work for something else. The cost of living here if inexpensive which can help with overall college expenses.

Like many schools, Bowling Green has a lot of room to improve but it's not impossible for this to happen. First and foremost, I would say that they need to be more selective with whom they admit, this will make a big difference in the overall atmosphere of the campus. The percentage of those returning for their second year is smaller than other schools and I think it's because those who cannot handle the classes or who don't take their schoolwork seriously are weeded out within the first year.

It comes down to these pieces of advice. Most schools are what you make them, Bowling Green can be a great place if you choose to get involved. Always go on the tour before accepting an admission offer to see if you can picture yourself there. Realize that no school is perfect, but try to find the most perfect school for you.