Northern Arizona University

Date: Dec 25 2009
Major: English (This Major's Salary over time)
I am a senior at NAU and I would not recommend this university for anyone who plans to attend a university out-of-state. If you are an in-state student, then attending NAU might be a good way for you to save money, but if you have the money to invest, spend it on a better university.

Before I get bashed by NAU veterans, let me take some time to explain why I wouldn't recommend this university to people that live out of state. I have lived in Arizona for most of my life. I have a passion for learning and initially was very excited about attending NAU. I started at a two-year college because it was affordable and could be worked around my 2-3 job schedule.

When I first transferred to NAU after getting my Associates degree, there was no one to advise me on what classes I should take or even to make me feel welcome in the university setting. I had to get all of the information on my own. I went to a student orientation which somehow cheated me out of $40 I did not have. The orientation didn't tell me anything about registering for classes or any other vital information about university life. Everything I learned about NAU I learned from teachers and other students. Fortunately, through word of mouth, I was finally able to meet with an adviser and get my degree program sorted out.

I was supposed to graduate in the Spring semester of this year, but come to find out at the beginning of the semester that I had to 'prove I was a university student' because I transferred from a two-year college. Now I have to take six extra classes, even though I already have all of the credits for my degree program earned, in order to get 'university hours.' No one ever told me that I had to make these university hours up after transferring from a two-year college and now it is hindering many of the plans I had after my expected graduation date, including teaching English in Japan with the JET Program.

Most of the teachers I have had at NAU have been very strict and rude, with the exception of a few who I value because teachers like them are hard to find at this university. One of these good teachers has become my mentor and my primary adviser. I have also found the majority of the students to be rude or stuck up, probably because they do not understand the value of working hard for something because mommy and daddy pays for all of their textbooks, living expenses, and tuition costs. That must be nice for them. I have to work 2-3 jobs just to afford to attend this university. Even with my busy work schedule, I still manage to be nice to people, even when they are unkind to me.

One thing I will say is that the staff at the NAU bookstore are generally very nice and helpful. The staff members at Cline Library are also very helpful. All other branches of NAU are unorganized, and the staff members within the majority of the departments are rude. I think the worst thing about NAU students and staff members is the attitude they have toward people that have transferred from a two-year college. People generally look down on me because I did, but if you want to know the honest truth, I learned more at my two-year college than I ever have at NAU. The staff and students at my two-year college were friendly and made me feel welcomed, unlike the staff and students at NAU. There is a reason why NAU is often called "Not A University." At first I thought people were just being over-dramatic but now I know all too well that Northern Arizona University is a horrible school.

There was recently a news program which said NAU was not graduating students because they were fat. I have also heard stories about NAU professors ganging up and discriminating against students in various programs because they did not fit in. This semester I had a professor who openly professed his disliked for me on a regular basis, and wrote such a scathing comment on my final paper that it borders on harassment. I would really like to present this comment to the education board and see him fired from his position as the department head, but as he has tenure, it is very unlikely anything will change, even if I did invest time in registering a complaint.

I hope people won't think I am a horrible person for writing all of this, but I need to tell people the truth. I really wish I could go on a major news station and tell everyone all of the horrible personal experiences I have had with NAU, as well as all of the stories I have heard from staff members and students who actually have a good attitude, but have been crucified because of their kindness toward others.

In short, I would not recommend NAU to anyone, but if you are like me and work multiple jobs to afford your education, it might be your only option as an Arizona resident. If you have any questions about my personal experiences at NAU or want to know more about some of the other stories people have told me, please e-mail me at and I will give you an honest evaluation of the school; something they don't put in their pristine welcome brochures.