East Carolina University

Date: Feb 07 2010
Major: Anthropology (This Major's Salary over time)
I attended ECU for my four-year degree and my feelings on the university are torn. I hope my reasons for liking and loathing this school will help someone else make a more informed decision when selecting a college.

The Pros:

My department (anthropology) was a small, close-knit community where the professors knew your name and went out of their way to help you achieve your goals. The coursework was challenging, the lectures interactive and the professors were/are passionate about their work. It makes all the difference when the professors actually care about what they're teaching and can effectively communicate. I know not all departments are the same, but I felt like I received the value of a small, private college at a state school price.

The main campus itself is quite beautiful, especially in the fall. The architecture has a modern, art deco appearance and there is an adundance of flowering trees. Facilities such as the rec center and Joyner library are top of the line in their equipment while contributing to the overall modern aesthetic of the campus.

School pride was something I was impressed with at ECU. While there are the token douchebags who wear their UNC shirts to campus, most students are very proud to be attending ECU. And while there is alot of school pride, it lacks that better-than-you snottiness that accompanies schools like UNC or Duke. The "Pirate Nation" of football fans is a fun thing to be a part of and the games really succeed at uniting such a large school.

There are extracurricular activities for students of all interests. Concerts and plays at Wright Auditorium, free student tickets for sporting events, movie nights and special movie events at Mendenhall student center, an awesome on-campus Halloween party for those who aren't interested in the downtown party scene, religion/ethnicity based clubs, recreational opportunities…just to name a few.

The Cons:

The students. Not all of the students, obviously, but anyone who's attended ECU knows what I mean about The Students, the ones who give ECU its reputation. You will know them by their fake tans, their

conservative Christian

(read: ignorant) views, affinity for binge drinking and casual sex, their SUVS and popped collars, their propincity to text message in lecture halls, their laments of any assignment longer than five pages and their love of all things related to partying.

In short, ECU is a dumping ground for preps who couldn't get into a better school. ECU's greatest flaw, in my opinion, is its low admittance standards. My cat could get into ECU. However, many of these students who have no business being at any college drop out within the first two years, or become one of those sad 24 year olds still working toward their BA in communications.

If you can get past this type of student, you will find that ECU is full of hardworking, driven young people who take their education seriously. If you're going into the medical, education, business or fine arts field, you'd have a hard time getting a better bang for your buck.

Greenville itself is not the best town to live in. It has a high crime rate, an incompetent police force and little to do besides shopping. It's very much a retail wasteland.

The general education courses at ECU are, for the most part, a joke. I wasted so much money taking useless, easy courses I learned nothing from because I needed a certain credit. I should not go an entire semester having only written one small essay but that's exactly what happened in two of my classes. If ECU wants to rise up in the rankings, it needs to demand more of its students and faculty.