University of the Arts

Date: Feb 10 2010
Major: Music - Performance (This Major's Salary over time)
I was a Vocal Performance Major in the Music Department. I received my Bachelor's in '06 and my Master's in '07 from UArts. I loved UArts! I learned a great deal while I was there and grew as a person and a performer. UArts to me is like a family, you call almost all your professors by their first name and the departments are small. I felt that I was sincerely cared about as an individual. If you are the kind of person who likes to be musically creative (or even just creative) in your performances and assignments, then you will thrive at UArts. You are really allowed to be your own person. I was involved in the Music Education Department (which is what I got my Master's in) it was a good program when I was there, but I've heard it has since fallen apart. The Liberal Arts Program, is not "a joke" as I saw in another review. Some of the Lib Arts professors are very challenging and in fact avoided by many of the students (really it is some of the students that think Lib Arts is a joke because they just want to work on their major) I learned skills and life lessons in some of those classes that I still use today. I even got to take a class with Camille Paglia (a famous social critic who is considered one of the top 50 most intellectual ppl in the world) which was a very worthwhile opportunity.

On the negative side, I will say, that they are slow about fixing things and it can be annoying.

Also, you don't get to know many ppl in the other departments unless you live with them in the dorms. This is because there aren't a lot of student groups or student government. It is the opposite of a party school. There are some parties but everyone is working so damn much and you mostly just stay in your own department. Most larger Universities are almost like little democracies where there is student government and common interests and you feel a part of something bigger (think like Penn State) UArts on the other hand would be Libertarian. Everyone is concerned with their own art (maybe their department) and not really connected to or effected by the rest of the University community, unless you are the type to get involved in lots of things.