The University of Utah

Date: Feb 11 2010
Major: Communications (This Major's Salary over time)
First, don't live on campus. Most of the people living on campus are high most of the time. My roommate smokes weed about three times a day and did about two hookah bowls a day during first semester. The food is terrible. I have never had food with more done wrong than when I started eating here. The dishes get very redundant quickly. And if you live on campus you're required to buy a meal card that is deathly overpriced. The cheapest per meal option works out to about $5.60 /meal and that's if you use every meal. If you don't use a meal you still have to pay for it. You can only get one transfer meal a day, and even then that's even only if you have the right meal card, and the transfer food is okay. It probably wouldn't hold up in a competitive environment, but they have a monopoly on the students so the cafeterias do pretty well. And the most frustrating issue with living on campus has to be the dorms. Within the first month the fire alarm went off three times. Twice for drills (at seven in the morning!) and once because a water main exploded which blew up several peoples toilets, broke mine, caused thousands in damage and shut the water down on campus for a couple of days. That meant no water and no showers. For a couple of weeks we had to put up with not having a toilet, which meant going to a different building just to use the bathroom. The dorms also lack storage. There is only one closet per 2 people, which doesn't work. There is also zero privacy in the dorms. Any noise in the room fills the room so be prepared to buddy up with your headphones. Oh, and the beds are terrible, the floor is more comfortable.

The Campus Commuter Services are terrible. I once forgot to put my parking pass up and received a $100 ticket which the appeals office would not repeal even though the pass was on my seat. Parking passes a couple hundred bucks for an 'U' permit, which is the one you want, there is NO decent parking for 'E' permit. And they will tow your car if you have three unpaid tickets or wheel lock it if you park in the wrong spot for too long.

But if you live off campus and watch your parking you're in for the time of your life. The professors are brilliant and the academic advisers are brilliantly helpful. Two of my teachers, who are grad students, took the time to help me work out my fiscal situation on campus and offer to help me whenever an issue comes up. This isn't isolated, either. My other professors stay after class every day and help students with their work. I haven't met a professor that didn't put my success as an individual first. Every one of them is extremely approachable via office hours or email and is very personal through either means. Even when I've messed up dramatically none of the academic staff has sent me on a guilt trip, instead they did their best to help me get back on track.

To sum things up this University has two sides. The housing and commuter side which consist of some of the rudest people I've ever met and the academic side which is magnificent. Watch where you're stepping and this university will make you a very happy, successful student.