South Dakota State University

Date: Mar 27 2010
Major: Language - French/Spanish/etc. (This Major's Salary over time)
I think I really got the short end of the stick on this one (not saying everyone does). My roommate is a stuck-up b*tch that wouldn't know an offer of friendship if it slapped her in the face with a sign saying so. She never wants to do anything social with me, and once, when some girls on our floor stopped by our room to introduce themselves (and she answered the door) she gave short, one-word answers and closed the door as soon as she could, then made a rude remark about them. All she does is pack up and disappear for three days when the weekend rolls around.

The German department here- half of it is crap. One professor has some sort of doctorate in linguistics or whatever, and he has absolutely no idea what he's talking about half the time, plus his grammar and pronunciation suck. Nobody in the class learns anything (thankfully, I'd taken a similar class before and thought that it would help me brush up on my skills, only to find out that I probably speak better German than he does). The other professor, however, is a native speaker that is very pleasant and helpful.

The music department, however, is absolutely awesome. Everyone is so helpful and friendly and they really care to hear what you have to say. Dr. Crawley is probably my favorite music professor; he's cool, has a great sense of humour, and really knows what he's talking about. The music department was the only place I really made some friends; in any other classes, all people want to do is take their notes and get the heck out.

Living conditions. These suck. I have a room in Binnewies hall, one of the biggest on campus. The room is tiny, and my roommate's stuff is everywhere, even on my dresser, sometimes she uses my closet. The loft bed really sucks, I have no room (I'm 5'9", a very active sleeper, and I need my alarm clock up there, too) and VERY close to the ceiling. If I don't bang my head getting up (or down, haha) in the morning, it's my hip or knee. So I would say definitely shell out the extra money for an apartment on campus or a single room.

The landscape here is really gorgeous, but the winters are absolutely brutal. Ultimately, I decided that if I only liked half of the department that I'm supposed to be stuck with for four years, I may as well try to find somewhere where I'm happier, so I'm transferring this fall. Sorry, SDSU, you're just not for me.