Drake University

Date: Jun 08 2010
Major: English (This Major's Salary over time)
Drake was my THIRD school (fourth if you count the PSEO courses I took in high school.) I thought the other two schools I went to (a smaller liberal arts college, then a rather large state school) were bad enough to merit a transfer, but in hindsight, I was really just a bitter, arrogant dude who tends to find fault in things easily.

Drake is not perfect, but I do think it's the best school I've been to of the three, all things considered. The school has the best balance of work and play (One seemed to be all work, the other all play.) Again, it might have been my bitter personality that caused me to view those two colleges in that light, but the general vibe I get is that Drake has a good 'balance.') Academics can be pretty challenging—it's not quite Ivy League but if you take the harder classes and really apply yourself, you will grow here as a student.

Professors are all knowledgable. I have to say they have the quirkiest personalities of any other professor I've had at any other school (not sure if this is relevant, but it's just an observation.) In general, my prof's have been approachable and helpful, but I hearthat this is not true across the board. (Keep in mind that if you are having trouble with a professor, it does you no good to complain about it to your friends.)

The social life here is okay. I've made some good friends, but not a lot. I came in as a junior and I decided to go Greek (the biggest factor in this decision was that I was a legacy at a certain fraternity, one that didn't have a chapter at my other two schools but did have one at Drake, so I decided to rush.) For me personally, the decision has worked out, but I cannot stress enough that Greek life is NOT for everyone, and, depending on the house you join, many of the negative stereotypes are true. (If you decide to rush, you will find out very quickly which houses fit which stereotypes.) It is possible to be friends with people in the Greek system without being Greek yourself, so you have to really decide if joining a house is worth your while.

On the whole, the school does have a reputation as being somewhat cliquey and close-minded, but for every one of such students you meet, there are others who are tolerant, friendly, and interesting. Within the immediate Drake area, there isn't much to do besides drink. Des Moines has some interesting things to do/see in the city, but you won't have a lot of time to enjoy it while you're a student here.

And yes, a lot of people love their drinking and some seem very immature about it (which I've gathered is true of almost any college campus.) There are some non-alcoholic things to do on the weekends, though.

Some people here aren't smart. Deal with it.

Drake- Good school, not too pretentious, not too serious, but solid, fun, and relatively diverse.