StudentsReview :: Bentley University - Extra Detail about the Comment
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Bentley University

How this student rated the school
Educational QualityB Faculty AccessibilityB+
Useful SchoolworkB+ Excess CompetitionC-
Academic SuccessB+ Creativity/ InnovationC+
Individual ValueB+ University Resource UseA
Campus Aesthetics/ BeautyB FriendlinessB
Campus MaintenanceB- Social LifeC-
Surrounding CityB Extra CurricularsA-
SafetyA
Describes the student body as:
Friendly, Arrogant, Approachable

Describes the faculty as:
Friendly

Male
SAT1370
Quite Bright
Lowest Rating
Excess Competition
C-
Highest Rating
University Resource Use
A
He cares more about Excess Competition than the average student.
Date: Aug 22 2010
Major: Math (This Major's Salary over time)
I said I would go to a different university if given the chance, but I still rate my time at Bentley positively. The only reason I would go to a different university is my major: I probably could've gotten more out of a math degree from another school I was accepted to (WPI) than Bentley, where the focus was more applied than theoretical. At the time, though, I was studying to enter the actuarial field, and it's not like I can't pick up more on the job.

That being said, the coursework at Bentley, at least the majors, are still challenging. The "General Education" core is a bit of a joke, and a student who isn't from big money might be better served spending 2, 3, or even 4 semesters at a CC or state college to pile up these credits.

There are pros and cons to social life at Bentley. For pros, you'll meet people you'd never get a chance to meet outside of there. I roomed with a guy who was from one of Taiwan's richest families, and was friends in college with the son of Mongolia's Prime Minister at the time. While some of the money kids were very snobby, others (especially the ones from Europe, Australia, and some parts of Asia) were very friendly. Though I also had friends from Latin America.

A con is that the student body's activities are not diverse at all. It's party, or no party. As a guy, you better have an ultimate "clique" you belong to, or else you will not have fun on campus. There are really three groups for guys, frat guys and their friends, athletes and their friends, and everyone else. I played rugby all four years and was fortunate enough to "have a clique". Given that the school has more men than women, this isn't as important for girls.

The ultimate selling point of the school has to be the professors, though. For one, they are teachers first and foremost, not researchers who have to occasionally, and begrudgingly, ramble to a group of students. Yes, they do research, but it's not their primary charter. Ironically, I think this hurts Bentley's prestige slightly, but it helps its academics greatly. They are also very accessible to students, which is something I probably should have taken greater advantage of in my time. Facilities are great, as the school's primary business focus allows it to provide big school facilities without the big school feel.

If there is a major detraction from the school, it's the homogeneous feel of it. Students are not there to study a passion, but are studying for a job. Ultimately (though no one whose salary is paid by the school would ever say it), Bentley is teaching students that who you know is more important than what you know. Many students follow the same path of handshaking during the semester to land an internship, and working said internship in the summer. Because of this, groups that are often very popular at more intellectually charged schools are dormant at Bentley. Don't go to Bentley if you desire to be involved in politics, as the Republican and Democrat clubs on campus are pretty uninspiring and inactive. Of course, this can also be taken as a positive, as students tend to be more focused on academics instead of saving the world, and hard politics tend to stay out of the classroom (a complaint that is all too common at many other campuses).

So overall, this is a great school if you were a high school "smart jock" whose idea of a perfect life is graduating from college in 4 years with a practical degree and working up the corporate ladder, or if you have a more entrepreneurial spirit. Don't come here if you don't see yourself as a traditional 9 to 5'r, or if your passion lies outside of the traditional business world. As stated before, I might reconsider choosing Bentley over WPI, but I certainly do not regret my 4 years there.

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