Ursinus College

Date: Oct 11 2010
Major: Political Science (This Major's Salary over time)
Ursinus seems to be getting a bad rap on here and it is absolutely unwarranted. Ursinus is an extremely small school, but its size gives students many advantages. Your professors will know you and will care about you, you will be able to take all the classes you need for your degree and most that you want to tack on for fun. There are just as many student groups on campus as any other larger school, and in some cases more. These are all the tools you need to succeed in college. It is extremely easy to be involved in directed research, study abroad, and competing academic organizations because there are not as many people fighting for them. Its also extremely easy to get into leadership positions in student groups that interest you. These are things that you just don't get from most other schools

The school is located in a small town, a town I happened to grow up in and I can freely admit that there is not much to do in town when compared to school in a city. But, its fairly easy to get off campus and you have King of Prussia 10 minutes away and can get into Philadelphia in less than an hour. The school participates in the Philly CarShare program which allows students to borrow a car when they wish to go off campus. There are also shuttles that go into Philadelphia on the weekends, they may not always be advertised though so ask around to find out who's in charge, and the school has a fleet of mini vans that you can borrow if your organizing a group outing.

As far as the comments that everyone goes home on the weekends and that there is never anything going on on campus other than parties, who ever wrote them must have never checked their school email or left their dorm room. There is tons of stuff on campus hosted by student groups. Speaking from experience, the college democrats used to have invite the campus to watch the daily show and the colbert report in a dorm lounge complete with free pizza. The special interest houses always have things going on as well since every house member is required to plan their own event. I also knew very few people who went home. The most was maybe once or twice a semester. Even the other students who grew up within the immediate area lived and stayed on campus.

As far as parties go, there is always something going on on campus and res. life and campus safety have worked out a good system with the students allowing them to register the parties and designate sober social hosts to make sure everything is running smoothly and everyone is safe. One nice part of this for those that enjoy drinking at a party is the school has a rule where no one can sell alcohol on campus, meaning no $5/solo cup parties and free beer for anyone who shows up before it runs out. If you don't like to drink, don't feel left out. I had plenty of friends that didn't drink but still enjoyed the party scene. They were never hassled because of it but instead encouraged.

The greek system is great as well. I never thought of myself as someone who would go greek but Ursinus really does have a fraternity or sorority for just about anyone so I encourage everyone to rush and at least check it out. Even if you don't decided to join you'll at least meet some new people and make some friends. Plus, greek organization offer plenty of ways to keep busy with community service, philanthropy, and fun social activities.

If you plan on going on to graduate school, Ursinus will more than prepare you for it. I myself have continued my education and I have never really felt overwhelmed or unprepared in the same way as some of my classmates from larger state schools have. My friends that went on to grad school as well all said that their programs felt like grade school in comparison to the academic rigors of Ursinus. To the posters that have said that Ursinus was way too easy in the academics department, well congratulations, you are probably pretty smart, but you obviously haven't been through class at most other colleges because you would be in for a rude awakening when you discover that most people sleep through class or don't even show up and still get decent grades.

The Ursinus degree will also help you in life. Not everyone knows the school because it is small, but its notariety is increasing and the people who do know the school hold it in high regards. The Ursinus community is also like a family, even after your four years end. I run into Urinus alumns on a regular basis and am always met with a smile and pleasant conversation. Ursinus grads also try to help each other out, it may seem a little like some form of nepotism, but its extremely helpful when looking for a job. I've even seen some grads who were leaving their current job or internship pass it right on to another Ursinus grad. Where your Ursinus gear around and I can gaurantee that at some point you will be stopped by another alumn you never met or someone who's friend/mom/sister/uncle/cousin went to Ursinus and they will instantly treat you like an old friend.

In short, don't listen to the haters, they probably spent their time at Ursinus hiding behind a computer screen and refusing to participate in their own life. The benefits you get from this school blow every other institution of higher learning out of the water. It's like everything else in life, you get what you put into it. If you're willing to get involved and participate in your education while at Ursinus you will definitely reap rewards for the rest of your life.