Suffolk University

Date: Dec 09 2010
Major: Communications (This Major's Salary over time)
Horrible, horrible decision. Seriously, please do not think I am sitting here with a huge bag of hate over my head. In everything I am about to write, I am being completely honest and reasonable.

This is my third year in Suffolk - DO NOT make the same mistake I did and sit here thinking it will change. It won't, and it will only get worse, because Suffolk University, in the end, once you really read between the lines, is just a money making institution, and money is their main objective, not the education or development of their students.

I am going to describe suffolk in all of these aspects:

Social Life

Education

Campus Activities

City Life (Boston)

Social Life:

The first semester was exciting, as it would be, because everything is new and everyone is in the same boat as you. A whole new experience, etc. etc. But soon it all died down. The first week of events to encourage students to meet stopped completely. Their idea of social events were watching "Grey's Anatomy" in an RA's dorm room… For as much as we pay, I would really like to see a REAL effort in events for students, not just "yeah come in my room and we'll slap on the TV". They do nothing to help students mix and connect with each other. If you do not make a strong effort to meet a lot of people in your first week, you really will have such a hard time making friends. If you are in the communications major, expect to have a much less of a social chance. The film/media/comm. department is very small and you will see the same students in all your classes. If you are in the business school, expect to pay big prices when going out with these students. ($100-$400 a night out).

Education.

What a complete joke. SUFFOLK UNIVERSITY HAS NO EDUCATIONAL VALUE WHATSOEVER! I feel like I've gone a HUGE step down from where I was in high school. It was just so upsetting to wait two years to do requirement classes, to finally do a class I wanted for my film major, and finding out that it was nowhere near the standard of my media studies class in high school! It was a complete and utter joke. I'm so angry that I am paying so much money to be here and it is not even up to the challenge of my high school. Everyone's attitude during filming projects were

Ok lets hurry up and get this over with ASAP

No one was passionate about their own major. The professors are not even qualified, I can honestly say I have had ONE professor who has given me any college value. My friend had to sit out of a 4 hour film class where we were practicing film, because there wasn't enough things for everyone to do.. I AM SORRY, BUT THAT IS COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE! FOR A CLASS THAT HAD ONLY 8 STUDENTS, HOW CAN A PROFESSOR CASUALLY TELL A STUDENT TO JUST SIT THERE FOR 4 HOURS NOT DOING ANYTHING! It is a joke. I am being completely honest, and cannot tell you the amount of times that there has not been enough chairs in a classroom for all students. Students have had to sit on the window sills during class. In my english class, I was sat behind a PILLAR each class.. DIRECTLY behind it - and this was the layout of the classroom! I had no view of the board, or professor! What is this?! And the fact is, this never gets brought up because no one wants to bother to do anything about it! This is not a college! Do not come to suffolk if you care about what you will learn. That being said, you can pass your classes with EASE. I left many assignments to the hour before class and got perfect grades. Because there is no challenge. My friend bribed his professor to give him a good grade. It is just all so corrupt.

What I hate most is the "high-school" feel Suffolk maintains. The small classes make the professors feel as though they are permitted to treat you like a high school student. It is unnecessary and completely a waste of time when a professor stops the class to ask a student why they walked in 5 minutes late. The students are paying for this education. It is up to us whether we make use of it or not. It is annoying because MOST of professors can't help but be like this because of the small classroom atmospheres.

Campus Activities

You're going to have to really dig deep to get involved. They have a number of clubs and organizations which you can check out and sign up at their "Temple St Fair" (a day where you can be informed about all the clubs and sign up). Out of all the 3 years I've been here, each and every time I have signed up for clubs, NONE replied. And of the activities, I can't recall one that made me think "wow I really want to join that, it sounds like fun". It was more of a "I need to do something of ANY value here or I'll go insane".

City Life of Boston

Please please please don't be fooled by your friends who have been here, or claim that Boston is a crazy place. For the people from rural areas and farm towns, which makes up a lot of suffolk students, Boston obviously seems like a crazy place to be. It will for anyone. After some time though, you realize.. it is just not a great city. There are always a lot of house parties around, but these die out during the end of each semester. There is simply NOTHING for people under 21 to do. Nothing. No cool places to hang out, where you can chill. No cool parks to chill (well.. Boston Common if you want to be hassled by the huge number of crack heads / homeless people). What I mean is.. there are no particular spots in Boston for young people to mix and chill. I even went into Suffolk to ask their Student Activites department what there is to do for people our age in Boston. She literally handed me a sheet of paper with one 18+ nightclub on it… And only go to this place if you like seeing venues filled with fat people barefoot dancing to hardcore techno music… It was like walking into a crack den. The one thing I like is NYC is close-by, so it is a relief to go to that city every once in a while.

Bottom line:

I feel like suffolk has caused me to take a huge step down from high school. It has made me DUMBER. They only care about money, and you will see this once they start charging you for everything, including stupid little penalties that they make up and slap a huge price tag on. Seriously consider another college - when I walked into BU I wanted to smack myself upside the head for not getting out of Suffolk. It is not a surprise that 80% my friends who were with me in freshman year are no longer in Suffolk. Do the right thing. Don't come here and ruin what could be the best four years of your life. And if you're one of those people reading this, and still in Suffolk, waiting to give it another chance… DON'T. Transfer as soon as you can, it won't get any better. Take it from me.