Grand Valley State University

Date: Dec 16 2010
Major: Social Work (This Major's Salary over time)
Be warned, the school markets itself well, but if you bear a disabilty status, consider privacy before disclosure. The school has policy that seems willing and able to accommodate for a wide number of needs including untimed testing and a special department to accommodate for various disabilities. However, the community's reaction to those with such minority status is not always friendly. These accommodation policies come in conflict with the strong social mores that fight to keep the community clean.

The curriculum didn't seem so bad at first but it was repetitive. A counselor first promised the social science curricula will bring hard skills to work with clients and organizations. Other colleges were studying applied research with a preparation for graduate school in the last two years. I still wondered why we were discussing the nature of the ID and EGO for the n'th time in 300 level courses. Counselors argued that this repetition set a strong foundation. I thought it saved money when we used the same books and the tests were easy. Then, came the hard reality. Endless bouts with psychodynamic theory become useless in the applied world when employers ask,

What can you do for me?

The lake effect makes winter something terrible. With the cold snow and wind, you need that solid winter gear. You also have to drive ten miles to get to something like Meijer or a party store. Those open fields make a beautiful sunset but it becomes a dark hell in winter when the sun goes away. The same storm that brings six inches of snow somewhere else will bring strong winds and 4 feet of snow in Grand Rapids. It's a hard move in a wheelchair; especially when it takes some time for them to plow the pathways. There is nothing to do there, no night life. There are no cell towers, radio stations, not many television stations. If you don't have a car, you will be stuck in the dorm and that is terribly boring.