Ursinus College

Date: Feb 20 2011
Major: Other (This Major's Salary over time)
I received a full ride to two Ivy league schools, and I wish I had gone to either of them, and not this crap school.

I'm an out of state student - one of the few on campus, and I have to say, I feel like an outsider outside of my group of friends. First, when I started out as a first year, I paid 40K a year, most in scholarship to the school. That was reasonable, however, as a fourth year student, I'm paying at least 50k to the school.

It's ridiculous. I work 30 hours on campus to make ends meet and be able to afford their expensive school, and I'm only supposed to be allowed to work no more than 20 hours a week, but the administration doesn't care because my paycheck goes right back to the school.

Let me tell you, there are two types of students at Ursinus - those from poorer families, and those from families making over 200k a year. The people that do well at this school are those who fully pay for their tuition, because they can devote the 40+ hours a week studying. Also, all your friends will have money. I, unfortunately, come from a background where I am considered an independent, and when I was barely able to afford tuition one semester, I received a letter from the college saying that I either pay, or leave the school.

The education they provide is as good as any you'll receive from a community college. Take my advice and only go to this school if your parents can pay off the tuition in full, and then donate another 100k every year (I know a guy who's mother has done this every year, and he is shown favoritism from many of the professors). Brilliant school if you're able to do this.

I went looking for internships in my state over the summer too, and when I told the company reps the school I was attending, they asked me if I was serious. I've met many graduates from the school too, who feel the same way I do, and regret ever going to Ursinus. These are brilliant people in their fields, but they don't credit Ursinus with establishing them there, but through their hard work after escaping the clutches of this institution.

I had the luck of waiting outside to have a meeting with the interim president, after the current president had passed away, and they were discussing the current tuition. Apparently, Jeff Corson (the IP) thinks that until parents can no longer pull out a second mortgage on their homes, then the school will continue to be affordable for everyone. I'm sorry, but you shouldn't have to go in to over 200k of debt just to go to a college that no one has heard of.

I will give Ursinus credit for it's history department. I was originally a Biology major, but changed it because I could no longer afford to work 30hours on campus, plus another twenty off campus on the weekends. All the professors in both departments have impressive undergraduate and graduate backgrounds, but in the real world, it's your background that matters. I don't care that my awesome history professor graduated from Princeton, what I care about is where I graduate from.

Also, some of the professors are taxed with too much work. For what their earning, they shouldn't have to teach 6 classes a semester. My one history professor, who is head of the department, always looks like he'll fall over any minute. Ursinus, however, doesn't care about any department but their Biology and Chem departments. They're always hiring new "talent" in these departments, and these professors have only a class or two a week to teach while the humanities departments get shorted.

For those considering applying to Ursinus because it may improve your chances to get into medical school because Ursinus always seems to deliver a high acceptance rate, consider this: if you have below a 3.5 GPA, they actually discourage you from applying to medical schools, and you can't apply until you get a letter from their medical board. The high ratio of students from here who apply and get in is pretty fabricated.

Keep that in mind. Also, we have the lowest retention rate of students than most colleges. Half of the people I entered Ursinus with in 2007 are no longer at the college, and have transferred out.

Also, be prepared to see the buildings in poor repair. Regardless of what building you choose to live in, be prepared to have something go wrong. And the food is just horrible. Sophomore year, we found cockroaches in our food in the main dining hall and we wrote a letter to Dean Nolan asking her to look into the matter and examine the quality of the food. Her response was that there were cockroaches everywhere and that we'd just have to expect it. I'm sorry, but what? Finding cockroaches crawling in your food is not normal, I'm sorry.

Sodexo, who takes care of the food on campus, mistreats their workers right in front of the students. The managers are rude to their workers and verbally abuse them at lunch and dinner. It's ridiculous. Myself and other students have complained directly to Sodexo, but were called back by a representative from Ursinus College's Sodexo, and was told that they were allowed to "reprimand" the workers.

I will admit, people that do attend this school are polite, and will smile at you (which was what actually made me want to come to the school, because I felt that everyone was just so nice), but a lot of it is fake. There are some genuine people on campus, but they are few and far between.

If you're a Georgina, come here. You'll be loved by the faculty and will probably leave with a 4.0 GPA, but if you're a hard working student who didn't slack off in high school, go somewhere else. Ursinus will accept anyone that'll pay the tuition, regardless of intellect.

Go to Vassar, Florida U, or Cornell College. Trust me, you'll pay less, and get a better education.

I regret ever coming to this college, and wish I had gone to Cornell Uni. I may have been a "number", but I feel more like a number here, when I'm told that horrible things are normal. Ursinus will never see a dime of what I make after I leave and go out in the "real" world. I would rather put my money to better use, and use it to pay off the remainder of my student loans, or donate it to a battered women's shelter. At least I know where my money is going. I refuse to line Ursinus College's president's pockets anymore. Last year, our now deceased president earned 1 million dollars, and the board of trustees actually defended this ridiculous sum by saying not only did he deserve it, but they should've given him more.

Also, I'm surprised this website even has neg. reviews of Ursinus. Ursinus is famous for finding negative reviews, and asking the website to remove them, threatening law suits if they don't.