Baldwin Wallace University

Date: Mar 07 2011
Major: Physics (This Major's Salary over time)
Baldwin-Wallace College is a good school that is not for everyone. If you decide to come here, you will be met with great academics, albeit some pointless core classes (LAS anyone?).

The biggest problem I have with the school is the people. The way I see it, there are 4 "cliques" that largely dominate the campus population (there are others but i won't discuss them all):

1. Sports Management Jocks; High school football players/athletes who know they aren't going to be successful in professional sports, so instead they hope to be a lackey working for a professional team, or a high school football coach.

2. Broadcasting Jocks; the same type mentioned before, instead they have aspirations to become an ESPN broadcaster.

3. The Conservatory; Con students tend to have a rigorous schedule and thus band together through common purpose. This is not a bad thing, but I haven't found much interaction with them.

4. Theatre; I would have thought that I would fit into this, since I originally came to BW to be a theatre major. But this is the most close-minded group of students I have ever seen. Most of the people have attitudes and huge egos. If you are gay then you WILL find immediate acceptance into this group. In fact I think 95% of the guys are gay. I don't have an issue with gay people at all, but i find it interesting that there is such an outcry for gay acceptance and such. Yet at this school the gays are the ones who try to shove their ideology down your throats. If you don't display the typical gay attributes or dress a certain way, then don't expect to be accepted amongst them. I am an open minded person who tries to be nice to everyone, but many times I found myself being looked down upon by a gay student with an excessive ego.

Note: When it comes to the above statements, this is purely my interpretation of the student body based solely on my observations. I'm not saying i'm 100% right- its very probable that my point of view is skewed, but then again, everyone is different and will interpret in their own way.

Now I will say that if you are looking for a fraternity or sorority then you will have a much easier time making friends. In fact, a majority of the people I know who have found their place are part of a frat/sor.

My professors so far have been pretty good, although I have heard a couple horror stories. Core classes are pain but i imagine its about the same everywhere. At least 2 of my professors this semester have injected their political convictions into how they teach a course which is a bit problematic.

The campus: most people say they love it, but myself I find it kind of restricting. Its built into the surrounding city (Berea), so its kind of hard to tell where the campus starts and the city ends. During good weather its a very nice though, unfortunately good weather is hard to come by in Northern Ohio.

During nice weather i frequently found myself escaping to the metroparks, just a short walk (or quick bike ride) away from BW. They are absolutely gorgeous and a great way to escape the hustle and bustle of a busy town.

With all this being said, the main reason i am transferring is because the program I am looking for is not offered at BW. Everything else is a contributing factor. I am now looking at a larger University that carries my program and is a few hours south.