Alaska Pacific University

Date: Apr 10 2011
Major: Other (This Major's Salary over time)
Let me make this perfectly clear: Don't go to Alaska Pacific University! This advice is coming from a former student who wasted two years and close to $30,000 to have that "Alaskan experience." Alaska is a place to visit for vacations or perhaps during the summer for a seasonal job. Or, once you have finished college, it might work for someone who will move to Alaska for a job. People from the Lower 48 will find it extremely difficult to adjust to the ultra-short daylight hours (when classes are in session for fall and spring). All of my friends who were from the Lower 48 (almost the entire Freshman and Sophomore classes) showed major signs of depression, all of which were made worse by rampant drug use and drinking. More on that in a moment… But what really adds to the depressing aura of this university is the extremely low expectations for academics, the ancient buildings, the moldy food you must eat under the mandatory meal plan (if you live on campus), the insane asylum dorms which resemble a state prison, the hodgepodge of professors which mainly consists of arrogant flakes, and sparse class offerings (which in all fairness comes with attending a small college). Sure you will get to enjoy the great outdoors and all of what Alaska has to offer, but at what price? It will cost you tens of thousands of dollars, and you will be so unprepared for the real world, if you can withstand 4 or more years to finish at APU. This university is best suited for brats whose parents are sending them loads of cash to buy weed and shiny shit at REI! APU is no place for the student who expects to learn and train within a functional field of study. Outdoors studies is one of few majors they offer, and it's undoubtedly the most popular. Who wouldn't want to get college credit for rock climbing? (Well, I wouldn't.) But many do. Just know that if you want to be a tour guide, trust me, you don't need to pay this university 100 grand. And back to the drugs. Those who think APU is a really "chill" campus are right. Of course it is: everyone is high - ALL THE TIME! Weed is everywhere! If it wasn't weed, people were trippin balls, walking around like absolute zombies. I saw used needles in the laundry room. The dorms reeked of pot, beer, hard liquor, and puke. (Not to say I was exempt from any of the partying, but even I know the environment was WAY fucking out of sight…) DON'T GO TO APU! If you are determined to attend college in Alaska, go to UAA and live off campus. Otherwise, look at schools in the Lower 48 and just work in Alaska over the summer!