Saint Anselm College

Date: Oct 26 2011
Major: Biology (This Major's Salary over time)
I'm still not sure if I am up for this task at 10:45 P.M of writing this review, I feel that I have so much to say to those considering this school, and it is something that I have been wanting to do for quite some time. I am also not sure of where to start .. I am a third-year biology major, and I have pretty mixed emotions about my experience here at St. A's so far. As cliche as it sounds, your outlook on this school really is going to depend on the type of person that you are.

If you have heard that this school is going to challenge you academically, let me be the first to tell you that that is true, no matter what your major is. The curriculum here is very challenging and fast pace, and it is easy to fall behind. Regardless of your major, all students are required to take 2 semesters of humanities their first two years (a total of 4), 2 semesters of language, 3 semesters of theology and 3 of philosophy. These classes are not to be taken lightly, as they are at the core of what Saint Anselm is about, and for that reason they are taught very in depth and with a heavy course load. As one could imagine, this makes it pretty challenging for a student to 1. get into all of the classes that you want because of scheduling conflicts with these required classes and 2. finish your required major classes within 4 years. It makes for very long days all 4 years, with pretty full class schedules Monday-Friday.

But do not read this as meaning there is no hope. It is certainly a lot of work, and you will be overwhelmed at times, but this certainly happens at any college. You just have to be prepared. To understand what I'm saying, I should explain to you that I skated through high school pretty easily .. ended up with a 3.8 career gpa, mainly honors and AP classes, and hardly studied for exams. It just came naturally to me .. looking back now, I could have put in a lot more work. I didn't really know the meaning of studying. St. A's will change that. You have to earn every good grade (as rare as they may seem). It's a lot different than high school, there isn't the nightly homework and quizzes to keep your grade above surface .. it's up to you to take good notes in lecture, read the assigned materials, and then get tested on 6-8 chapters at a time. Exams are what define you in college, and you need to develop study habits. I didn't have any coming into my Freshman year, and I payed for it, so start developing those now.

A little information about the biology major .. it is VERY demanding. I knew it was going to challenge me, which is why I chose it, but I didn't think it would be to this level. But I know that I am learning an incredible amount from it. I find myself having conversations about things I learn in class, and I am developing a deep interest in the subject. Exams seem always to come around the same time, normally having 2 or 3 on the same day, which makes studying very overwhelming. Labs (6 out of 7 required bio classes need to be lab bios) add a whole new level to the major. Usually 7-8 hours of lab a week, with challenging topics that will push you. Prepping the lab will take several hours, the lab itself is 3, and the weekly write ups 2-3 hrs. Adding this on top of just the lecture portion of that class, and your other four classes becomes a bit much, but you get used to the abuse, and there is a method to the madness. Most of the professors in the department are great. They'll work with you from whatever angle you need help from until you get it, and try all different teaching techniques until they are successful. Like anything though, there are a few who are a little rough around the edges, and you'll just have to ask around once you get here who to stay away from! This is very subjective of me, but bio is one of the hardest majors offered here, there is no arguing that. Be prepared.

Everyone seems to talk about the "grade-down policy" or the "anti-grade inflation policy" here at St. A's, and even after 3 years here, I am still a little skeptical whether or not this actually exists. Some professors and faculty seem to deny it altogether, but some actually openly address it in class, and will tell you that A's and B's are truly very hard to come by in their class. They say that by giving out a majority of C's, that the students learn to cherish and appreciate their rare "A". This is a little counter intuitive to me, because acclimating to C's seems to allow some students to settle for less .. but I digress. I never got a C in high school, and I'm still not completely used to the fact that I see one or two every semester. But it's in no way due to a lack of effort .. if you do not put the effort in here, this school will send you home pretty quickly. So don't panic when you see a C on the grade report, unfortunately, get used to it.

Social life here is really where it is going to depend on what type of person you are. There are always dorm and apartment parties going on pretty much every weekend if you look hard enough, but that is really the extent of the weekend party life. It gets a little old after a while, making the long haul to the upperclassmen apartments on the weekends to drink your beer standing in a circle out in the street with the rest of the campus. This is just the norm. there are occasionally parties, especially in the winter when everyone is forced inside. Beer pong is a staple here at St. A's, so harden those skills for sure. The student population is pretty friendly, it's really easy to make friends, especially with your classmates because your schedules will be really similar for the next four years. There are the stereotypical Lax bros who can't fit through any of the doors on campus because their heads are too big, and plain and simple some kids are dicks, but they keep to themselves.

I played a varstiy sport here for 2 years, and after a very very hard decision, I chose to quit. The time commitment was just out of control, and my school work took priority, as it should. I played baseball and football for all 4 years in highschool and balanced it without a problem, but D2 sports is a whole never level. I have pretty much no time to myself with my major alone, but if you add on a varsity sport with practices, games, lifts, runs, meetings year-round, it turns into something pretty exhausting. The sports here are okay .. not a lot of school pride in their sports. No one really watches the games, no one talks about them on campus, the professors crack jokes at them sometimes for their poor records. That's hard to take as an athlete when you dedicate every second to a sport that no one respects you for playing.

As for diversity, I'm not sure St. A's knows the definition of that word. The population is nearly all white, upper-middle/upper class roman catholics, with a handful of black and Asian students. Virtually all the black students are on the football team, and even if you don't want to get to know them, they do a pretty good job making their presence known everywhere on campus. They college advertises it's diversity well, capturing all the minorities in one photo that they make into their annual pamphlets. I am not against the demographic here on campus, or saying that it needs to change, it's just a lot of the same.

Well I wasn't trying to break a record or anything with the length of this review, but I feel I could keep talking. I'll try to sum it up for you as best I can ..

This school is demanding, there is no way to get around that. There is hardly ever a break from the work, and the pace and material picks up each semester.

With that comes the fact that you learn a lot, and the teachers here really do a fine job of preparing you for whatever career you plan to pursue.

C's are commonplace, but it is not the end of the world, everyone gets them from time to time.

The food is fantastic, nationally ranked I might add.

Parties are okay on the weekends you actually want to go out. A lot of dorm parties, and standing around watching other kids who could squeeze up to the pong table play while you finish your drinks before you walk back to your bed and fall asleep.

Am I happy that I came here? Yes. But I've had to convince myself of that happiness, and work hard to understand it. Sometimes get really rough, and I wish I had gone somewhere else. But there is something special about this place, and the fact that I know they are helping me grow and mature is something that you might not get somewhere else.

This is the real St. A's … hope this helped.