Roanoke College

Date: Jan 14 2012
Major: Education (This Major's Salary over time)
i went into this school pretty much knowing what to expect, being realistic and even though i've only been here for one semester i've had the time of my life. academics; every single one of my professors has been amazing. so helpful, always there..they WANT you to succeed and will help you out in any way you may need it. that being said, the coursework is difficult. you have to really work to keep your gpa up and if you miss usually more than 3 or 4 classes you will be dropped. some people might see this as a bad thing but its really helped to keep my motivated and going to class like i should be. its not the hardest school to get into, but its certainly very hard to stay. roanoke was voted in the top 16 hardest school to get a A just this past year a long with top schools such as MIT and boston college. theres a good amount of students who dont take their academics seriously but they get weeded out usually by the first semester because theyre too stupid to keep their gpa above the minimum requirement. social life: if you like to drink and party…this is the school for you. every weekend and most mondays there are always great parties going on off campus. theyre all at frat houses but anyone can get it. its not exclusive at all and there is always enormous amounts of free beer, usually in keg form. plenty of potheads if you need your fix, just be careful not to get caught by campus safety or youll be in big trouble. a lot of the social aspect revolves around greek life and sports but you dont have to be in either o have a social life. surrounding city: salem is pretty small no nightlife. the only 2 bars are billys or mac and bobs but both are fun. salem has everything you could need though, plenty of fast food, pizza places, quaint little botiques, tanning salons, a wal mart, movie theater, sheetz and if you need a church-theres one on every street corner. roanoke which is about a 20 minute drive is a hassle to get to if you dont have your own car but thats where all of the strict bars and fine dining are. its a cute city with pretty decent nightlife. students: it is true what people have said about how there are a LOT of lax bros and the majority of the kids come from the new england area-HUGE population from ct, mass, new york, baltimore, dc, nj. most of the those kids went to boarding schools and are extremely well off. however there are also a good amount of kids from va, the surrounding area and are more southern. i'm sort of the minority as i come from the midwest and from a working class family. the only reason i am able to go to this school is because of a scholarship i received for my grades. when i first got to roanoke i had a bit of a culture shock because i was not used to being around so many rich kids who some of them, can be arrogant about it. however, i've learned to use this to my advantage. most of my friends have endless bank accounts that daddy sets up for them and are able to piss away enormous amounts of money of party supplies—alcohol and ive only really had to pay a few times. theyre actually pretty generous with the handouts and even though they can be snobby at times i've had a LOT of fun with these people. i've made life long friendships with people i NEVER thought i would ever come to like. al of my friends know i'm not from some preppy beach town off the coast of massachusetts…they know im from a big city in the midwest on a budget with parents who dont and cant fork over the big bucks. they know i'm not as well off as they are and they accept me for it. no one ever makes fun of me or makes me feel inadequate because of it. roanoke is actually filled with MANY accepting people, you just have to give them a chance like i did. school setting: roanoke is IMMACULATE. the grounds are always kept clean and tidy and it's such a beautiful campus. if you love the mountains this is the place for you. GREAT views and scenery. most are beautiful buildings, some are old and run down but thats only a few.

overall a GREAT school—my only complaints are that campus safety needs to not be so involved in trying to get kids who are drinking in trouble. they WANT to bust kids so you have to be very very cautious in where/who you drink with if youre not at a party. every time ive been to a party thats gotten busted they just let the kids leave, theres never been a problem with that. it is VERY pricy though…if you come from a family like mine you bettter apply for financial aid. also, the food is decent the desserts are amazing. not a hug variety it gets old after a while but then you can just order dominoes or for to macados—super cheap,short walk from campus. roanoke is NOT for everyone, it is a very small school so you do end up seeing a lot of the same people..but for me its not been an issue. just know all of the FACTS before you decide to go here dont rely on just the amazing campus and energetic admissions officers. i would definitely recommend looking into this school though…just to see if you get a good feel for it! ive had a great first semester here and i'm looking forward to the next 3 years here!!!