Arcadia University

Date: Jun 27 2012
Major: Education (This Major's Salary over time)
PLEASE, PLEASE VISIT THIS SCHOOL BEFORE YOU GO. I made the mistake of not visiting and just accepting their offer of a generous scholarship. A few weeks later, I found myself at a transfer dinner wherein half of the faculty in attendance acted like they had never seen a black person before-and showed no interest in talking to one. It wasn't exactly a warm welcome. I knew from that moment that I had made an awful mistake that was too late to take back. The other transfer students were acting like they had just gotten into University of Penn, when in fact most people have never even heard of this school (for good reason). And if you say it used to be called Beaver College? Prepare for snickers, my friends.

The orientation? As an "adult learner" student (I was considerably older than most of the students) from Philly, I found it to be an enormous waste of time. I left after playing an ice breaker that involved throwing a ball around and answering the questions written on it where my hand landed. I'm not 12. And I wasn't staying for seminars on campus safe sex. Again, I'm not 12 lol. And my goodness, there weren't enough men to say grace over there anyway.

There were some highlights in the one semester that I stayed. The faculty and administration were very accessible and helpful, though some profs made you wonder how the heck they got tenure when they didn't even TRY to teach. I had a math class that angered me to the point that I considered walking out on several occasions. This chick is singing Sesame Street tunes when we're supposed to be preparing for a final. My one education class was a JOKE! All I remember is making cutesy little posters in class. I had two pretty good classes with professors that actually taught, so it wasn't a complete waste. My fieldwork was also incredibly fulfilling but done outside of Arcadia at a nearby high school.

The social atmosphere left a lot to be desired. I never stuck around because there was never anything (worthwhile) to do or anyone to hang out with. My fellow students, for the most part, were suburbanites (nothing wrong with that unless you're closed-minded like they were) who thought that Philadelphia was shoot-em-up ville and afraid to travel outside the confines of the campus. If your ideal Saturday night involves board games with snacks, then hey, go for it. Because that's the kind of stuff they had available for students. Thank the Lord I commuted.

Seriously, to each his own! This university was not for me because I believed the quality of education was subpar, especially for the ridiculous tuition rate. I certainly expected to learn more than I did at the community college I transferred from, but I didn't. I learned waaaay more from my previous institution. And AU was a cultural deadzone. I transferred to Temple University which certainly isn't perfect, but is a much better fit for ME. For my future profession as an educator, I need to be adequately prepared for the field.

This school is great for athletes, folks who need/like individual attention and small class sizes and a "laid back" atmosphere that isn't incredibly challenging. If you're seeking a rigorous education and an engaging campus life, I wouldn't recommend it. Spend the extra money and find a better school.