St Lawrence University

Date: Aug 08 2012
Major: History/Histories (art history/etc.) (This Major's Salary over time)
Perhaps I have some of the best perspective on this school, having a somewhat unlucky and miserable experience, but also an academically rigorous and happy experience at the same time.

SLU can be a rollercoaster if you don't fit (or don't want to fit) the rich, preppy mold. It's not to say everyone is like this, but SLU is the kind of school where finding your niche is important. I was unlucky to have a bad FYP (First-Year Program, for those who don't know) as well as an awful roommate during my freshman year. Really, you don't always have to drink at SLU to have fun, but if you don't at all, you at least need to tolerate your friends drinking on the weekends. As a recently graduated senior, our Senior Week was great (compared to Clarkson too, I heard ours was better), and wouldn't have traded seeing Rubblebucket in concert at Springfest for anything (dancing drunk in the rain and mud doesn't sound fun, but let me assure you, it was)! With that said, it took me three years, a term abroad, and getting my core curriculum out of the way to be truly satisfied.

On the note of study abroad, SLU has excellent study abroad opportunities. The SLU-run programs gave me the impression you would be in a bubble… which can actually be good for certain countries where they have programs that could be culturally unfamiliar to students (Kenya, Thailand, Ethiopia to name a few). But, if group travel isn't your cup of tea, or you want to go your own way, individual exchanges are possible (that's what I did).

Academically, in the Art History department most all the profs are great, spare one which grades a little easier, so it might seem. I've heard some departmental criticism from other students (one friend thought some of the government department wasn't all that great, but I'm no expert there. I suppose that's just hearsay). What I do know for sure is psychology and economics tend to be popular majors. Fulfilling my core requirements was a bit of pain due to a lack of classes that I could enroll in, but the school does work to change that- and has. Most all professors have a good rapport with students, and at such a small school students will dog/baby sit for their professors, and some faculty have even had students over for dinner! So really, most professors are friendly and don't mind helping out students.

The price tag is high for slu, so keep that in mind. But overall, and in some ways most importantly, the alumni connections are great! You'll have a stellar network of fellow laurentians, if you know how to use it. Not to mention, that network stays with you even after you graduate. Most alumni are excited to meet other alumni, and it's always fun when you find out your dentist graduated from the same university you did (it also makes you feel like your dentist is pretty competent).