Western Michigan University

Date: Nov 04 2012
Major: Unknown (This Major's Salary over time)
I am a 6th year student at WMU about to graduate in December. I have a triple major and two minors and have had different experiences depending on the department. Overall, I would rate Western Michigan University below average. I really regret not attending a different school because I feel that the education I received at Western was below par. To get back to my initial point, It really depends on the department. If you are interested in Paper/Chemical Engineering, Aviation, Speech Pathology, Medieval Studies, or a General Business degree, Western offers above average programs with useful resources. GPA requirements are often held at higher standards for some of these programs( for example, the PA and Speech Path Grad programs admittance is around 3.8),but at Western, admittance into some of the programs (like the college of ed) are shockingly low at 2.5). You will find that at Western, Grades are primarily based on attendance. You could score below average on coursework, yet if you attend all classes, you will still pass the class.(I once attended an upper level History class 3 times during the semester, just to take the tests…and managed to get an A because attendance didn't count). Coursework is not challenging, but more than a vague overview of what you should be learning to prepare you for a career. Helpful hint to anyone considering Western: Plan on doing Internships throughout college. I learned more from interning that I have from my professors. Coursework was not necessarily helpful. So moving on to the professors, I have had some outstanding professors and I have had some terrible instructors. The Psychology department really enjoys using Teaching assistants in place of an actual professor! ($1,000 a class reminder) In addition to having students teach a majority of the classes, Western teaches Behavioral Psychology (this alone is usually a deciding factor for many psych students-as it is not a popular perspective). Unless you really go above and beyond to make a consecutive effort with teachers, generally you will be treated like a number. Western has a few kinks to work out in the administrative side. You will find hidden fees, a general unpleasant attitude from western staff ("hey don't blame me, I just work here"), and plan on "jumping through hoops" due to a lack of communication between departments. Also, beware that they change curriculum requirements without notifying the students(Technical/Practical Writing department*cough). Good luck getting into a class when they only offer it once a year, yet make it a per-requisite for your concentration. The average graduation rate at western is around 5-6 years and they have a high transfer out rate. I'm guessing this has to do with the lack of communication between departments, advisers and administrators. So overall, I would rate Western as a 7/10. If your thinking about attending Western consider how valuable your time and money is, because you will be wasting a lot of it here.