Wagner College

Date: Dec 21 2012
Major: Other (This Major's Salary over time)
I have really struggled with how I feel about Wagner College, but I think it really has been a mixed bag, and although I would NEVER choose to attend Wagner if I could go back and do it again, I still don't think that my years here have been a complete waste of time.

As other people have said, the majority of the student population are complete shitheads. There are tons more girls than dudes, most of the students are from NY or NJ (the guides, as others have mentioned), and if you're even slightly homophobic this is not the place for you. A lot of people leave on the weekends, unless they're going out to the city (which can be pretty expensive, so if you're strapped for cash it can be kind of difficult to participate in some of the more common social activities) and the dorm policies are definitely ENFORCED, especially in certain buildings. It's difficult (read: expensive) to live off campus, so that tends to be pretty rare.

That being said, you can find some good, intelligent people at Wagner. A lot of students really benefit from joining Greek life, it wasn't for me but I know plenty of kids who totally turned their experience around by joining a frat or sorority.

Also, I do think that I got a pretty good education here. It wasn't the most challenging in terms of grades, but you can get a lot out of your classes if you actually work hard at understanding the material. I have tons of respect for many of my professors, and I love that I have been able to form such close relationships with faculty, which would never have been possible at a larger school. I also know plenty of people who attain their post-graduate goals (med school, grad school, etc.), but you do have to WORK at it. I see so many students complaining about how terrible the education is when they don't even come to class. The internship opportunities are fantastic, which is a huge advantage in this job market.

What makes this school truly terrible though, is how much it feels like a scam. I'm not going to claim to know what Wagner's financial situation exactly is (although I'm sure I could find out if I felt like it), but it is true that they work really hard on getting students there, throw a bunch of scholarship money at them (which really only makes it cost a little less than straight up grand theft), and then make it impossible for students to ever leave. The learning communities and the non-conventional credit system makes transferring difficult if you want to graduate in five years. The general upkeep of the dorms and quality of the food is severely lacking, but if you know who to talk to you can get pretty much anything done, one thing about Wagner is that you know your voice is always heard.

I do know some people who have really loved it here, and while I personally am not a huge fan of this school, it is the right place for some people. Just make sure you visit and really know what you're getting into.

TL;DR Community is pretty terrible, but salvageable. Academics are so-so, but can be adequate. Administration is completely corrupt and the facilities are bad, but if you work at it and know who to talk to you can get almost anything done.