Western Michigan University

Date: Jul 02 2013
Major: Aerospace Engineering (This Major's Salary over time)
Upon my first semester at Western, I was extremely disappointed in the rough condition of the campus walkways and buildings. It was not uncommon to see un-level sidewalk pads, broken floor tiles, and cracked walls. The large campus and hills often makes walking difficult, which wouldn't be so horrible, except the parking department is an absolute nightmare; overcharging for parking passes and limiting permission to park only in one the one assigned lot per dorm, or be faced with the consequences of additional fines.

The University is also ripe with transgressions from the administration staff. In my case, I completed a rock climbing course for part of my PE requirement, only to have it never recorded to my transcript. The absolute worst part about this University from the stand point of any students is the transcript fees Western charges. They only offer transcript service through a third party vender, of which you must create a separate log-in to access. It is also Western's policy to delete student accounts to the University site after one year, leaving students with limited options to access previously attended course information, including unofficial transcripts; which they also charge students for. These may seem like minor transgressions, but for any students bound for graduate school, the cost of transcript fees is certainly a variable worth considering.

In brief, due to outrageous parking policy, inadequate administration practices, and questionable transcript fees, I would recommend to avoid enrollment at Western barring any, and all, other alternatives.