Webb Institute

Date: Feb 26 2014
Major: Naval Engineering (This Major's Salary over time)
This website asks for a comment, but this may turn into a book of a review. I want to start by introducing myself, after all what good is a review if you have no idea who the reviewer is? I could be a freshmen that failed out after struggling through a semester and is still bitter, but I?m not. I am now currently a junior on my third ?winter work term? and a member of the student organization?s leadership. I came to Webb as an innocent little freshmen with my only exposure to college life being Animal House and Accepted. During the PF process (every prospective student interviews with the school president and spends the night on campus) I noticed that drinking was prevalent on campus, but hey its college isn?t it? It?s been almost three years since that faithful day (It even made youtube thanks mom) and since then I?ve fallen in love with the place.

I guess I?ll tackle this by going through the criteria this website has determined are relevant for a school, but anyone worth their weight in salt would know that there is so much more to define a school than just a few simple metrics.

Friendliness: both students and faculty are extremely friendly to each other and any visitors that might find their way on our beautiful campus (more on that later). Webb provides such a close knit environment that it would prove difficult not to learn everyone?s names, yet at the same time there is enough space that everyone can find their own niche on campus. Faculty is exceptional, and all will come to know you as a person, not a student ID number.

Competitiveness: while any school of this caliber promotes a competitive nature. Webb does an excellent job of promoting a team building atmosphere as well. Starting with the epic Freshmen Boat Competition and continuing with countless group projects throughout the curriculum.

Faculty accessibility: Not many schools have as many faculty as readily available. Webb?s professors all have office hours throughout the week, and have even been known to come in on weekends. It is also not uncommon to receive answers to emails at all hours of the night.

Creativity: Any engineering school can have a difficult time fostering creativity. Webb does give chances to provide creative solutions. The Freshmen Boat competition gives the opportunity to let students design a boat with few guidelines, and sophomores are tasked with recreating a painting from the modernist era.

Busywork: In the moment, the countless math assignments will seem like busy work, but hindsight shows each problem has a purpose. This holds true with all other classes as well.

Scholastic success: You only have to look so far as the alumni database to see the success of Webb graduates. Whether it be creating their own companies (Metalsharkboats.com) or rising to chairmen of the board (Herbert.com) Webb alumni have found limitless success.

Quality of major: Already said, but the quality of the education here is phenomenal. Faculty have all had years in their chosen fields and have chosen to pass their experience onto the next generation. This can be shown in the internships companies offer our students, and the job offers our graduates receive. If you?re wondering about the success of Nav Archs and Marine Engineers as a whole, just look at any career site to see the multitude of well-paid open positions.

Perceived campus safety: Safety has never even crossed my mind while at Webb, it?s a non-issue. The ?Webbisphere? lends itself to creating a safe atmosphere. This includes all facets of campus life, including personal health. Just like any school, drinking is an issue and students release steam in their own way. Some exercise, sail, write, read, or any number of other activities; drinking is by no means the only pastime. Those that do choose to drink will sometimes make poor decisions, just like any 18 year old might after being given freedom from a parental unit?s supervision, but thankfully the student body looks out for each other.

University resource use: For Webb?s comparative size we have excellent facilities. A tow tank open to student use, 3-Axis model cutter, flow channel, steam-boiler plant (complete with train whistle), well equipped machine shop, and Medium Speed Diesel engine Lab. You won?t find the state-of-the-art facilities like some schools, but we are always updating and upgrading our labs to compete with those schools.

Campus aesthetics: Even on a bad day Stephenson Taylor hall and the whole campus shows the beauty of the era of the gold coast.

Campus maintenance: It really is an old building, and as such, sometimes the heat goes out and the windows whine in the wind. The maintenance staff does an excellent job keeping up the grounds, but again, you can?t expect perfection with a building over 100 years old.

Individual value: With something like 2,000 living alumni, each addition is treasured. This begins right from the first day and continues throughout your time at Webb.

Social life: As mentioned on other reviews, drinking is a huge part of the social climate at Webb. It is by no means the only activity students take part in. There are many sports teams and many weekend activities off campus (movies, broadway shows, etc.). It?d be a shame to think of Webb as just a party school, when it is so much more.

Extracurricular activities: Webb still offers many sports despite its size. While our teams may not win, everyone gets to participate and we all have fun. Webbies take every chance they can to volunteer in the surrounding area. They help high school FIRST teams and get the opportunity to attend many conferences throughout the country. Perhaps one of the most unique opportunities offers is the winter work program. Freshmen get the chance to work on the ground floor of a shipyard (ranging from the industrial complex that is Newport News Shipyard to a small wooden boat yard on the coast of Maine). Sophomores get to head to sea for two months and travel the world. Juniors and seniors work in engineering offices throughout the world (US, Korea, Dubai). Ask any alumni and they will tell you the highlight of their time at Webb were the internships.

Surrounding city: While Glen Cove offers the basic necessities all the surroundings of Long Island provide anything you could ever want. I myself am not a city person, and the suburban feel of Long Island satisfies my need for a slightly more rural environment.

Well this certainly turned into a more long winded review that I had expected, but I hope it is at least helpful to some prospective high schoolers.