StudentsReview :: Evergreen State College - Extra Detail about the Comment
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Evergreen State College

How this student rated the school
Educational QualityB Faculty AccessibilityA
Useful SchoolworkC Excess CompetitionC
Academic SuccessC Creativity/ InnovationA
Individual ValueA- University Resource UseA
Campus Aesthetics/ BeautyC- FriendlinessB
Campus MaintenanceC- Social LifeC+
Surrounding CityB+ Extra CurricularsC
SafetyA
Describes the student body as:
Friendly, Closeminded

Describes the faculty as:
Friendly, Arrogant, Condescending

Male
ACT:21
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Average
Lowest Rating
Campus Aesthetics/ Beauty
C-
Highest Rating
Faculty Accessibility
A
He cares more about Campus Aesthetics/ Beauty than the average student.
Date: Aug 02 2014
Major: Social Work (This Major's Salary over time)
You get what you put into your education at Evergreen. Students and alumni say this all the time, and it is very true. Evergreen is for someone who is self-lead in their processes, someone who is not afraid to explore and push their comfort levels.

A general note about the academics: Most of the programs I have taken been average in quality, a hand full of faculty I worked with really well, there a few professors I have had that seemed bored and their teaching was dry. I have taken sociology and psychology, and my experience has been pretty good, the interdisciplinary liberal arts allowed me to take a wide variety of programs before settling in that direct. I was even able to complete prerequisites for graduate school …even though I am not sure I want to pursue yet even more school after I am done here. I think Evergreen does an excellent job creating academics or intellectuals—people to follow in their professors footsteps: teach, publish and/or research. This is a path, not the only path. Sometimes I feel professors forget this.

Come ready to write, most programs at Evergreen have a writing component built into them. The more flexible (and open to change) you are as a writer, the more success you will have as you complete programs.

Independent Learning Contracts and Student Originated Studies are excellent ways to incorporate service learning into your education. As a psychology/social work student I was able to design my own section of a program around topics of psychology I was most interested in… and from there build it around internship I completed at a local non-for profit. The experience was a lot of work and in the end I learned things I would have never had a chance to experience in a normal program. Designing my own (section of a) program required me to be truthful with myself and what I wanted in my education, it showed me the importance of setting boundaries (around work I am going to complete) with myself and my professor.

From a structural perspective the administration is wonky. Deans rotate into teaching positions every five years, which means they could be teaching with professors who they were just administrating over a few years before. At first glance, this doesn?t seem like a big deal, in fact the design is meant keep the amdin focused on teaching and not power hungry for school resources ?like traditional larger state schools. The problem comes when a conflict arises with a professor, perhaps from non-administrative staff or someone in the student body. The staff or student might bring up the conflict to the dean, and then the dean, not wanting to upset their future teaching partner, ignores the conflict, or moves it away from the professor. This makes for an inefficient system when it comes to accountability. And it has reverberating effects on the staff and students who often have to negotiate with faculty without an impartial dean or higher up to assist. All this coupled with recent budget cuts has forced a sense of unease across the Evergreen community in recent years, and often makes it an unpleasant place to learn or work (I am student worker).

Academic support services is not helpful. Every time I have gone to see an academic counselor they have told me things I already knew from doing a little research online, looking the academic catalog or talking to my friends/professors. Sucks because choosing programs can be stressful, especially when there aren?t any that directly interest you or that fit your academic goals.

Not having perquisites, makes Evergreen a steal (value-wise). You don?t have to spend that extra year grabbing general education requirements. It is extremely do-able and possible to finish with a BA in four years or less.

Financial aid requires many hoops to be jumped through, starting an application as early in the year as possible pays off.

As a freshman, the food sucks, and they force you eat it. Get creative cooking in your dorm.

As a freshman, the dorms suck. Well actually I would go as far to say the all-on campus housing sucks. It is dark, there isn?t much of a social scene, and the cost is high.

Outdoor wise the campus is great, the forest is dense, prefect for exploring or just hanging out. And you are close to the Olympic Peninsula which has some excellent hiking. Lots of environmental science programs will utilize the nearby geography, ecology and geology in there study. Mt. Rainier is also legit.

Olympia is great. The perfect size to have suburban amenities (stores and infrastructure) and an interesting downtown. With a bicycle and a bus pass I am able to get around quite nicely.

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