Hampden Sydney College

Date: Nov 03 2014
Major: Economics (This Major's Salary over time)
As much as I love Hampden-Sydney, there is no denying that it is going through numerous problems currently, and it can get quite frustrating if you truly care about the college. The facilities are all outdated - dorms, classrooms, just about everything except a select few places they show on tours, which is sad given how often the school talks about how well its Alumni do, and how generous they are to the school. Numerous departments are understaffed, while other professors get away with having only a handful of students per semester. Additionally, the financial aid and business offices rarely communicate it seems, and often give incorrect numbers to students who need to take out loans. While the campus is nice, and the food is generally a lot better than people suggest I am often left wondering where my tuition goes at the end of the day - mostly to supply the president with Brooks Brothers suits it seems… The student senate, which actually runs quite a lot on campus, is often at odds for power with the college activities committee, and the student body seems to suffer for it - most recently a $38k blunder of a concert that practically none of the student body cared to have in the first place. Even if you don't join a fraternity there is quite a lot to do, and you likely won't have problems making friends, since you'll inevitably have the same people in many of your classes.

If I could do college all over again from the start, I would more seriously have considered other private colleges elsewhere. The school talks about caring about students as individuals, that really stops with knowing your name - if you have a problem with any school office, enjoy a bureaucratic run around trying to get it straight. The small, all men atmosphere is incredible, but that's about all it has going for it aside from the honor code, which is generally only followed when convenient. The professors are generally fantastic, incredibly qualified and very approachable - it's not uncommon for students to have lunch or dinner with professors, or even to see professors out and about during party weekends.

If Hampden-Sydney wants to be great again, then I firmly believe it can be - but when I see the quality of the facilities that other schools of similar size have compared to H-SC, I often wonder if I made the correct choice.