The University of Akron

Date: May 03 2018
Major: Music - Performance (This Major's Salary over time)
I started at the University of Akron in the fall of 2012 as a music education major, then ended up switching to performance after one year. I will say up front that the switch in majors was purely for personal reasons rather than anything related to the program itself.

When my original graduating class of 2016 came into the school, the music program was at the very tail end of its prime years. Six of the original faculty members who were there when we arrived retired that spring, thus ushering in the end of the "Golden Age". Things really started to go downhill once my class left in 2016. Out of the 40+ teachers who were there in 2012 and years past, only a handful are now left with the rest being a revolving door of faculty who are often hired on short notice. Many poor quality instructors have replaced the passionate and knowledgeable teachers that once made up a thriving program and often stay longer than they should because the university does not want to spend threadbare funds on doing a proper candidate search to hire good instructors. These are just the problems contained to one program.

University wide, the school has been going downhill steadily and for a long time. Enrollment is decreasing as the population of the city goes down. Funding for scholarships is beginning to dry up as the school is trying to shift money around after years of being headed by administrators who did what they wanted with finances with little regard for the consequences of their actions. Complaints by students are not taken as seriously as they should be even when it involves verbal abuse, harassment or a steady stream of negative evaluations by students about a faculty member. Even scheduling is being compromised as the university is now switching to a four day week and eliminating Friday classes for the 2018-2019 school year. Now that Stark State College is building a campus in Akron right next door I expect enrollment to shrink even further as many students are going to want to get a degree for a cheaper price tag and without the added hassle of taking unneccesary gen ed courses.

My review here is mostly negative as I am comparing this school now to how it was in the past. In short, the University of Akron is no longer a school that I would recommend anyone attend if they are serious about what they want to do and want to pursue their passion or their goals in life with full force. It is an institution that is dying just like the city around it and things are not going to get better anytime soon. Go somewhere else for your degree…