Gettysburg College

Date: Dec 24 2013
Major: Other (This Major's Salary over time)
I went through a definite honeymoon phase with this school. Freshman year was amazing. Sophomore year was hectic but good. And then I went abroad, which was the best semester I have had in all of my schooling. But then I came back, after spending a semester dealing with such genuinely friendly people and I began to see the cracks. From 2nd semester of my Junior year on, I became more and more disillusioned by the day. The people are fake. I am in a fraternity, and I can honestly say that that is probably the only thing that has kept me at this school. They have offered support and friendship that the rest of campus does not. The number of obnoxiously rich (as in, if you are not as rich as them, then you are worthless to them) students at this school is disconcerting. You see it everywhere, from the attitude towards academics to how students act in the dining hall/ Bullet Hole. The campus administration and bureaucracy are also a nearly daily hassle. Want to start a club? Month-long process of dealing with condescending bureaucrats who act like you are subhuman simply because you don't instantly understand how their system works. And then there are the sports teams. They are nearly all awful and yet the players, with few exceptions, act as though they run the school. Not on a team? Prepare for some abuse. DPS is also a hassle. If you are walking on a weekend evening and they see you, you will get stopped 3/4 of the time. If you're out during the week, it's a 50/50 chance they'll harass you. They, like the sports players and aforementioned snobby rich kids, act like they are better than others simply by merit of a title they have been given. There are certainly exceptions, but don't think they are there simply to help keep the peace. There is also the matter of waste. When I was a freshman, the menu in Servo (our dining hall) was on paper, which was reused every time that menu was being served. Now? They've installed several $1000+ TVs that do nothing more than list what food we are having. And that is another complaint. The food has gotten consistently worse each and every semester, to the point where I have actually become physically ill every single time I ate anything there this semester. They've gone from Top 20 campus food in the nation to an apparent e. coli breeding ground. Where it used to taste good, now most of it is barely edible. Academics are also a largely negative experience. Too much theory, too little practice. Many professors (bordering on a near majority) are unable to explain inconsistencies in models when confronted with real world evidence that does not fit their models. They simply disregard the counter-point. I've learned a lot, but I've also wasted a lot of time in classes that would be better suited for middle school. Sheila Hearne should be avoided at all costs. You can tell when a professor cares, because they will not only throw theory at you, but challenge you to analyze and use said theory in a real world setting. You can tell who doesn't when they simply present a theory which is disconnected from reality.

There are of course positives. Being a member of the Asian Studies department has been a decidedly positive experience. Even if you are not interested in Asian Studies, I highly recommend taking a course with professor Jing Li. After just one class, you can become lifelong friends with her. She actually cares. As does the rest of the department. There are a number of others, notably Ian Isherwood, who are brilliant at what they do and who actually inspire you to learn, but again, read the warning at the end of the section above this. I've made a lot of friends here, but I've also discovered a lot of really awful people who put a smile on and dazzle their professors, but who are privately truly horrendous people.

I wouldn't go again. Gettysburg College has actually soured me on wanting to do grad school. I need a break, wading through a sea of jerks, bureaucrats, and conspicuous consumption.