Food:

Hardly any variety, but it?s alright.  It can get ridiculously crowded at times, especially during special events.  I only eat at the all-you-can eat cafeteria.  However, a lot of people like to eat at Bernie?s, which is in the Lee Center (The campus?s new building).  There, a lot of people like to have meetings, hang out, or just nap.  Bernie?s serves fast food and it?s not my fare, but hey, everyone has their opinion. 

Diversity:

Coming from a DC-area Catholic school where 93% of the students were white (no kidding!), I find the diversity at Marymount to be refreshing.  In fact, quite a few guidebooks have said that Marymount is one of the most ethnically diverse schools in the south.  I believe Marymount made 2nd place on those lists while, I?m guessing, nearby George Mason University made first.  Anyways, diversity?s very good for a small liberal arts school.  Spiritually, I was surprised to learn that the majority of students don?t adhere to Roman Catholicism.

Dorms:

The dorms can fit just over 700 people, which is roughly 20% of the student population.  In September 2010, they will be opening up a new residence hall/classroom space/health sciences offices adjoining the main Arlington campus. 

Despite what admissions officers tell you, Marymount IS a commuter school. 

Personally from my experience, I can see why many of the people would want to commute.  At Marymount, living in a dorm is a relative novelty, it wears off fast.  The dorms are not very nice at all, considering the money that you pay to go here.  When you go to Marymount, you can go on the metro and visit other DC schools and see their dorms.  There are NEVER any parties in the dorms, since the RA?s DO mean business. 

Social Scene:

Do keep in mind that everyone?s college experience will be different, since college is a buyer?s market: if you don?t want to spend your hard-earned money on one school, you are free to spend money at one of over 2,000 colleges across the US. 

At visiting events for high school students, you will notice a sign that says ?The REAL college experience!?  I think the administration knows this is a lie, since ?real?  is underlined and italicized. 

I don?t know if this is with Marymount or with every liberal arts school, but I feel like the size of Marymount breeds high school drama.  There are stupid rumors, silly misunderstandings and tons of cliques flying all around.  I myself haven?t gotten involved in any of these, but it?s definitely not uncommon to see this happening.

Greek life doesn?t exist.  Something to keep in mind, a good or bad thing depending on the person. 

Most of the people have fun off campus, usually in DC.  This will inevitably leave the campus a ghost town during the weekend (It happens every single weekend).  Essentially, you are paying for the location.  I don?t know about you, but if I pay so much money to go here, I?d want a bunch of fun stuff to do ON campus. 

As a guy, I can?t help but notice that many of the girls are superficial, people you would definitely not want your mother to meet. 

Most of the people that I have seen here are very laid-back and come from upper-class families and attended Catholic high school.  Personally, I got tired of seeing the same people over and over again.  Do keep this in mind when looking at a small school such as Marymount.  Unless you know a lot of people, expect a bunch of sheepish glances when walking past people.  A lot of the people don?t say hello to me when I walk by, so I often break the ice and say hi to people. 

Coming from a Catholic school, I have found this school to be almost devoid of any faith presence.  Save for the crucifixes in every classroom and a campus ministry, there is definitely no in-your-face Catholicism, which is a good thing. 

Despite starting a club, joining campus ministry, being a member of the SGA, and working an on-campus job, I have found the social scene for me to be very underwhelming.

Events:

Personally, none are very interesting and not a ton of people go, from what I?ve seen.  I went to a lot of events my first semester: Welcome party (late-August), Service Day (early-September), Campus Ministry?s beach retreat and a Traffic Light dating party (mid-September), and Midnight madness (late-October), among many others.  Movies or musical acts will come to play every Wednesday night at 9:30pm.  None of the acts you will have heard of, but they aren?t terrible, though not very good either.  A lot of the events had a lot of people not even show up, which kind of reminded me of a failed bake sale or something. 

Not a lot of events will occur during the weekend, since most commuter students will be home by then. 

Clubs/Activities:

Only about thirty exist, which is minuscule compared to other schools of the same size.  Clubs are being added all the time.  I?m a member of SGA and I started a club, so I know. 

I joined Campus Ministry my first semester.  They have some pretty interesting events: Home-cooked dollar dinners every Monday evening, VERY spiritually-intense retreats in September and January, bible study, esto vir (A Catholic Men?s ?fraternity??the guys are VERY intense), and bunch of other stuff.

The majority of students in campus ministry are Catholic and I can kind of see why.  Although they advertise as being very welcoming to other faith traditions, I as a Catholic couldn?t swallow their orthodoxy.  But if you?re a devout Catholic, you?ve found your home in campus ministry. 

Academics:

Marymount doesn?t have a national reputation in this department, in case you care.  However, its graduate programs are regionally-known and fairly respected, from what I?ve seen.  I attended a community college for a semester before coming here and I can say that it?s no different, which isn?t a bad thing?only that you are paying so much for the same thing. 

The classes are not difficult at all.  As a result, there is no need for office hours, but you can still meet up with your teachers if anything arises.  However, I don?t feel inspired by my teachers.  It just reminds me of ?get your degree and get out.?

There isn?t a lot of variety of classes, which is disappointing to me.  A bunch of classes are held on the Ballston campus, an old office building where most of the graduate classes are held.  Many undergraduate classes are held here too.  You need to take a shuttle to get there, which is ALWAYS late.  Seriously, it?s never on time!  Don?t schedule back-to-back classes between the main campus and the Arlington campus and you should be fine.

A lot of uncommon majors exist, such as Fashion Merchandising/Design and Interior Design. 

Aside from the location, this is where your money goes.  I am not disappointed in this department and I feel like I am learning what I am supposed to be learning.  However, I don?t feel it?s worth the money at all. 

Library:

I was in here a lot, to earn some good grades to transfer.  This area definitely does not disappoint.

The library is very nice and the staff are very helpful.  It?s great that Marymount is a member of the Washington Resource Library Consortium, which means that you can check out books from other DC-area schools.  Often, when a large writing assignment is assigned, the first thing I do is go on the WRLC catalog and order books.  My books are often delivered within 2-3 days at no charge, which is definitely a perk!

Keep in mind that printing, as well as laundry, are free. 

Setting:

The school is located on a tiny 19 acre campus in Arlington, VA.  It?s mostly located in suburbia, away from the hustle and bustle of DC.  This makes for a very peaceful atmosphere, which is good for me.

Honestly, there is very little within walking distance.  Resident students can bring their car starting their junior year.  However, just take the MU shuttle and there is tons of stuff to do: Ballston mall, Ballston/ MU metro stop, etc.

I feel very safe on campus, although the security guards look out of shape.

Admissions:

84% the last I checked?not very difficult at all.  I had a 2.0 in high school, but I got in because I went to a Catholic school.

Value:

As of now, the sticker price to live and go to school at MU is almost $33k.  The financial aid isn?t very generous, considering there is a recession and a lack of donors.  I think $33k is way too much, considering the paltry endowment valued just over $26 million, which is very weak for a DC-area school.  As a result, many of the buildings are old and the upkeep of many bathrooms, dorms, and equipment is quite poor.

Bottom Line:

Personally, I wouldn?t recommend this school because of the very high price tag and bad financial aid, underwhelming social scene, average academics, and poor upkeep of the campus. 

Most of the people that I know (You will know everyone in the whole campus in 2 weeks) transferred to George Mason, which is depressing.  The retention rate here isn?t very high, which isn?t surprising.  The people that I knew here who transferred often complained that this school is a joke, which I?m half-inclined to believe.