I
went to HPU for one semester as a marine biology
major. There are positive and negative aspects to the school.
I said I would not return for one main reason:
EXPENSIVE and the financial aid dept. is horrible. I have
heard so many conflicting things from them, I just don't
know what to believe. When I first moved here, I
had all my financial aid settled. However, once school started,
I discovered that they refused to accept my private loan
and denied it (without telling me). So I had to
refile FAFSA THREE times because of office errors (on HPU's
side). Then, once I thought it was all straightened out
and I got my refund check, they had cut the
amount significantly AGAIN. Needless to say, I ended up working
30 hours a week in addition to going to school
full-time (at the windward campus which is an hour commute
from where I lived). Was not the best semester I've
ever had. With that aside, I will say the
faculty was excellent. They have a lot of Ph.Ds, especially
in the science department. I took an introductory to oceanography
class and we were on a research vessel (12 students
max) four hours a week. We saw humpback whales, some
green sea turtles, a hammerhead shark, and random fish. The
education is of high quality and there are many opportunities
available to you. I will say, I had one professor
(who only teaches this one class; she teaches at UH
full-time) who's english was not the best. She was nice
and pleasant until someone asked a question....then she would get
mad. Our class kinda turned it into a joke and
asked questions on purpose...you know how they are. The entire
class was a joke; I had to do more work
for that class than any other and it was a
lab worth one credit (chem II lab btw).
The negative
comments about the downtown campus are correct. It's not a
real campus; it's spread throughout random buildings in the fort
street mall. For example, the moldy old library is on
the second, third, and fifth floors of one building. This
is not a safe place. At night, AVOID AT ALL COSTS. I had to wait for the bus there for
an hour after my evening class at about ten pm.
I've had a few incidents. There are some security guards
around the area, but if they are of any assistance
to you, I'd be surprised. Plus, ChinaTown is a block
down.
The Hawai'i Loa campus is nicer; on it's
own property, but is small. They are planning on integrating
all of HPU to this campus and expanding it in
the next few years...something to look forward to.
For
me, I'm transferring to somewhere a little more affordable.
So,
in the end, it's a great education, Hawai'i is an
amazing place and you won't regret your time here however
short or long it may be. But, beware of the
price tag and the financial aid department. Good luck and
e komo mai to Hawai'i!
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