Governors State University

Date: Apr 21 2010
Major: Art & Design Department (This Major's Salary over time)
First of all, I believe that college is what you make of it. You can learn as little or as much as you want, given professors who are willing to take you further if you ask for it/show you can handle it.

This is what I found at GSU. (It is important to note that the faculty in the digital imaging department has COMPLETELY changed since I went there.) Sure, GSU has its share of slackers, just there to do the minimum, like most any school. My advice: ignore those doofs. I found that the professors were willing to push me further because I demonstrated an aptitude for (or asked for) harder work or most stringent standards. One of the things I liked about my classes at GSU was that the professors were not afraid to challenge me, and not afraid to tell lazy students that they were being lazy. I prefer for a spade to be called a spade, and this they did. I get irritated by educational settings where

everything is OK and everybody gets an A, so they can all have high self esteem

The professors here made no bones about giving harsh critiques, and I loved it, because only by being challenged can you possibly grow.

Now, that being said, I have to add this. Paul Schranz was the head of the photography/digital arts dept at the time, and he was a good person to learn under. The chick they have there now (Beth Parin) is nothing like her predecessor. She regularly cancels classes so that you really only receive half of your moneys worth, and is nowhere near as good a teacher. So although my experience was overall positive, you may want to avoid the current incarnation of the photo/digital dept, or at least any classes with Parin.

And yes, the administration of the school is highly disorganized. They have no central database of students, for example. So that if you have a change of address after graduating, and want something like a transcript mailed to you, you have to notify the admissions and records dept AS WELL AS the alumni department separately, because these 2 units do not communicate or share info with each other, which seems strange and unproductive to me.

And yes, I have heard enough stories of various administrative shenanigans to make me suspect that SOMEthing funny is going on in the backrooms, but this never personally affected my education or experience there. I didn't have any student aid, and never needed to deal with the offices much except to get my transcripts updated and my degree sent out. I just took my classes, did my thing, and was fine. If you're a person who is going to have to deal with the offices or the politics of the school a lot, you may experience some…issues.

All that said, I liked GSU. You can have a lot of fun in the classes if you make it that way. Don't miss the incredible opportunity to take some art history with Professor Beourgeis - he will make African art come alive for you like no other professor ever could! Take time to stroll the Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park, it's a treasure of the southland.