Iona College

Date: Oct 06 2010
Major: Undecided (This Major's Salary over time)
The Intro level courses are very easy and although they require good writing skills, it is very easy to follow the class without reading the textbook material. Most of the classes are lecture-based, but go in-depth into the topics as well. The college also tries to limit the amount of homework so students don't spend all their time studying in their dorms.
Not much of a social scene here, although the Inter-Residence Council is working on that. Most of the campus is made up of local commuter students, and almost everyone goes home on the weekends.

So far, the financial aid was very competitive with other schools like Iona, so it's not that much of a waste of money. It really depends on your program of study, but the honors program gives you six free credits per year, so take advantage of that. Most of the facilities are modern, except for the freshman dorms. Technology is up to date, but the wireless signal can be weak at times.
Visit the campus a few times, and try to stay overnight and attend a class at least once. Decide if you like the area around you, and can stand living there even if you can't go home every weekend.

Students who are happy to stay in at night and sit around, or can pay to go into the city for fun. Most of the social scene revolves around partying in the city Thursday through Sunday or staying in and partying in the dorms. Commuter students won't run into this problem, but residents will.
Academically, students who are looking to just skate by and get a bachelor's degree will be fine here, although I have heard that the Teaching degree program is pretty good here.

Overall, I am not happy here. The academic quality leaves a lot to be desired, especially since I actually want an edge when I apply for jobs. As a non-drinker, it is tough to find a nightlife here and have full conversations with people. I wouldn't mind all the partyers and drinkers if there were other types of people here, but those people are few and far between. Tuition is expensive, and the cost of dorms is way to high for the quality of living here. I am transferring to a different school next fall.