Pratt Institute

Date: Mar 04 2003
Major: Other (This Major's Salary over time)
First I would just like to say that PRATT IS FALLING APART, literally. The bathroom doors dont shut, the sinks dont have running water, heaters dont work, very few rooms are air conditioned for the humid New York summers, windows dont open, and there are few working window shades. In one of my class rooms, one of the old heaters broke and has been leaking (who know what kind of toxic) fumes for the last 3 weeks. When I asked my teacher about it, he said that he notified someone a while ago, but this is "Pratt." Maybe next week the heater will be fixed. . .

In my sculpture class the roof was leaking into buckets that werent large enough to hold the water so that pools of water were covering the floor. (thank god someone did actually fix that). Those are just a few of the bothersome things in the classrooms, and that doesnt even mention the dorms, where students are faced with broken heaters, luke warm showers, mice (yes, mice), and elevators that constantly brake down. When my friend (who lives in the Willoughby Residence Hall) needed a fire extiguisher, he had to go to 6 different rooms before he found one that worked.

Now I suppose some of these things could be over looked. However, right now Pratt is investing money to replace the windows of the main building facade with

historically accurate replicas

which essentially serve no purpose but to look nice. Also, as someone mentioned earlier, Pratt just redid the Manhanttan campus, which is only used by a small population or the Pratt student body. When so much of the Brooklyn campus is falling apart it makes one question why the money was not put into classrooms where it is really needed. It seems to me that Pratt's appearance is more important to them than their students.

The other big problem I have with Pratt is the the adminstrative offices, such as bursar, finacial aid, etc. I think that when other students described these offices as unorganized, archaic, and just flat out rude, they hit it right on the nose. Doing anything at pratt, from registering for classes to paying a photo lab fee becames a huge chore.

On the positive side, I have met a lot of wonderful students and proffesors here at Pratt.

Overall, I think that whether or not youre happy at Pratt really depends on the department you're in. I have spoken to many Architecture students, Industrial Design Students, and Graphic Design students who are irritated with the hassles of Pratt but overall are satisfied enough within their Department that they would not change schools. I, however, as a CGIM (Computer Graphics and Interactive Media) student am fed up with Pratt and am transferring schools next fall. What kind of CGIM program does not even have UNIX work stations?

My advice to student considering Pratt is to visit the campas, and then talk to the students that are in your major. It might save you a lot of suffering and money.