St Lawrence University

Date: Jul 17 2012
Major: Math (This Major's Salary over time)
Background: I'm an athlete, middle class, I come from a small town, academics are very important to me, and I love being outside. I came to St. Lawrence mainly because of athletics and because they gave me a great scholarship, but I was surprised to find many great things about SLU.

First of all, the teachers are awesome! Every one that I have had really cares about the students and are always available to help. Each department is like its own little community which is nice because you get to know kids outside of your friend group because of your major. I also found that most students are not very competitive. It is always a collaborative effort.

I was very impressed by the athletics program. The facilities are beautiful and athletes are basically treated like royalty. Many students on campus are involved in sports and it is a great way to make friends. Students are very supportive of the teams here as well.

Canton is a very small town with not much to do, but I don't mind that at all. Sports keep me busy so I am never bored. The community is very involved with the college, and there are plenty of ways to get involved in the community such as helping local Canton students, cooking and serving meals to the needy, habitat for humanity, etc. There are too many organizations to count so if you get involved you will never be bored.

Security does not really crack down too hard on drinking. There are huge parties every weekend in the dorms and townhouses, and every Saturday night people go to this grimy dance club called the Tick Tock in hopes of going home with someone. But not everyone drinks either. The school puts on events like comedians and stuff.

As for the education, you get out what you put in. If you are reasonably smart, take easy classes, and don't work as hard as you should, you will get by just fine but you will be wasting your education. If you take challenging courses and engage yourself, you will have to bust your ass and you might have to pull some all-nighters, but you will definitely get a great well-rounded education. Emphasis on the well-rounded, because at a liberal arts college you are exposed to many different perspectives. Also, go abroad if you can!

Ahhh, now for the student body. There are a few different kinds of people. The type that stands out the most, probably because they all dress the same, are the rich preppy kids. They usually aren't smart enough to get scholarships so they have to pay full tuition, but they have enough money for that plus the latest designer brands. There seems to be more of them than there actually are because they all act and dress the same and they hang out together. Freshmen that get sucked into this group and adopt there ways are often known as "SLU babies." There are also a lot of "crunchy" outdoorsy people. They are cool, wear flannels, climb mountains, and smoke a lot of weed. Then there is everyone else…a mixture of pretty average, smart, pretty "normal" kids. There are not a whole lot of "weird people" like you may find at a Tech school. Most people are friendly, although some are stuck up and wrapped up in their coolness and money. Bu they can be avoided.

The weather is COLD in the winter, and in the spring and fall it can't make up its mind. The food is limited but very good with many healthy options. Milkshake Monday, Sundae Sunday, and Waffle Wednesday are always great!

Basically, anyone can find something they like at St. Lawrence. If you are a dedicated student that loves the outdoors and interacting with lots of different kinds of people, you will probably really enjoy SLU. I hope this is helpful!