Siena College

Date: Sep 11 2013
Major: Language - French/Spanish/etc. (This Major's Salary over time)
The Students:
In my opinion, Siena is a very friendly place. The people who go here are generally friendly, the type who, even if you don't know them, will smile and hold the door open for you.

As in every college, there's many types of people here. There's really down-to-earth people, and there's high-maintenance types. There's people from big cities, and small towns. The majority of people are from New York or the surrounding states, but there are people from all over.

The Classes:
If you've ever been to look at large colleges, you are accustomed to seeing huge lecture halls, which can hold hundreds of students. Well, that image is not even close to what Siena is. Classes generally have around 25 students. This way, you can actually get involved in the class, and not just sit there and be lectured at.

I find my classes to be worthwhile. As I said, it's not just a boring lecture. You actually get involved! In my intro to education class, for example, we're working in groups to create a lesson, and then teaching it to the class. You can't find that kind of thing at most schools.

The Faculty:
In my opinion, the majority of professors are warm and understanding. They want to help you succeed. While they're not about to be handing out A's if you don't try, they're there to help. They are willing to help you on their own time, even outside of their mandatory office hours. While there's a few tough teachers out there, there's tough teachers at every school.

The administration, on the other hand, is a bit of a pain. Public safety will treat you like you are still in high school, which I don't really appreciate. If you stay out of trouble, however, you won't have much of a problem with them.

The Campus:
The campus is located in a suburban area, but with easy access to Albany (Siena students get free bus rides). I like this. There's the benefits of the city, such as being able to go to nice restaurants and concerts, but the benefits of the suburbs, such as not living in an area that has a bail bonds on every corner. There's not much to walk to from the campus, but as I said, you get a free bus ride!
The campus is well-kept. There's plenty of grassy areas to play a sports game with your friends, or just lounge about between classes. There's plenty of foliage, which gets pretty in the fall time, and I think it's a pleasant area.
The dorms can use some updates, such as installing more drains in the bathroom showers, but overall, it's all right. The rooms are a bit small, nothing glamorous, but that's college for you.

Things to Do:
Siena isn't a party school. If you're looking for a place that is pretty lax about students partying, this isn't the place. Siena can be pretty strict about under-21 students drinking, especially freshmen.
That being said, some people party. Some people don't. Whatever you decide to do, you'll find people who do the same.
There's plenty of things to do, if partying isn't really your scene. There's a bunch of clubs and intramural sports. The student union hosts a variety of events throughout the year. You might be a bit bored some nights, but you'll find something to do on most of them.

Religion:

If you've looked on Siena's webpage, you've probably noticed that it is a Franciscan Catholic school. Don't worry if you're not Catholic, though. You're not required to go to mass, or participate in any kind of religious activity. One of the required gen-ed courses is a religious one, but you can take something like "World Religions," or "Judaism," and not be involved in Catholicism at all.
And even though Siena is a religion-affiliated school,I think that all types of people are accepted here. I know plenty of people who are LGBT, or have piercings, or are just different from the rest of the crowd, and it's not as if they are treated badly by the school. advice for people who decide to go to Siena:

Send your housing forms in early, so you don't get put in a forced triple.

As someone else said, college is what you make of it. If you get involved, and find your niche that way, you'll love it.

Enjoy college while it lasts!