newrose72

Just visited, and Marist seems like a nice school... good programs, wonderful campus, fairly good surrounding area... but I'm questioning the students/student body.

Although everyone that I met was nice and very outgoing, I've have read a few reviews where it sounds like kids are snooty and it's a large party school.... but many colleges at least have a percent of these types of kids (just as there always is jocks, ect), and it might just be the unhappy kids who don't look beyond the surface that post reviews. I know that there is a lot of NY/NJ kids, but overall is there decent diversity? More importantly, are people open minded? Has there been any major racial/gay/other issues?

Would you describe the school as liberal/moderate/conservative (both student body and administration)?

In the same respects a lot of reviews said that kids only go off campus to go to bars to drink - while it's probably true for a portion, it seemed like there was plenty to do in the area if you look. Is local public transportation (i.e. primarily buses) accessible and easy to use to get around to shops on Rt. 9 and other areas (parts of downtown Poughkeepsie looked OK - I know of The Chance Theater) if desired? Is there a local music scene?

Thanks, feel free to expand and post any other useful comments as well.

ksully09

I'm from Fairfield County, so I'm used to the typical preppy white kids and expected Marist just to be like that too, especially because all of the books I read described the student body like that. I was shocked by the diversity there actually is on campus. It is still predominantly white, I won't lie, but not what the books make it sound like. As far as partying, it's college... Compared to big state schools, I wouldn't consider Marist party crazy. In the freshmen dorms R.A are really good about patrolling so there isn't any actual partying that goes on in the freshmen dorms. It's college so no matter where you go there will be partying, but the school is really good about always providing students with other activities such as movies on campus or bringing in comedians, etc. The majority of kids I find to come from NY, NJ, & CT, and surprisingly there's a good population from California. The president is from California so he's making the effort to recruit students from out West to make the student body more diverse. I personally find everyone to be open minded. I have friends who are gay, hard core republican, international, from the Bronx, from Hawaii, preppy, hippy, really no matter what "category" you fit into, you'll be able to find your place to fit in at Marist.
Most of the partying is off campus yes or even small upperclassmen parties. There are bars that are strictly 21+ but most freshmen who go out go to the clubs which are 18 to enter, 21 to drink. I don't know anything about the public transportation, but going out at night there are always taxi vans that are available. They are NOT sponsored by Marist College, and some may think they are sketchy and Marist warns the students about the bad ones and can even provide the kids with good taxi numbers if you want to go out. During the weekends and special occasions Marist does run a shuttle bus to the Poughkeepsie Galleria Mall & Stop and Shop which is very very cheap and runs often.

Hope I helped!

P. I'm a current freshmen and i loved it when i first got here, and i still do =]

newrose72

thank you