not sure if i like SU...

shiftyeyes
Fri, 03 Apr 2009 05:25:42 +0000

Warning: long post.

Yeah, campus had a way different feel over spring break than most weekends. I was only around for a few extra days, but I can understand how that wouldn’t leave the best impression. It was dead.

If it helps to give some of my personal background, I’m a freshman Journalism major, in Core Honors. I’m originally from a dense suburb near Denver. I went to a small, all-girls (sorta) Jesuit high school, and I am Catholic, though I had absolutely no intentions of ending up at another religious school. I’m willing to answer any personal questions, and obviously questions about the school or city, to my ability. So I’ll shoot down the list…

SU is definitely not much of a commuter campus, and most of my friends here live in the res halls. Some of those people see their families on the weekends, but it lessens as time goes on, and it’s really not a big difference. There’s also plenty going on during the week, from movie nights to speakers to bands, etc. So I guess it feels like a “real college.” Well, there’s no greek scene so no frat parties or frat presence, which I’m told actually makes a big difference (there are parties though, or some people just go to UW on the weekends).

I’d say the student body is pretty diverse in terms of interests. This is probably my favorite thing about SU; even individuals have seemingly contradictory passions (and weird hobbies), and I love it. I don’t think anyone really fits into a stereotype. There are some underrepresented groups I guess, but I don’t feel like any group really “dominates,” and I think a lot of different sorts of people mesh well. Part of that is SU culture, and part of that is just that, by college, most people have gotten sick of the social hierarchy/segregation that they saw in high school.

So the diversity in interests also means that a normal weekend could be a lot of things. Honestly, I don’t even know where to begin with that question. There’s a lot of itch to hit the city, because there are so many places to go nearby, and the freedom of college is a perfect time to take advantage of that. Plus there are more official campus events during the week than the weekends. My friends and I usually end up at least hitting a new restaurant or spending a day in one of the unique neighborhoods around town checking out shops, art, farmers markets, anything. I go to shows kind of a lot; there are a ton of concert venues within walking or one-bus distance. Other people mainly party. There’s also an outdoor rec club that hosts trips for camping, skiing, hiking, etc. And some people/days are more down-tempo: movies, board games, coffee, etc.

The male:female ratio is kind of a huge joke on campus. And we do complain that most of those guys are either gay or taken. So that’s a warning. That said, dating is possible, though you might end up looking off campus. If it makes you feel any better, SU isn’t the only school with this issue, and I don’t honestly don’t even think about it much, especially as time goes on. I mean, this is where coming from an all-girls school may affect my perspective, and my solid friend groups have always been all-female, but I’d say about a third of my close friends here are male, which I’d say is safe enough. And at least I don’t know a lot of ******bags. In terms of the classroom dynamic, one of my classes does only have three guys (out of 20ish), but most have been right in line with the ratio. I imagine that has an affect on the dynamic, but I don’t feel like there’s any tension, and I don’t necessarily feel like I’m missing out on anything.

The drug/alcohol scene…I don’t drink or do drugs, personally, but I don’t feel chastised for it. So that’s the perspective I’m coming from. And I don’t think drinking (or weed) is taboo at all here, either. I feel like those who do drink and/or smoke outnumber those who don’t. They say that’s not the case, but from my personal experience, I feel like it’s assumed that people drink, and it’s valid/casual to ask if someone smokes. They’re not any looser when it comes to busting people, but it still happens pretty openly. As a non-drinker, non-smoker, I still feel like I can hang out with people who do drink without personal hostility, stereotypes, etc. As for other stuff, I’ve heard of some people doing shrooms. If people do anything harder, it’s not a really pervasive thing on campus.

I hope that gets at your questions. I’d be interested to hear your majors and interests and how that fits into your plans/ideals for your college experience, and feel free to ask any other questions here or via PM.

Good luck!