UNLV's strong and weak points

VegasSommelier
Fri, 10 Apr 2009 05:57:07 +0000

Positives:

Great work being done on the campus buildings and grounds. The facilities will be excellent when the program is complete in a year or two.

Obviously one of the best hospitality and tourism schools in the world

Top 100 Law School (Boyd Law ranked 88th in 2008)

Under Grad Education program ranked 82 out of 180 in 2006

The MBA program is no slouch! Trust me!

Programs are being expanded every year

Great athletic program

A renewed commitment by the state and university itself to better its academic standing

Extremely low average debt upon graduation

Weather (if you are not here in July and August, Vegas has amazing weather!)

A great place for internships and part time employment for undergrad and grad students. People in hospitality/hotel management, business, and law have great opportunities to learn outside the classroom

Negatives:

It simply grew too fast from the late 90’s onward

Very poor student housing, although there is a new dorm complex being built

Admission standards were too low, but now starting to come up

Low PhD count for professors (but is quickly rising)

4th tier ranking in US News (which is important to some, but not myself)

Not much Greek life (for those into that sort of thing)

College gets pegged as a ‘party school’, when the reality is that you cannot drink in this town under 21 years old anywhere due to gaming laws

Simple facts:

Its is mainly a commuter school, but when the new dorms are done, it may start to change

Parking can suck sometimes

Mostly locals or in state residents

You can get in trouble (gambling/drinking), but just as easily enjoy the mountains, hiking and outdoor activities as well as many other things besides partying (but it is available for those who seek it, obviously!)

- Las Vegas has an amazingly low cost of living right now (2009), but jobs are scarce

Overall… in comparison to New York State Universities, I would say in 5 years it will exceed them in many areas. Definitely equal to or better than Florida state colleges.
They are making great strides, especially since I first visited the school in 2004. I think they will move into the third tier of schools by 2010, and higher by 2014.
Personally… I would choose UNLV over a SUNY school.