ByStudents

Playing Both Sides of the Fence edition, via Quinnipiac:

Don’t come here if academics are not your first priority. Also, don’t come here without a good fake ID.

Got to love the self-aware.

Via University of Chicago:

The University of Chicago Paradox: The Normal Don’t Fit In

The new best answer to the Best Class question, from a Hofstra student:

My favorite class is scuba class. Most people don’t know that we have this class, but I think it’s awesome that you can get credit for hanging out at the bottom of a pool for an hour. We do have tests, but they are a lot easier than regular academic classes.

Disillusioned Liberal Arts Student edition

From Swarthmore:

Honestly, this school tore me down, ripped me apart, and left me for dead. Usually when you tear something down you build it up again. But not here. I came in with great hopes and dreams of the future and now all I want to be is a dreg working at an Indian Casino living at home. I am not kidding so please don’t say, “This guy is just having fun with us.” Not the case at all. I truly hate academics now and the scholarly profession.

From Kenyon:

the only social activity here is having sex and drinking. these events are managed by the frats and sororities. this is really their only function other than raising money. this money is then spent on more beer. if i am awake at any time of the day i am probably studying, checking facebook, or staring at the food on my plate in disgust.

Bringing History to life edition.

Via Barnard:

The most amazing Seminar is one called Reacting to the Past. It’s run as a series of games (three) over the course of the semester, in which students act out periods in history. For example, the first game took place in Athens in 403 BCE. We were all members of the Athenian assembly. As Athens had just suffered a crushing defeat to Sparta, it was our job to make laws and determine how bring Athens back to glory. We each had roles and positions and we spent our classes arguing about who should be allowed to vote, about whether we should send military expeditions off to raise money, about what to do concerning education. It was amazing how seriously everyone took their roles. The game is fascinating because you really get to experience periods and time and interact with texts (like Plato’s Republic) as if they’re real things, not just classic books that some professor forces you to read.

via the University of Maryland:

Because of the size, the student body is totally balkanized. Once I found my group of intellectuals, writers, artists, feminists, and queers, I delightedly self-segregated as well. It’s a survival mechanism and a recipe for happiness in the impersonal city that is the UMD College Park campus.

and via Cornell:

What Are Some Stereotypes?
That the Cornell campus is full of bridges that Cornell students all use to kill themselves.

Are These Stereotypes Accurate?
Sort of. There are bridges. And once in a while, someone will jump off of one.

In general, there is a guarantee of 1-2 suicides each school year. One year I remember thinking, “you know, it’s spring, and no one’s killed themselves.” There were two suicides in the next two weeks.

But, the official party line is that Cornell is actually slightly BELOW the national average for college student suicide. I have never personally investigated the statistics.

Needless to say, if you kill yourself, you have bigger problems than “the bars don’t stay open late enough,” so I tend not to blame the suicides on the school. As for blaming suicides on the weather: if you’re that cold, then buy a jacket, for God’s sake. It’s much less messy and you don’t have to write a note first.

Don’t believe the hype?

Academics: I have been mildly disappointed by the academics here. I feel like the Michigan academics asks and expects a lot from the students without giving a lot of direction. It’s hard to find out what you are passionate about once at Michigan.

-Jenna, University of Michigan

A case of bad luck:

No Holds Barred: the roommate survey tried to be cute and in turn it was not very useful. they might as well have picked names from a hat. the only thing my roomate and I have in common is that we are human.

-Jessica, Trinity

For NYU students, big city living can get confusing:

Worst Thing: Environment

Best Thing: Environment

-Anna, NYU

Even my spell checker doesn’t know what Swarthmore is–and that’s pretty sad.
– Andrew, Swarthmore