Western Michigan University

Date: Mar 17 2013
Major: Art & Design Department (This Major's Salary over time)
Alright listen here, this will probably be the best advice any one could ever give you about Western. If you are a rich kid who likes to get fucked up all the time, you don't have any morals, you like high school and all the drama that goes a long with it, you like nature… and lots of hills, you enjoy not being cared about, well then western is the school for you. As a freshman I read A LOT of these StudentsReviews, I stayed hopeful though, I thought all the negative comments were a bunch of BS and I was different and I would really like it, I was so wrong… oh and I thought the people behind the negative comments were a bunch of losers who never went out on the weekends. Well here it is, I party, I go out, I have friends, I am very social and this is my take on Western… I hope you find it helpful:

School: Alright, first comes first, school is important so I will start off with that. The education is not worth the money. If you are paying for this on your own, you will be shaking your head at the lack of education you are getting. Everyone cheats, no one cares, very few professors care, and there are no opportunities. I am an art major, I have learned a lot, but you take a class and you are like okay now what am I suppose to do with this? And NO ONE is there to help you. As for the pre-reqs I have had to take… I cant even get started. It's just pathetic.

Party Life: Moving on to something I know you actually care about, well at least most of you, come on now it's called Wastern. Partying is fun and it's always an adventure. But here is the reality, if you are not wasted like everyone else you will not have a fun time, and I mean WASTED. I am not kidding people here are SLOPPY. It was fun at first, but it gets seriously old and then people start drinking more and more and it's just not cool anymore. Also drugs, people are doing everything and anything. It changes people and it's not pretty. At first I thought Wastern was going to be awesome, I could finally go out and do whatever and my parents are hours away. What did it really get me? A dried up liver, getting puked on… 5 times, cigarette burns not only on my clothes, but scars on my body, getting punched in the face during a fight at a frat, being paranoid about STDs (apparently more then half of western students have an STD) and a bad trip on shrooms. Granted those make great stories, but it gets old fast. You probably wonder where the hell does this girl party? I've gone every where, tried everything. Campus Court, Student Ghetto, Habitat, Frats, The Pointe, Jack Pine, The Arbs, you name it i've been and they are all the same. It. gets. old.

Safety: Completely safe during the day besides the fact there is a psycho Jesus worshiper who YELLS at students at the flagpoles everyday. It's scary and i'm not kidding. Night life whole other story, two of my friends have been raped, I have seen WAY too many fights, I know people who have got robbed at gun point personally and then other times it was on the news), it is not safe to walk a lone at night period. But, really you are going to find that at a lot of campuses.

The People: Three words: Spoiled Rich Kids. Very few people here are actually down to earth and easy to get a long with. Western is High school with 20-something thousand kids. There are good people, there really are, but they are very hard to find.

The Campus: It really is a cool campus, really pretty, well maintained, but very hilly, expect to lose 15 pounds not gain.

Dorms: I only really know the valleys so here it is:

Valley 1: Nerds who brag when they party. There are a few chill people, but people are really into their studies. It's just kinda blah.

Valley 2: Stoners/Druggies/Alcoholics and bitches. You have a great mix of the super chill stoners, and then there's the bitches who you just want to stop talking… or get slapped. You just can't win.

Valley 3: GHETTO. Just don't. Although there are some nice girls who live there. I think they bond over the fact that they are scared shitless to live there.

Food: it sucks.

Basically come here to fuck around… not literally, but you catch my drift. It's just not a serious school I was talking to a guy about why I got in here and i said "I messed up in high school and Western took me" he said "we all messed up that's why we're here" that right there is a PRIME example of just everything about Western. Don't get me wrong, I know most of this has been negative, but there are good points to Western. I learned so much about myself in these months that I have been a Bronco. I made great memories and great friends. But I got wrapped up in the bull shit and it was really hard to recover. So if you read this whole long thing, and thought just like me "it will be different for me" here is my advice:

1. Have a car. Don't have one? Buy a cheap little thing. Have one? The parking pass is worth it. People are BRUTAL about their cars here and barely anything is in walking distance.

2. Find good people and drop the drama queens as soon as their true colors show.

3. Remember that everyone is probably just as scared as you are, so just smile.

4.

5. Actually try in school and if you aren't feeling it LEAVE.

6. Futons are pointless, they are. My roommate has one and it just take sup space in our room and was a pain in the ass to move in.

7. Roommates suck, keep everything separate, no drama that way.

8. You smoke weed? Shower on high, towels by the door, open the vent above the sinks, febreeze… you're welcome. Even with cigarettes this works.

9. The cops really don't care, just don't get violent or drink and drive. BUT know your rights, you ever get in trouble they are shady and will fuck you over.

10. Get in shape before you come here the hills are brutal.

11. Wall decorations (posters, pictures, wall decals, cork boards, ect.) and christmas lights are always the rooms that feel the coziest. The lighting here is awful. Whenever I go to rooms like that I feel at home it changes the mood.

12. Hide all your stuff during break, they do room checks I had to take a 70 something dollar FIRE CLASS because I had a never used candle laying out over winter break.

13. DONT be that ass hole who rips the hall decorations down. That's what makes it less jail like.

14. The train station is terrifying, on breaks it isn't that bad because everyone's a student, but on random weekends all the weirdos take the train. And the train station is the local hang out for all the crack heads and homeless people.

15. Never take the downtown buses. Worst time of my life.

16. Frats are a mystical place and you won't remember even being there if you let your drink down or don't use the buddy system, or if you don't know a lot of people. Don't bring a coat of purse. Phone, key maybe some cash and your good. I don't mean to scare you I go all the time and have fun, just be safe. Oh, but house parties are better.

17. DSK (Drive Safe Kalamazoo) is your bff,

18. Go to at least one sporting event.

19. Don't get too attached to people things change VERY quickly.

20. If Western isn't your dream school, if it is not the number one place you desire to be, don't waste your time or money. Follow your heart and make your dreams happen. Didn't get into your dream school? Take Pre-reqs at your community college and try applying to that school again. Make your life yours, don't waste it here if Western isn't going to be your life.

This is long, but I hope it was helpful. It was brutally honest, but I wish some one would have told me this a year ago.