Western Michigan University

Okay, I want to get this out of the way. I came to Western because I couldn't get into a top tier school in the state of Michigan. I am planning on transferring to MSU because WMU is not for me, but we'll get to that in a second. I am writing a full review on WMU and all that it has to offer. I've done it all and have seen all aspects here at WMU. Let's get started.

When I first visited WMU, it wasn't for me. I didn't like how 70's -esque the buildings looked. To me, college is the stone buildings with beautiful walkways and such, WMU didn't have that, or that college feel for me. WMU is a fairly new school compared to UofM and MSU. It's still finding it's 'sweet spots' in certain areas. Some parts of campus are actually really nice. East campus is great and it's fun to tailgate over there for football games. Sangren Hall is beautiful and great to study at. But, most of the buildings that I've been in are dated and old. Something needs to be done about that and overall, the look of the campus didn't appeal to me. Which makes or breaks it, for me. (Remember, keep an open mind if you're using this review as a guiding point. Everybody's different). It's in Kalamazoo which is great city, it's a 5 minute bus ride away and there's tons of stuff to do downtown. It's no Ann Arbor, but it's fun.

WMU feels like a high school at times. Some or most of the people here are easy to meet and talk to, but sometimes I feel like others are close-minded. There are cliques and snotty people, but its mostly freshman. You CAN find the right people for you at Western, it just takes some time. There are great people here, take that into consideration. Just at some points I feel like I'm in high school.

WMU has a TON to offer. From their 100's of clubs or RSO's (Registered Student Organization's), to greek life (Greek life is big here and there's some respectable fraternities/sororities but at some points it is a clique), to intramural sports, to the social scene at night. There is ALWAYS, and I say that with passion, something to do at WMU. If somebody you know went here and said it was boring, they sat in their dorm room for the majority of their time here. CAB puts on events almost every week, and there's always something going on at night.

Athletics here at WMU aren't anywhere close to a Big Ten school, which is acceptable. Now, for me, athletics aren't necessarily big, but they're nice to have. The football games here are lame. People tailgate, get smashed at 1, and never show up to the student section, and then you guessed it, we usually end up losing. Basketball games are fun and hockey games are a blast. We're known for hockey and actually we usually end up being ranked Top 25 in the country each season.

Education, one of the most important factors in picking a university. For me, I didn't really try in high school and I actually wish I did. WMU has some great programs. Our aviation program is outstanding (Top 3 in the nation). We're one of the only universities in the nation with a Medieval History program. If this school had a med-school, the education programs here would be ranked among UofM and MSU, easily. The professors that I have had at Western are great. They're easy to talk to and understand and they're very straight forward, which is reasonable. All of my classes I've had knowledgeable professors with a respectable degree in the class that they're teaching.

Partying, or the social scene, is another big topic when picking a college. It's something that I looked at. I didn't go to GVSU because the campus is dry. No one wants to live in their dorm. It's nice to actually get a good college experience and go out, have a few drinks and meet people. At Western, there's something going on from Thursday night to Sunday morning. All you have to do is walk out, go down Main Street and you'll find something. There's also the other side of campus, the Student Ghetto where A LOT of other people go and party as well. You also have fraternities, where you can party there also. There's a bunch of options and there's always something going on. A lot of people get smashed here and I mean fucked up, but it happens at every school. Get used to it. The Campus PD here are chill, as expected.

Overall, WMU is a great school. It's a great stepping stone from high school to college. It has a ton to offer and is great for some programs. The aspect that didn't appeal to me was that it felt like high school sometimes and I didn't want that. I guess it just doesn't give me that 'college feeling' that I was looking for. I'm transferring to MSU next year or junior year, I think I'll be happy there. For anyone looking to attend WMU, hopefully I didn't scare you. WMU is great, and take some these reviews as a grain of salt when people only rank the school on the people and the athletics. :)