Valparaiso University

The location of the campus here pretty much isolates students from the surrounding city. While we are only an hour away from a cultural center (aka Chicago), without a car it is impossible to get there. The campus offers no transportation to a train station 15 minutes away, and many students find themselves "stuck" on campus.

The University also offers very few activities on the weekends thus students with cars will leave. The options left for socializing and meeting new people is to go to the frats. There are a variety of frats on campus, however if you plan on drinking at the frats, or even in college for that matter, think again about coming to Valpo. The VUPD (our campus police) have, in recent weeks, been "stalking" the students. They are allowed in the dorms and will wake you up at 5am, breathalyze you, and arrest you for minor consumption of alcohol (happened to me). They have also been known to pull over the student escort vans (transportation at night for VU students) and have everyone breathalyzed and then proceed with arrests. Unlike at other schools where you might receive a citation, here at Valpo when you are arrested you are taken to the COUNTY JAIL and thrown in a cell with drug addicts and people who committed real crimes. The University does nothing to help you or make sure that their students were able to bail out of jail. The arrests have skyrocketed as police seemingly seek out students- by walking through the dorms and "smelling alcohol" or asking students to turn in names. At the end of the four years here it's not going to matter that we got a quality education at a top notch school. If most students come out with a criminal record, no one is going to want to hire them and what's that saying about the reputation of the school?

1st Year Female -- Class 2009

Scholastic Success: A, Surrounding City: F

I would recommend not going to Valparaiso. The biggest things the school adequately prepared me for were teaching theology (which I don't do) and learning that no matter how emotionally abused I get, I can still make it through. If you're already there, after you graduate, please, please take some time off. Travel. Work stupid jobs. Get OUT of Indiana.

Alumnus Male -- Class 2000