Marist College

Marist isn't exactly a horrible school but it's not that great. It was not my first choice for schools but it's not necessarily a bad school. I was deciding between this school, Vassar, and Colgate, and half of me wishes I was at CU right now.

I'm a Communications major and I must say I am extremely underwhelmed by the courses and workload. The teachers are good. Haven't had any major problems. But the work isn't challenging at all and it's gotten to the point where I'm asking my professors for more work. Some courses are impossible to pass (because of the prof. or department, ex science courses). Most of the students are unmotivated yet the average course load is 5-6 classes each semester. I understand why now. The biggest programs here are Business, Communications, Fashion, and Computer Science.

Let me just say for school of 5,000 students, the campus feels very small. This may be a bad thing to most, but I don't mind it. However, it limits your opportunities. There are far more girls than guys. The girls are extremely cliquey, conformist, and overall snobby. It's hard to find people who don't conform or fit that typical preppy mold. This is what makes this place feel like a preppy middle school. The girls are stuck in Gossip Girl and like the majority of the student body, aren't very bright. Nobody is passionate, intellectual, or interested in anything but going to bars. Oh this is a bar school. Did anyone tell you that? That's right- barely any house parties. There are 3 bars in Poughkeepsie and it's the main activity here. The bars are gross and you'll need a fake to get in. It gets extremely repetitive.

In terms of campus, it's a nice campus. It's clean and everything is fairly new (except for Dyson). The dorms are pretty nice compared to other schools. The food, however, could be better. Also, you have to pay extra cash if you want the good stuff (in Cabaret or Donnelly).

The priority points system is the worst aspect besides the social scene. Basically the points determine the housing you get. You get points by joining clubs, which, btw, most people only go to get points (duh). this makes it even harder to make friends. people sign into clubs and then leave to go out and drink. Nice. Real nice.

Overall, if I had a choice, I would transfer from Marist. However, i'm already halfway in my education and there's really no point in leaving. I'm really hoping it'll get better and it'll be worth it. I would look into other schools though!

2nd Year Male -- Class 1921

Perceived Campus Safety: A+, Social Life: C

First, off let me be clear. I am a dedicated student who has earned a 4.0 through two (and a half) semesters, and I am heavily involved on campus. The point of this review is to aid everyone in the decision making process through a NEUTRAL and FIRST-HAND perspective, not to promote or "slam" the college.

I'm going to go through a list of general comments that I have found to be very true about the life here at Marist. I'll start with the REALLY important stuff.

*If you are from New Jersey, New York, or Connecticut, you will probably like it here. The majority of students come from the Tri-State area, and although Marist actively seeks to accept a more diverse class every year, the population is relatively homogeneous.

Marist is a HUGE party school. This has been a problem for an academically-oriented student like myself who generally doesn't party. On Friday nights and Tuesday nights, this place is EMPTY. Frequently, the "party" spills over into the dorm rooms and the campus bathrooms at 2 AM, if you catch my drift

The academics are a real positive at Marist. All of my classes are taught by professors, and once you get past the intro level courses, you will meet some absolutely brilliant professors who will challenge you.

The food here is okay. The dining SYSTEM, however, is an evil money making machine. The dining hall serves a fairly wide variety of food here, but they close at 7 on weekends, which forces late-night eaters to spend tons of money at overpriced campus cafes or nearby diners that rake in the cash.

The extracirriculars here are great. Student activites does a fabulous job of scheduling cool stuff, like going to Broadway shows or seeing MLB games. There are many different clubs here, and there is something for everybody. Despite this, however, drinking and partying still dominate the weekend atmosphere, and the majority of students will elect to "go out" instead of attending a club meeting if they have to choose between the two.

The campus is extremely safe. I frequently run around campus at night for exercise, and I have never once felt remotely in danger. If you walk more than three blocks in any direction off campus, however, be sure to bring at least three other people with you. Poughkeepsie is a dangerous place if you don't navigate it correctly and several individuals get jumped or attacked for not adhering to the "buddy system".

Now onto some more trivial stuff:

*This is a liberal arts college, so I'm not expecting everyone to be engineering geniuses, but I am STUNNED at the lack of basic math and science skills that most students possess. In my upper level polysci class, only three students out of twenty-one knew how to graph y=x.

*The campus itself is gorgeous. It is well kept and provides for some wonderful sunset views over the Hudson.

*The library is a great resource. The people who work there are helpful and there are always computers and printers available for when you need them.

*Varisty sports here are interesting. There isn't all that much "school pride", but there are fairly large turnouts at basketball and football games nonetheless. Even so, the teams all suck except for women's basketball.

*Marist gets more selective every year because it's gradually gaining national attention. This has been useful for meeting a wide variety of people, but the college can't keep up. They simply can't take on the amount of students they're admitting, which is resulting in several double-ups in housing. I was lucky enough to have one roommate, but several other students had two or three.

*As far as relationships go, it all depends on what you're looking for. This place is infested with shallow women who routinely get themselves into trouble with shady guys. However, if you look hard enough, you will find some very down-to-earth people who are interested in building lasting relationships.

So after all that, I have to go with the old timer's cleche to sum it all up: Marist is what you make of it. For every good there is a bad, and vice versa. I go through periods of liking it here and then hating it and then somewhere in between. It is probably better than your average school but definitely not in the elite. Again, if you are interested in a "Jersey Shore"-type college, you will probably like it here. If not, then it will take some work to find your place.

1st Year Male -- Class 2016

Faculty Accessibility: A+, Surrounding City: D

3 things you should know about Marist before you come here (from a Senior with 3 weeks until graduation):

1) Marist will NOT care about you as an individual. Whether it be financial, housing, academics, etc - you are just a number. Doesn't matter how much they tell you they love students, they won't try to help you.

2) HOUSING.
a) Priority points don't get you anything. I've seen way too many people bust their butt to get priority points and get waitlisted for housing.

b) Housing pays NO attention to your individual needs (I had a friend - a sophomore - get kicked out of housing whose doctor was in contact with Marist Housing requesting a single for her since freshman year because of medical reasons. Rather than honor her needs, they kicked her out of housing with 3 weeks left of school with ONE DAY to find an apartment in Poughkeepsie. She is an international student with no car and no local relatives.) I had two other friends get kicked out of housing, both minorities from NYC whose non-Marist financial aid package covers most of their Marist-provided housing, which then means that they will have to pay out of pocket for off-campus housing until they graduate. They might as well have just told them "You're from the city so go live in Poughkeepsie, so now we have more room for rich white kids whose parents won't give us money unless we give them housing." It's really as simple as that. They don't care.

3)If you're seeking an open-minded, accepting community that fosters differences and creativity, this is NOT the school for you. 95% of Marist students are photogenic, financially fortunate clones who care more about how much they drank the night before than what they are doing when they graduate. Honestly, it's pathetic. Overall, Marist cares more about their own well being as a business than the students they are helping reach their dreams (if the students here even have dreams other than being/sleeping wtih the hottest girl at Barstool Blackout). Find somewhere that will help you as an individual person regardless of your background, health, or situation.

4th Year Female -- Class 2013

Campus Aesthetics: A, Individual Value: F