Marist College

My comment is not meant to be negative nor positive. It is written non-biasly by a Marist student herself. At the end of reading this comment, it is my promise that you will have a true, "backstage" understanding of Marist College- from the academics to the students to the surrounding community. This will be the best, truest and most helpful review you will read.

ACADEMICS:
I was a decently smart student in high school. Obtaining a solid 3.5 average throughout my HS years(including many honors and AP's), I was sure Marist College would provide me with a challenging education well worth a "40 something" thousand dollar tuition.

Unfortunately I was wrong. Although the professors were/are very friendly and intelligent, the course work was simply not challenging enough (Note: this is saying a lot coming from a biology major). Quizzes and tests took a maximum of twenty minutes to complete and homework/projects were non-existant. This really disappointed me as I found myself spending more time on Facebook/Twitter than homework/projects. Although this may be some students dream, it is not worth the money in my opinion.

STUDENT BODY:
The people I met at Marist were all the same, often described as "cookie cutters" of one another. NY, NJ and Long Islanders were the main groups represented. If you are looking to be with people from those areas, then Marist is your school, however I would have liked to see more diversity. Unfortunately, I felt that I was entering 13th grade. The girls were "cliquey" and judgmental. Physical appearance seemed to mean a lot to the girls as I would see a number of them walking to their 8am classes in five inch heels. (Note: I do NOT speak for ALL Marist students when I say this, I have certainly met a few people at Marist whom do NOT fit this description.)

As my freshman year progressed, I noticed there was a constant competition among the students to prove they came from a rich, upperclass family. This was upsetting. Although I am sure it is great to own three shore houses, two boats, a mansion on the LI sound and every designer pair of shoes one could possibly imagine, it just simply did not matter to me. Regardless, the popular activity among the student body was drinking. Tuesday through Sunday, there was always a 21+ bar in the heart of Poughkeepsie filled with drunken Marist freshman- another thing i was not fond of. I will say, however, on the nights I did go out for some fun (typically normal nights such as Friday and Saturday...maybe the occasional Tuesday since I was so light on homework) were fun. I wouldn't say it was the greatest time I ever had, my high school threw bigger parties, but none the less it was a decent amount of fun.

School spirit among the student body is so low its non-existant. Hardly anyone goes to the basketball games (basketball is probably the "biggest" sport on campus) ((Plus, the weather is always so rainy and cold since the school sits right on the river, that during basketball season you DO NOT even want to THINK about leaving your dorm))

SURROUNDING AREA:
Oh boy. Granted, I came from a very small, safe town, Poughkeepsie gives a whole new meaning to the term "unsafe." It is SCARY. Please, all future Marist students reading this, if there is ANYTHING to take away from my review it should be PLEASE do not go into downtown Poughkeepsie. There were several girls in my freshman class who ended up in the wrong spot (anywhere outside the campus walls) and got brutally mugged. For anyone wondering, yes, they are now O.K. physically..mentally a little scared. I hope you were all able to find this review helpful. Re-reading it now, it does sound a little negative but unfortunately that is the way I, and a lot of other people, view Marist College. However, I must thank Marist for one thing- allowing me the opportunity to transfer to an Ivy League school. Due to my 3.9 GPA after my first semester at Marist, I was accepted into an extremely prestigious university that I would not have even imagined attending as a senior in High School. I encourage all reading this to truly think about their college decision before enrolling, however always remember that all mistakes can be fixed if submitted before the transfer deadline.

1st Year Female -- Class 2016

Faculty Accessibility: B, Surrounding City: F

I attended the Pre-College program for Marist before I was a senior in high school and absolutely fell in love with the school. After the program, I was then sold to the school and Marist became my first choice. As an out-of-state student from Texas, it was a little bit difficult to adjust to the lifestyle changes in New York, but with the many supportive people that I met, I was able to adjust a bit more. I am a Fashion Merchandising major, and I can vouch that the program absolutely prepares you strongly for a career in the fashion industry and helps you gain a competitive edge. The professors are highly experienced and connected in their field so that they may guide you in gaining internships later on during your college career. The Marist campus is gorgeous with its waterfront view of the Hudson RIver and scenic landscaping and buildings. All of the academic buildings and the beautiful library contains great technology to aid in research and study. The greatest benefit of the campus I would have to say is its size. Marist has a very friendly staff and student population, and with its size, it allows you to interact with your friends everyday while its also large enough to meet new people everyday. On the other hand, I view that Marist's biggest strength is also one of its weaknesses. With the small population at Marist, students often find that the campus is not very diverse. Personally as a freshman, I felt that even though it was quite easy to make friends, there were cliques that were formed quite quick. At times I felt like I was attending high school all over again with its size of student population, but I found for that to be more comforting and welcoming.

1st Year Female -- Class 2015

Education Quality: A+, Friendliness: C

I never wanted to go to Marist, but from my two years here I have grown to love it. There is somewhat of a typical person that attends Marist, as many people know, but the school is small enough that the few people who do not fit in this criteria make a difference in the diversity of the student body. There is always something to do, and most of the faculty is really nice and wants to help. At Marist, you are not just a name on an attendance list; your professors truly get to know you (which might not be a good thing for people who think they can skip class and nobody will notice.) Obviously there are things that I would change about Marist, but I have never met a person who would not change a thing about the college that they attend. All in all, Marist is a great place to go to college with so many great opportunities for people who are willing to take advantage of them.

2nd Year Female -- Class 2014

Faculty Accessibility: A, Education Quality: B