Marymount University

The resources of Washington, DC brought me here. The individual attention keeps me here. I was a little worried about attending a school without a national reputation. I wanted to go to school someplace different from where I grew up, and applied to schools all over the DC area. Marymount provided a great financial aid package and lots of individual attention during the admissions process, which has carried on during my time here. The professors are the smartest people I've ever even heard of, and almost always available for walk-ins or just to chat. I love feeling like a big fish in a smaller pond, and the activities (from sports to student government) are easy to get involved with. The campus is great - quiet, suburban, but only 10 minutes from downtown DC. The social life can be a bit spotty - there is a serious division between Haves (diplomat brats, ect) and Have nots(scholarship kids) - luckily, there are enough cool laid back regular guys from the second category to find a solid group of friends. They're making a real effort to grow the resident population, and the dorms are very well appointed (HBO, a/c, t1 internet). A lot of the girls are skanky and self absorbed, but with a heavy female-male ratio, you can find someone worth talking to. Campus Ministry has its fingers in almost every on-campus event, and sometimes this Catholic College needs to remember the college part is as important as the Catholic part - allowing a religious affiliation to control the content of the campus paper or the quality of guest speakers is not acceptable. Its easy to drink too much and not take advantage of the city, but DC really has a ton to offer. Marymount is what you make of it - you get out of it what you put in, and the school potentially has a lot to give. I love it here, and wouldn't want to go anyplace else if they paid me. I believe the quality of education (especially within the history program) is equal to or better than that of my friends at other schools in the area.

2nd Year Male -- Class 2006

Education Quality: A+, Social Life: C-

The only problem with this school is that it's so small. However you get the chance to find your place here and you don't just become a number. The dorms are nice, people are very friendly and DC is a short metro ride away. However, it's mostly females so don't expect to find your future husband here. Plenty of activities to do as well on campus. Professors are friendly ... coursework is fair. suitcase college on the weekends. go here for the fun, saftey, smaller school atmosphere and good classes. party elsewhere. great school.

2nd Year Female -- Class 2006

Education Quality: A+, Social Life: C+

I transferred to Marymount after a miserable year at George Washington. After several months as a "little fish", I wanted a smaller school, even though I was nervous about attending a school with no national reputation. Transferring was the smartest decision I could have made. Professors are quick to know your name, your story, and your passions. This is the kind of school where you can drop in on your professor's office without calling ahead and they'll ask you how your mom is doing. But it's also the kind of school that continually pushes your limits. I came here as a nerdy loner that would never dream of speaking in public, but over the last few years I've travelled Europe (through study abroad), interned with DC activist organizations, and presented papers at conferences. You don't get away with being afraid here. If you have strengths, talents, or supposedly secret dreams, they will be found out.The social atmosphere at Marymount is its one drawback. The student body is primarily made up of commuters. Very few people live on campus. The students at MU generally fall into one of two camps: verrry privileged offspring of diplomats/ambassadors who were too dumb/lazy to get into Georgetown, or blue-collar kids who are the first in their families to attend college. As a result, the campus is pretty cliquey. Add to this the overwhelming Catholic bias (it IS a catholic school) that infiltrates the student paper, supposedly interfaith gatherings, and town hall meetings, and campus life is incredibly exclusionary. But the campus has a surprisingly large gay and lesbian community (though the administration will downplay this), and is in close proximity to restaurants, bars, and downtown DC. In short, go for the education, but be prepared to find friends and fun elsewhere.

3rd Year Female -- Class 2004

Faculty Accessibility: A+, University Resource Use/ spending: F