Last week was Accepted Student’s Weekend, because, like CPAC, sometimes you just need an extra day.
Traditionally, I have loved Accepted Students Day. All of the excited students rushing in to see what wonders await them at Castle Point.
But I don’t feel excited anymore. In fact, I almost feel a little resentful. It’s either that, or pity. These poor chumps don’t know what they’re getting themselves into – not one bit. Financial mismanagement is rampant if hidden, the administration ranges from tolerable to outright horrible, and our latest and greatest building can’t keep itself from falling apart.
With ever-increasing tuition, ever-shrinking benefits (goodbye laptops, goodbye extra classes!) and living costs greater than probably 95% of all other college options in the nation, why would you ever want to come to Stevens?
Why did I? I was in it for the swimming – which I realized later didn’t mean all that much in the long run. That, paired with a lower fitness level of my peers contributed to me leaving the program. I definitely stayed for the Co-Op Program, but they’ve cut back on the opportunities (probably to save money) and I am left with staff from the former Office of Career Development that I either don’t click with, or just haven’t had time to get to know. Many friends stayed for extra classes, but I get this feeling that they’ll start cutting into that too.
You can’t come to Stevens for the Student Activities… I mean, yeah, we have a much larger budget than some schools, but you could get involved at any campus and get a similar experience. The course load isn’t much more rigorous than other universities, so special academic prowess can’t be your reasoning either.
I am also convinced that the ROI nonsense is a fluke because it is based on the progress of programs such as Co-Op which has been drastically changed. So that argument also doesn’t work with me anymore.
At the end of the day, I want to like Stevens so bad. I want to be able to tell people that they’re going to have a ball at Stevens. But right now, I totally can’t. I am so frustrated with the garbage the Administration here has been spitting in my face for 5 years, that I have little left in me but contempt. I honestly wish I chose another school – and Stevens is certainly worse off than when I first arrived.
The only solace I have is that in some days, I will be an alumnus of Stevens, and all of these problems will be behind me. I vow that the only thing I’ll monetarily contribute to is Chi-Epsilon post graduation – Stevens has proven itself incompetent with money as far as I’m concerned. Once my debt is paid off, maybe my frustration will be abated.
I just hope these wounds heal and don’t leave too ugly a scar.
