Help! Is this really true about Marquette?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Marquette University
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<p>I've been researching school's for S2 for a little while now and for the most part I really like what I've read about Marquette with one BIG exception. There's another web site called Students Review (I know we're not supposed to mention other sites so I hope this gets through). This site has been pretty accurate on other schools I looked at for S1. The reviews it gives Marquette are not good at all. I think the most disturbing and pervasive comments pertain to how stuck-up, cold and snotty the student body is. The student reviewers say it is mostly tied to a wealthy entitled mindset and that if you don't come from money and dress a certain way you will feel like an outcast. Ouch!</p>

<p>My son is a non-catholic from a small town public school. He is 4.0 GPA student who is athletic, good-looking and dresses fine. However he's also shy and comes from a very middle-class family -- not wealthy at all. If the site I'm referring to is correct, Marquette would not work for us. If other sites are more accurate he might just love it.</p>

<p>Help! I'd appreciate any insights on this subject.</p>

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<p>Let me share my thoughts… </p>

<p>My S1 is in the final stages of making his college choice and its looking like MU is going to be his choice. My prior experiences with MU include: as a visitor, my sister attended back in the '80s, and I know some current students. I also have a sister-in-law who graduated in 2000. My exposure is a bit limited but I am sure there are others who will be in an even better position to answer.</p>

<p>Kudos to you for digging in and doing that kind of research! I too have spent much time checking out review sites such as the one you mentioned. While I find value in them, I take all of the individual comments with a grain of salt and instead view all comments by all contributors as a whole. I have noticed that comments from almost any school run the gamut from I hate it to I love it. </p>

<p>In all of my visits (5) to the campus since last summer, I have not encountered any of the attributes that you are worried about. I could tell you at least 4 stories of my encounters with regular students over this time period where every student was incredibly helpful, warm and friendly. In at least two cases, the students went out of their way to help - far beyond the call of duty and they seemed very happy to do it. The students that I know personally are very kind and courteous and are effusive about how much they love attending MU.</p>

<p>No doubt you can find such negative attitudes on campus somewhere, but the general feedback I get is that most students are proud to be part of that community and are very welcoming and friendly. Most seem to feel that they are part of a larger family.</p>

<p>The best way to determine if what you are reading is really true is to have your S go on an overnight shadow visit and judge for himself. I’m confident you’ll find the issues you are concerned about to be either non-existent or of little consequence. My son (who is not from money, and is somewhat introverted and shy and went to Catholic schools all his life) finished such a visit last week and really enjoyed it.</p>

<p>I’d like to hear from others on this site, but I am confident that whatever you are reading is, at worst, no different than any other school. I personally have not encountered any of the negative attitudes you are concerned about and would be quite happy to have my son attend MU.</p>

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<p>Just another thing… The site you mentioned seemed to me to be much more negative about all the schools my S is considering. As I read through various reviews on that site it seemed to me that there were more malcontents than anything else. Still, I treated all of those comments as another datapoint. In comparing what I witnessed during campus visits against this particular site’s comments for each school, I found the complaints to be different than what I personally experienced. </p>

<p>There are two other sites that I prefer that seem to be more balanced and matched my experiences better. One has the word ‘go’ in its URL and the other has the word ‘prowl’ in it. Sorry, trying to get around the filter in an effort to help.</p>

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<p>cbug</p>

<p>The things you mention honestly seem to be the antithesis of the MU student body. Many kids who go to school there choose the school because they found another midwestern Catholic school to be exactly what you described…ahem…</p>

<p>Jesuit schools in general tend to attract kids who are more free-thinking (read more open to the opinion of others) and often like to be involved in the community and to service…that type of kid is nothing like what you’ve described.</p>

<p>That said, ANY private school will have some people like you describe but in the case of MU I think they would be far outnumbered and even then many who come from big time wealth and choose to go to MU are not the type to flaunt it…they end up at other schools that have their family name on buildings.</p>

<p>I grew up in an NE Ohio steel town and my dad was an educator…my parents provided my education but I worked every break and every summer and even during school junior and senior years to provide my spending money…we were as middle class as can be. While I was there just among people I knew were the daughter of the Chairman of the Board of GM, heirs to the Trane fortune, kids whose dads were mega car dealers and other kids of privileged backgrounds but they were just "other’ kids…they didn’t discriminate when choosing friends or people to date…it didn’t happen. I never felt that any one of them treated me any differently or were anything like the people you described.</p>

<p>In fact, one good friend was the sweetest, most unassuming person you’d ever want to meet. She dressed in jeans and flannel shirts most of the time (it was the early 70 after all) and could not have been more “normal.” When we learned through a long time friend of hers that she had inherited over 20 million dollars on her 21st birthday we were stunned… we were all clueless about her family’s wealth…her family owned a large chemical company in the NE…no one knew…she never flaunted it or gave anyone any reason to think that she was anything but a middle class kid.</p>

<p>The only person I knew who was anything like what you mentioned was a guy who was a member of a family that owns one of the two biggest Rum manufacturers in Puerto Rico…I saw his name on the family tree when we toured the factory many years ago…he was truly disliked by everyone who knew him or came into contact with him because of the way he flaunted his wealth…I don’t recall ever seeing him on campus after freshman year so he may have gotten the hint and left.</p>

<p>I agree that if you can arrange an overnight shadowing visit you should get most questions answered. My time at MU was almost forty years ago but the culture of a school doesn’t change that much in such a relatively short time…fashion and hair styles maybe but core principles and beliefs, no way.</p>

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<p>Not sure why Marquette has this reputation. It would be true only insofar as it would be true of any private school.
My daughters do not fit the description you posted, nor do their friends.</p>

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<p>I graduated from MU as well as my two brothers and a sister. My D is currently a freshman. I can tell you that MU students are among the friendliest and welcoming students that you will find. As already stated, you will always have a small group of students at any school that project a privileged image (and a few disgruntled people with an ax to grind who will post their negative comments). I did not find this during my time at Marquette and my D has never complained of any of these issues. </p>

<p>I’ve been on campus many times during the past year with my D and the students I’ve met have been overly helpful, courteous, and polite. My D is rather quiet but has made some very good friends - in fact they had to decide how 6 of them could be live close to each other next year! As ajax1983 suggested, I also recommend spending an overnight visit so your son can see firsthand how students interact with each other and visitors.</p>

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<p>Thank you all for your reassuring comments. I am so glad to hear that “the other site” is most likely a few disgruntled individuals making a big fuss. However we will be making sure that we do our due diligence and visit several times (including an overnight stay) before we making a final decision.</p>

<p>Also, a suggestion would be for all of you that are either satisfied students or alum to go to the “other site” and post your great experiences. Many, many people read it and at the current time the negative comments are skewing things to cast Marquette in an unfavorable light.</p>

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<p>Thats a very good idea!</p>

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<p>I would like to add to ajax1983 – I was a little disturbed after seeing some of the comments made on that review website regarding Marquette. Then I noticed almost identical negative remarks beings posted about my other top two schools. There are definitely more negative than positive remarks there. Also, as ajax1983 stated – I think a more accurate website has ‘prowl’ in it. Look at those comments and you might see Marquette in a different light.</p>

<p>Also, I only visited Marquette once and couldn’t believe how friendly the students were. My tour guide knew so many other students and they stopped and answered our questions. One PT student spend a good 15 minutes talking with my mom and me about the PT school. I also had the incredible experience of meeting some professors in the PT school and I toured the gross anatomy lab where we were encouraged to touch and explore the cadavers. The students in the lab were wonderful!</p>

<p>I also meet with the assistant director of the honors college – she was incredibly welcoming and nice and provided us with so much information.</p>

<p>I’m going to visit again this weekend to the admitted students day and spending the night with a student. Hopefully I will be able to make my final decision then. I definitely think this is the best way to truly know what the Marquette Experience is really like.</p>

<p>Hope this helps – I’ll keep you all posted after I visit.</p>

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<p>erp, I wish you the best and I hope you have a great time during your visit. Our family loves Marquette and Milwaukee!</p>

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<p>erp1821 – Please do check back with your report. After reading all of the great insights here and on ******* I am so much less worried and back to thinking very positively about Marquette.</p>

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<p>cbug, one more “that’s just CRAZY!” response. </p>

<p>My S is a very free-spirited aethiest from Los Angeles, who went to an incredibly diverse public magnet HS. He loves Marquette. His friends are all solid, nice, kind young people, not a one of whom has any of the attributes the site you’re reading claims the student body has. I think all of his friends are Catholic, and when I’ve asked him about the religion thing, he says it just never comes up other than to tease each other.</p>

<p>His freshman year, he ended up in O’Donnell, the all-guys dorm. His entire wing (1/3 of a floor, I think??) are still friends, and 8 of them have rented two apartments across from each other for the next two years. </p>

<p>Obviously, I have no idea of how wealthy any of their families are, but most of the kids work (or have), and from their excitement about coming out for a free dinner, I can assure you there’s no ‘wealthy entitled mindset.’</p>

<p>I can’t imagine what the comments about ‘dressing a certain way’ mean - when I’ve been there, it’s all jeans, tees, sweats, and a LOT of MU wear!</p>

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<p>YES! I could not believe how many kids were wearing MU sweatshirts and tee-shirts when we visited last week. Seemed like well over 50% of the kids we observed just walking between buildings throughout the day and sitting at the Union were wearing MU gear. It was “Marquette” everywhere we looked. I was very impressed with the school spirit!</p>

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<p>Current UG here.</p>

<p>I come from a poor family, grew up in a small town, graduated from a public high school, and I’m an atheist (polar opposite of 99.9% of Marquette students), yet I’ve never felt outcast at all during my time here. Inevitably, there will be times when you may feel a little out of the loop if you’re not Catholic / religious at a Catholic university. Marquette does not force in down your throat, outside of mandating that you take 2-3 Theology courses (depends on your college) while you’re here, and they’re really nothing to be worried about. </p>

<p>As for snobs, I’m not going to say that behavior doesn’t exist, but there’s no reason your son/daughter would not be able to find friends here, even if they are shy, the housing experience Freshman/Sophomore year gets that out of your system quickly.</p>

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<p>@cbug</p>

<p>Read my post on the Marquette Lifestyle thread –</p>

<p>S2 should really set up a shadow visit – it’s the best way to really know the school and the students. It truly is an amazing college.</p>

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<p>Of course that will be your experience ajax, you aren’t really living in the dorms or getting involved with the social lives of the students here.</p>

<p>Cbug, that review that you read is SPOT ON. This place has the most close-minded group of people I have ever seen. You can count on seeing 9/10 people wearing at least 3 of the following on a regular basis: Ug Boots, North Face Jackets, American Eagle Apparel, Hollister clothing, and even the same freaking headphones!</p>

<p>The vast majority of kids here are unwilling to get out and explore Milwaukee. Trust me, I know from experience, and could not be closer to the situation - I am a freshman now. I really want to transfer, because I cannot stand my “different” ideas and way of approaching life being so harshly rejected. Unless your son is a party hard wannabe jock with his only investments in his social life and bullying his way to social superiority, keep him the hell away from this awful place. The school does a great job of presenting an image that should be highly appealing to stuck-up people obsessed with the trifles of American (specifically Chicago) suburbia. Avoid this school like the plague, unless your kid wants that kind of atmosphere where everyone is the same - which is perfect if he is “the same” too.</p>

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<p>Deerman,</p>

<p>Sorry your experience with Marquette is so abysmal. If its that bad for you, then you really need to transfer elsewhere just to be in a happier place. So, where would you want to be otherwise? I have to ask how you ended up choosing to attend Marquette in the first place? I presume your initial impressions were quite different that what you tell us you experienced. Did you do a shadow visit before selecting Marquette? I would think that you might have been able to see that MU is a fairly conservative, Catholic institution. </p>

<p>As to your comments about MU… While I’ll take your input at face value, your comments are quite the opposite of what I see on campus and what the MU students who I know personally have told me. I know over a dozen students who attend Marquette currently. A couple are into the party scene, but at least half do not drink and are not big party kids. All of these kids have expressed great satisfaction about their experience at Marquette. Nearly all of them tell me they love it there. None of them is stuck up or obsessed with the trifles of American suburbia. They are all friendly, courteous, respectful and kind-hearted kids. </p>

<p>So a single negative voice out of so many positive comments, personal experiences and feedback from other students does not change my very positive opinions about Marquette. Again, I am very sorry your experience has been so sour and I do hope you are able to find a school where you can thrive.</p>

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<p>Ajax-</p>

<p>I absolutely made a huge mistake in my perceptions of this school when I was looking at it. All I cared was that it had a nice campus, had “good” academics, was located in a northern urban center, and gave me a decent amount of money.</p>

<p>They certainly came through on all these provisions, but I completely made the mistake of not looking at the PEOPLE. It’s so important, for every student, to really look at the school’s stereotypical student and try to see if it fits the way they perceive themselves, and if they would be friends with that type of person.</p>

<p>Here, the overwhelming stereotype is a white, catholic, sports-nut, pop music-listening, homogeneous, suburban, anti-gay, egocentric, cliquey, and judgemental person.</p>

<p>I’d describe myself as white, Catholic, a moderate sports fan, jam band/indie music-listening, unusual, urban, gay-friendly, empathetic, open, and judgemental person.</p>

<p>They preach “diversity” in all the brochures - citing how many “minority” students they have of various backgrounds, and listing all the states students come from.</p>

<p>REAL Diversity is a diversity of self, meaning that people have different personality types, different views, different interests, etc. Just because someone is “black” does not make them “diverse”.</p>

<p>I’m not surprised the kids seem so great to you. For most people, Marquette is a good fit - because it is a place that caters to the majority of people who go here. (Who fit a certain stereotype) If you don’t fit that stereotype though, this place is not for you.</p>

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<p>And for those of you who dismiss us haters as “the crazies,” we do indeed fit the minority. But, that does not make us crazy. An institution (be it political, educational, etc) that disrespects the minority should be regarded as skewed, slanted, and apathetic. The school actually fired a professor when they found out she was openly lesbian.</p>

<p>You could easily apply this same ideology to the Civil Rights movement. For a long time, the majority was fine with the way African-Americans were being treated in everyday life, but the minority clearly disagreed. Had we dismissed them as “crazy” we would have been doing a horrible injustice.</p>

<p>Going back to the teacher being fired - political beliefs aside - it is sickening. That arrogance carries right on down from the administration to the preppy “educated elite” who go here.</p>

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<p>As ajax1983 said, too bad you are having such a bad experience. Hope it works better were you transfer to. But this is really strange when I was a student at Marquette I would have described myself as you did except on two counts I was am a sports nut, but I was not judgemental. My favorite bands in late '70s The Who, The Clash, The Sex Pistols, and The Ramones. As I said in another post my sophomore S is a lot like me. My wife is always arguing with him because of the clothes he usually wears. My D was accepted last year (she is a freshman at a school on the east coast). After a shadow visit she told me that she was surprised by the clothing the students were wearing to class. Marquette was the most conservative school of the 4 she visited and was surprised students wore more informal clothing than at the other schools. Be advised that the way you describe yourself I do not think you’ll find a lot of students like that in this date and age. Maybe you wish more people are like you? As for my S and I we are of ethnic background, do not live in the cont. US, and speak 3 languages (English is not our native languages). But my guess is that we will still not be diverse enough for you.</p>