<p>Not to be a kill joy, but unless you like to drink and don't mind pot stay away from this place. The academics are the only things going for Ursinus. So far as campus safety is concerned, there is none. The college doesn't get along with the local Police, discourages and even prevents people from calling 911 to better its stats and will do anything to make a quick buck or make itself look better. It is a shame that Ursinus has collected such good professors. Thursday through Sunday large parties are packed with underage children, and they are children. Pledging was called off this year because things got so out of hand and the minimal safety staff became so overwhelmed. If you enjoy the quiet drug free life don't expect to get much of anywhere on the social scene. Don't expect administrators or staff to go out of their way to do their jobs...if you like the idea that Ursinus projects go to Muhlenberg where you won't get shot at...yes I was shot at here, and nothing was done...its only a matter of time before something happens, I just hope I have graduated by then. If you are considering this or any school make sure that the crime stats they publish are in line with their population, stop in and ask the local police how things go at the college. Don't take their word for anything, seek out and ask the people who know, the people who watch the administration push everything neatly under the carpet. Some schools are worse than others, Ursinus is one of the worst as far as cover ups go. </p>
<p>That said, Ursinus has some wonderful Professors who do their jobs with the utmost regard for their students, and in nearly every department I have been involved with this has held true. Bio majors be warned, expect to see a dropout rate of 60%+ after the first Bio class, after that, beg and whine your way into research if you want it, thats the only way to get into any lab. Most Bio here is ecology, not exactly applicable to med school. English and Econ departments have been great.</p>
<p>The area around UC is very nice, road and mountain bike friendly trails can be found easily as well as running...ask anything you want and get an honest answer here...</p>
<p>have you taken a bio class personally? if you have, can you tell me about it.</p>
<p>Bio classes tend to be big but questions flow freely, once you get past the first lecture class (BIO100, used to be BIO111) the size of the class drops but is still in the 45-55 range. The labs are limited in size and you get all the personal attention you could want there. The full time lab staff are great. For the lower level classes some lab profs will be adjunct but they somehow manage to find some of the best people out there. They are lecture classes and as lecture classes usually are they can be dry and involve alot of outside work so far as memorization. The lower division classes have what are called "thought questions" due for each lecture. In lab you will write full length papers, and groups within the lab will perform individual versions of experiments and then present them via Powerpoint to the class. Bio classes were difficult, dont be surprised if you get B's and C's, the tests are difficult and require more memorization than I had seen before or have seen since. Expect to come to love ecology because that is what you will find until you get into upper division classes. Human Physiology was one of the best classes I have taken, and I hear good things about Immunology and Developmental (300 and 400 level classes). The extra classes (BIO 350, one semester trial classes with new Profs) are always some shade of ecology. Your attendance to these classes is recorded and factors into your grade. Don't be stupid with the Bio department, if you make an idiot out of yourself in front of one professor the whole department will know about it by 3:00PM, which is funny, but should not be a problem for most people...BIO100 is no longer the "weed out course" as it is a multi major bio course, so expect to see all of your drop outs happen in Cell Bio.
Let me know if you want to know anything else, I hope that helps.</p>
<p>thanks for the info. i plan to major in neuro but i keep hearing about how the bio classes are ridiculously hard and it's starting to worry me a bit. what kind of high school student were you or how hard is it to get an A? i know i shouldn't be worrying about grades too much already but i'm curious. thanks again.</p>
<p>Don't plan on getting an A. Neuro isn't too big here, its mostly a combination of other departments and majors than it is its own major. I was an A- Highschool Student, I get B's and C's in Bio here and A's in English, if you don't plan to devote your life to it don't plan on getting A's in Bio, very few people do, and many many very smart people don't do well... Sorry to burst your bubble...</p>
<p>no it's okay. i do plan to work very, very hard. i've never gotten less than an A in high school, but i mean i'm definitely expect to not do as well, obviously. thanks though. i was just curious.</p>
<p>The President of the College stated in a Newspaper interview that he was pushing for an increase in tuition above $40,000 because of the pretige that is associated with that level. While certain scholarships have increased to reflect this in the past 2 years the students who already have those scholarships are stuck at the level of funding that they had initially been promised...how about that?</p>
<p>"The President of the College stated in a Newspaper interview that he was pushing for an increase in tuition above $40,000 because of the pretige that is associated with that level."</p>
<p>Stanford and Harvard charge less for tuition than Ursinus does already. Can't get much more prestigious than those schools. Maybe Ursinus ought to cut a couple thousand dollars off the current tuition.</p>
<p>Please call them and tell them that for me!!!</p>
<p>If you hate the school so much, why don't you transfer?</p>
<p>too invested in the programs, alot of their core classes won't transfer...also, they gave me the most money and basically I can't afford to transfer...would if I could...</p>
<h2>FTH, re the newspaper interview you mention above: Are you referring to the New York Times article dated 12/29/2007? If so, I did not read his comment the way you did. Here's an excerpt of the story, which discussed Harvard's reducing its tuition and how other "colleges without enormous endowments" will respond, including President Strassburger's only quote:</h2>
<p>But administrators at colleges without enormous endowments to help them cut student costs say they fear that Harvard may have created a wave of haggling by families and made college pricing and student aid packages seem even more opaque.</p>
<h2>“It will educate those parents into thinking, ‘Eighteen thousand dollars a year is what we ought to be paying; why should we have to pay more than that?’ ” said John Strassburger, president of Ursinus College, where full costs are currently $43,160.</h2>
<p>If you were referring to a different article, please cite your source so we can readt it!</p>
<p>No, that isn't it, this was back in late 2006 early 2007. I only remember it because a prof of mine brought it to class because they were so disgusted...and then we discussed the economics behind it... I thought I had a copy but I can't seem to find it, it was a Times article however, maybe someone else can chime in, sorry.</p>
<p>I have another question for you as I find your thread to be quite slanderous. How were you shot? Also, drinking and drug use (for the most part) is rampant in many colleges with the exception of schools such as BYU. Also, if you hate it so much, money should not really be a factor with transfering. If I were shot at, at a school I would transfer.</p>
<p>FTH, surely your professors insist you cite your sources when you present "facts"? Unless you can tell us the date of the interview and the newspaper/magazine in which it was published, your statement is merely hearsay.</p>
<p>It sounds like you have isolated yourself from your college community because you are so unhappy. If there are no clubs or groups in which you want to be involved, maybe you could volunteer in the community? Seems a shame to be "stuck" in a place you hate. And if you dread waking up every morning to go out your dorm, you could put your energy that you're currently giving to hating Ursinus into finding a school to which you could transfer without losing $$$$ or credits.</p>
<p>I know there are a lot of students at my kid's school who would <em>love</em> to have the opportunity to go to Ursinus.</p>
<p>Hey don't believe it if you don't want to, its not easy to keep an archive of all the newspaper articles I read. Also, I really really enjoy the academics here, the professors are WONDERFUL and the classes interesting, transferring out of here would be a big loss to me as far as my education goes. I am involved in several clubs, one of which I run, I volunteer for 3 professional service organizations and work for a 4th. Just because I am unhappy with the lack of attention to safety and the unchecked drug and alcohol use doesn't mean I am not part of the community, in fact it bothers me so much because I don't enjoy watching my friends get seriously injured because of their excessive drinking.</p>
<p>I got shot at because of the schools inattention to security as many areas are unlighted and are open to public thoroughfares. A local, I presume, walked through the woods onto campus and decided to take a few pot shots at the buildings from the cover of an unlighted but busy parking lot, I just happened to be there.</p>
<p>Shoot me down if you want but I have done more than my share attempting to make things here better for myself and more importantly, others. I have been on the front lines and witnessed some of the best and worst here and in my educated and experienced opinion the administration does too little to ensure safety ...</p>
<p>Also, I wouldn't say "slanderous" I do nothing but praise the education that this school provides and the professors...my issues are with the administration and they way they look out for themselves more than the students....</p>
<p>"Ursinus has some wonderful Professors who do their jobs with the utmost regard for their students, and in nearly every department I have been involved with this has held true."</p>
<p>Here: <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/12/education/12tuition.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/12/education/12tuition.html</a></p>
<p>While this sounds all well and good and the collages make it out to seem that there is little effect on the actual price the fact is that students from middle class families do not always qualify for the price breaks they offer. The biggest problem though is that once a student qualifies for a scholarship or other non-loan break that aid rarely increases over the next four years to match the ever increasing tuition. They try to make it out to be that there really is no increase in overall cost and no harm done but, paying my own bills, I can assure you that that isn't exactly correct. In the end what they are doing is perpetuating a cycle that hurts students based on largely anecdotal evidence (increase in applicant pool). The increase in the applicant pool here also correlates with the Top 10 rank status that Ursinus achieved around that same time. The increased tuition benefits the school at the expense of the students who are not rich enough to be able to absorb any change in cost but not poor enough to qualify for more help, which is the category I and many of my friends, here and elsewhere, fall into which is a product of the community we come from, roughly middle class.</p>
<p>"At Ursinus College officials determined that tuition was too low to draw enough students. So they raised it, and applications surged. "</p>