<p>I received my Bentley admissions letter with 1/3rd tuition about a week or more ago 
</p>
<p>Can’t take the scholarship if I choose to go now because I didn’t send in the enrollment deposit to go yet because I’m waiting for other schools. </p>
<p>Can people tell me what’s good and bad about Bentley? I’d like to know before I choose. Thanks :)</p>
<p>Congrads Protege.</p>
<p>Bad:
1. Higher price than state school. This is probably the single biggest negative.
2. Small school (uner 4,000 undergrads,but this could be good too)
3. Boston is COLD!
4. Not much racial diversity, although there are a lot of foreign students,which does add to diversity.
5. Not well-known outside of New England</p>
<p>Good:
1. Strong programs in business especially in finance and accounting
2. Strong liberal arts offerings. In fact, you can take liberal arts courses at nearby Brandeis.
3. Good food, not great, but good
4. Decent dorms
5. Great, Great facilites. Check out the ACELAB for accounting software and ESPECIALLY the trading room,which you have to see in order to believe. It rivals any stock brokerage room. Great work-out facilities too
6. Being a business-LAC, good faculty student interaction
7. Good placement especially for accounting and finance
8. VERY technology friendly. All students get a laptop. No kidding. Wireless is omnipresent.
9. Videoing courses: School is starting to implement videoing in courses for those kids that can't attend class. This is already implement in graduate programs.
10. Decent administration that actually cares about the students.</p>
<p>Protege, the deadline is actually may 1st. You have plenty of time to send in the deposit.</p>
<p>Congratulations protege. As a student at Bentley I can give you some firsthand knowledge about this school.</p>
<p>Cons in no certain order:
1. Small, enclosed campus. You will run into the same people you know every day. Feels much smaller than the 4,000+ student body would suggest.
2. Not in the city. The school itself is on the perimeter, and getting into Boston on weekends will take a long time (~1hr) if you don't have a car.
3. Diversity is lacking not only in race, but in general mindset as well. Student-body is very narrow. You won't find the intellectual diversity that is present at other LACs or target schools. This is purely a business school.
4. Food for the value is quite bad. You pay $4000 for a meal plan but you don't get what you pay for. Other small private schools with similar pricing have been ranked at the top of the Princeton Review list for best food. Check it out at review.com
5. Lack of a name outside of New England, as taxguy mentioned. If you are interested in Wall Street, you will find when applying to i-banks that they have a list of schools the company recruits from. Babson and BU will be listed but not Bentley. Very odd. Will be very difficult to break into Wall Street from Bentley, even if you do know how to use the trading room. I know of one senior who works there, knows how to use the software, but has had minimal luck in getting job offers.</p>
<p>Pros:
1. Small class sizes. Around 25-35 each class with no TAs. You won't get lost in a lecture hall of 500 students at some other schools.
2. Strong accounting program and generally strong finance program.
3. Academic facilities are nice. Library was recently upgraded and it looks good.
4. Bentley seems to hand out 1/3 tuition scholarships like they are going out of style. Chances are if you were a decent student in HS you will get one. Saves you $10,000.
5. Grading is somewhat easier than at other, more competitive schools. </p>
<p>In-betweens:
1. Placement may be good here, but that isn't the whole story. The quality of jobs listed through our career services is lacking. Accounting may be the only major that consistently offers good placement at the Big 4. Other majors can forget about it.
2. Every student does get a laptop at Bentley, BUT you have to pay $600 each semester. That is $1200 a year and $4800 for your entire 4-year stay. Quite a rip-off even with the software the school provides us. We also do not get to choose which laptop to buy, they are all IBM thinkpads.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the information guys. It's Plenty! I do welcome more :)</p>
<p>I think the major offset is the small population size. I like bigger schools I think. I am planning to enroll in the accounting program if I choose to go. I hear it's stock room is amazing from a friend who visited. </p>
<p>I was surprised I got the scholarship. My grades were honestly very mediocre. Possibly even horrendous (Not just CC Horrendous, World-wide horrendous). I had spectacular extra curriculars and leadership though. SAT was above 2000. So yeah I guess that got it for me :)</p>
<p>THanks for the info. I'd love more.</p>
<p>IT's making my decision a lot more informed and better for me to make.</p>
<p>Crap, I already have a laptop. =P SONY Vaio</p>
<p>krazyk notes,"Every student does get a laptop at Bentley, BUT you have to pay $600 each semester. That is $1200 a year and $4800 for your entire 4-year stay"</p>
<p>Response: Yes, BUT this includes full on site maintenance for the full four years!</p>
<p>Do graduate students get a laptop too??</p>
<p>What happens after graduation? You give the laptop back? :)</p>
<p>and what if I have my own already? Do I save the $600?</p>
<p>Koolsim, NO, gradstudents do NOT participate in the laptop program because they usually have their own laptops and can use any computer for grad programs.</p>
<p>Thanks a lot taxguy! :)</p>
<p>wait.....what if i own a laptop ? must i pay $600 as well?
that's ridiculous!</p>
<p>yea you have to pay $600 per semester even if u own 200 laptops.</p>
<p>Congrats on your acceptance!</p>
<p>that's unfair..!! why do they require that?</p>
<p>lilyhoho, I don't know if you can elect to opt out of the laptop program. However, I can see what they require it:</p>
<ol>
<li>It provides uniformity for laptops and softwhere.</li>
<li>Most importantly, if a laptop breaks for any reason, they will support fixing it or replacing it. Thus, students will never be without a laptop. This support feature is in my opinion the most important reason. You would be surprised how often laptops have problems with frequent enough use.</li>
</ol>
<p>bentley will most likely fix virus/software issues for free, but some breakages of the laptop, such as the screen, is something you will have to pay for yourself. unless, of course, they deem it to be a manufacturer's defect.</p>
<p>Haha... It seems everytime I come here, taxguy and krazyk are refuting each another's posts.</p>
<p>I would respond too with my opinion (I agree with parts of what both of them say) but I just don't have enought time cause I am so busy. I barely have time to go on CC now.</p>
<p>Well Pyar, it would be nice to hear another opinion, when you have the time :-)</p>
<p>lol pyar, you must be taking your GBs this semester.</p>
<p>Let me be clear about this: I am NOT discounting Krazyk's opinion,nor am I saying that his views are wrong and mine are right. In fact, we are probably both right! I am only mentioning that he is just one person with his own views,which he is certainly entitled to.There certainly are a number of other students whose views differ from his. In fact, based on reviews gleaned from other web sites, his views are in the minority. If folks don't believe me over that of Krazyk, I encourage you to do your own research.Check out what other people are saying about Bentley in other forums. That is the message that I want people to know.</p>
<p>As for food, I will say this again, food at most colleges that we have seen is usually bad. It certainly gets boring after a period of time at every school. However, compared to other schools, Bentley actually has better food. Better doens't mean great; it just means better.</p>
<p>The key to all colleges is "fitness for the student." I think some of what Krazyk said is somewhat a fair representation. However, what he considerd bad points such as small school, no "animal house" type of spirit, etc. might be just right for some students. Personally, my son loves the small classes and great student-faculty interaction. He had an "animal house' experience as an undergraduate and feels that both he and others at Bentley are geting a better education than those at his prior state university.</p>
<p>As for social life, again, you have to take his opinion as just that: an opinion from his perspective. My son has no such social life problems. If you are a dork and stay in your room participating in LAN parties, you probably won't meet a lot of folks. If, however, you are outgoing, join clubs, attend many meeting,involve yourself with other schools too, you probably will have no social problems.Yes, it may be a bit harder to have a great social life at a small school,but it certainly isn't impossible.</p>
<p>Again, let me repeat,I am not saying that Krazyk is wrong. It is probably right for him. That is the main concept, "right for him." It may not be right, however, for other people.</p>
<p>To use an analogy, people can look at a glass that his either half empty or consider it half full. It depends on each person's perspective. I think Bentley has a lot of benefits and certainly has its drawbacks as Krazyk pointed out. I am trying to give an alternative view of the school from both my son's and my perspective.</p>