Questions/Answers

Colleges and Universities A-Z Muhlenberg College
1

<p>My mom goes on this site (because my brother is going to Lafayette next year), and she just told me about it so I figured I'd make a post. I'm a rising junior at Berg, and majoring in Media and Communication. I also have a double minor in Sociology and Women's Studies. Freshmen year I lived in a double on first floor Walz (so yes, I was one of those rooms that you all have been peaking into on tours...), this past year I lived in a triple in East, and next year I'll be in a suite in Robertson.</p>

<p>Basically, I love talking about Muhlenberg...so I just wanted to let you know that I'm here if you have any questions, whether it's about possibly attending the school or questions about what to bring/do if you're already planning on coming next year. Don't hesitate if you have questions :)</p>

2

<p>Welcome ACS1020. I just returned from picking up my D today. She will be a sophomore next year. I am delighted that you are willing to answer questions for interested parents and students. </p>

<p>I know many people are curious about 'berg, and it is always better to have a student address questions. Bucknell and ND both have students answering questions and it really makes a difference.</p>

<p>So just wanted to say "welcome" ........!</p>

3

<p>Yay acs1020 I am so glad you posted!- My D will be a freshman, and I am sure we will both have lots of questions as move-in gets closer. We are excited to be going back to campus as it was the first college tour we did, way back in August, and it's all kind of a blur now. We live in CA, so it's going to be a big change for my D! We are coming for advising next month, and despite the fact that it is her final's week back at HS I am sure it's going to be great.</p>

<p>My D will be majoring in theatre with a minor in dance and music.</p>

4

<p>Wow that will be great for her...Berg is amazing in terms of Theater/Dance. I always tell my tours (I'm a tour guide...but don't worry, I promise I won't just make up things to sell the school!!) that I love Muhlenberg's theater/dance b/c even though I have absolutely no talent in that department, it's nice to know that others at the school do, so that when you see a show/performance, you know it's going to be of great quality! Your daughter will have a great time, I'm sure :)</p>

5

<p>It's interesting to read the posts re: Muhlenberg. I'm an alum - graduated in mid-90s. We (my husband I met there) recently visited M'berg for my reunion and it's extremely different then my days as an undergrad. I'm not sure I would attend the current M'berg. The social life seems completely different - and not for the better. ZBT stood where a parking lot exists now. ATO is a dorm and the other fraternities are shells of their former pasts. The sororities seem to be ok but participation has dropped tremendously. It seems everyone goes off-campus to bars which is not better in my opinion (why encourage drinking and driving?). Obviously Greek life and parties are not the be all, end all of a college exerience but M'berg was really fun back in the day. There are many more buildings which have taken away from some of the pretty grassy expanses that existed not so long ago. Plus the school is 1,000+ students larger then when I attended. Guess the buildings are needed to accomodate all the growth. I'd say the student body is different - students were were more conservative/middle of the road then the M'berg students of today. I'm sure the population is still preppy and affluent, but it also had a distinct quirky feel when we were there recently. While I was there, theater arts was a good program but there wasn't a huge focus. I knew a bunch of pre-meds (who were not your typical study 24/7 types either), but I defintiely would not categorize M'berg as a pre-med type school (I consider Johns Hopkins a big pre-med school). A majority of my friends majored in the humanities or business related fields. The only other complaint is that pretty much everyone was from NJ, Westchester or Long Island. A handful of CT people, some New Englanders, and maybe 1 or 2 non-East Coast people were thown in the mix. Most alum that graduated during my time are ambivalent about their experiences at M'berg. Obviously we (alum) chose to attend there due to its small size, community feel, strength of academics and accessible faculty, but M'berg lacks the gung-ho alumni network of many of its peers. I have also found that although many people will acknowledge that M'berg is a good school many more have never heard of it. So although I have fond memories of my days in Prosser and East, toga parties at ATO, lunch in GQ, sunning on East Beach and my hard-as-hell History major, if I could do it over again I probably would have chosen a slightly bigger school with a more well known reputation (like a Lafayette, Dickinson, Trinity (CT), Connecticut College or even Denison). My husband was an athlete which is why he gravitated towards M'berg (he wanted a Division III school) but if he had to do it over he would have gone to a Boston College type school...or even a Syracuse type school.</p>

6

<p>ACS1020, I would love to know how media and mass communication is as a major at Berg. Is some of it hands on? Are they helping you with internships, and do they have some good contacts for potential jobs in this field? If you had to do it over again, would you still pick Berg for your major? Also, how many students major in this area per year, and can you get into the classes that you are looking for? I have been on this site for my older son, but I have a younger son who is interested in media and mass communications too. I am nervous about this major, b/c so many ppl tell me that it is hard to find employment in this area, or even in another area w this major. Thanks for joining and posting. Any info would be really helpful.</p>

7

<p>I had a bunch of friends who were communications majors. Most ended up in NYC area in advertising or PR. I would say a major in this field prepares you for a variety of career choices. M'berg doesn't have best career center, but I think it's up to sudent to make their own way careerwise regardless of the opportunities avaialble via the school (internships, mentorships, etc.). A strong career/alumni netwrok is jsut a bonus. I used to be a campus recruiter for global firm in NYC so am well versed in the career search process. Additionally, a lot of kids change their minds about career choice once in school. That's the beauty of a liberal arts curriculum - you can pretty much do anything after college and have all the requisite tools needed to be successful. So, I wouldn't worry about your child's major in relation to college selection unless he is hell bent on being in an obscure field. Even so though, graduate school is a great place to really drill down into something you have a strong interest in pursuing. Classwise, I never had a problem getting into the classes I wanted. Classes were usually small (barring the general science class required of all students like "Baby Bio" and "Kiddie Chem"- they usually had 50+).</p>

8

<p>In response to northeastmom, first:</p>

<p>I like the comm major at Berg. I'll be honest, I don't love it...although I knew what it was going to be like before I decided on attending the school, and I felt that the rest of the school outweighed any cons I had found. Your son should know that the classes in the comm department are extremely theoretical. While there are some hands on (I just finished "Documentary Research" where we learned about documentary work but also analyzed documentaries and make our own one as a final project), a lot are theory based, and look at the foundation of communication. HOWEVER, that said, I chose Berg's comm dep over one at, say, Syracuse or Ithaca because I liked the fact that Berg offered a liberal arts course selection. I didn't want a school that was all very career based because, although I'm farely certain I want to go into PR, I didn't want to be STUCK on that path. That's what internships are for!</p>

<p>Now, onto eorleans:</p>

<p>I'm sorry you don't like a lot of the changes that have occured on campus. I can tell you that-as a member of the Student Telephone Network (we're the ones who call you and beg for money haha)-you are not alone in being annoyed that ATO and ZBT are no longer on campus.</p>

<p>HOWEVER, that said...as a current student, I find few issues with Berg social life. There are four frats that all have parties...Sig Ep has the most open parties I'd say, and DTD has a lot of open parties and also a bunch of "invite-only" parties (that you can almost always find a way into) that are in a variety of houses located a few blocks off campus...and they ALWAYS have a selection of sober brothers who run a DD system for every single one of their parties. They'll pick you up and drop you off anywhere on campus, so it's extremely safe.</p>

<p>And you're right...Greek life is NOT huge at Berg. About 23% last I read?? It's part of the reason I chose the college. There if you want it, but not over powering...my cousin goes to Lehigh and constantly complains about how much Greek life takes over the school. Berg is not a school to go to if that's what you're looking for. With 4 sororities and 4 fraternities, it's basically just another activity.</p>

<p>I understand that some schools are more well known for their pre-med program than Berg, but it IS one of the school's most well known departments, and therefore is does need the building expansion that you're probably referring to. True, we did lose some nice grass space in between Seegers, Brown, and Taylor, but we gained some AMAZING conference and classroom space, as well a HUGE addition to the academic support and career services offices.</p>

<p>Which leads me to your comment about Berg's career service program. I have nothing to compare it to, but I'd say it's far from bad! I have used career services countless times and have been entirely satisfied with the help I have received from them. They send a ton of emails (a few a week at least) about the various workshops and sessions they're offering that month, and they provide an amazing "shadow program" where they match you up with an alum in your field of interest and you follow them around for a day over winter break (I've been on two shadow visits...one to Random House Publishing and another to a branch of Ruder-Finn, both in NYC). Resume help is also a tool I've utilized multiple times from career services.</p>

<p>Berg isn't geographically diverse, but personality wise...I dont' think you can classify everyone as one type. And definately not "quirky." I'd say there's a fairly equal range of interests and personality types, from jock to theater, to extracurricular-joiners, to academicly focused-type.</p>

<p>And finally, I can't speak much to the alumni network because I'm still at Berg, but both of my parents attended Berg, and they have been going back for homecoming, reunions, and other random gatherings for the past 20 years. They are also still in touch with a large portion of their college friends, with the school being the constant tie between them. However, like I said, I've been in touch with alumni frequently through the student telephone network, and I do think that graduates from the 90's had a very different experience than those before AND after them.</p>

9

<p>eorleans and acs-thank you for responses.</p>

10

<p>Well said acs1020! M'berg is lucky to have you. It sounds like you are really enjoying your experience -I'm glad. I didn't mean to sound down on M'berg b/c I grew a lot personally, socially and academically. However, as the years have passed and my professional and personal experiences have evolved, I find myself less and less excited with my M'berg experience. As I mentioned previously, I'm a former campus recruiter so have traveled to many schools across the country, have met many students and even more alum. My husband and I were so bummed that less then 20 alum showed up for our reunion. The general lack of apathy speaks volumes (in my opinion). We recently saw a fellow alum while on vacation and we got to talking about M'berg. She agreed with us....she should have attended another school. Her husband attended F&M and raves about it 11 yrs later. I don't have the same enthusiasm for my alma mater. Although I respect all your points about campus expansion, social life (especially Greeks which is always a discussion point anywhere you go - I chuckled about your ATO & ZBT comment!), and career services, my experiences and those of my classmates seem to be quite different from those you are describing. I think the school has definitely changed and maybe quirky wasn't the right word for some of the current students, however there is a portion that are very different then those of the mid-90s. I think the general attitude is more liberal (as further evidenced by the campus newspaper - I've been shocked a few times by content). It's not like walking around Brown or BU though - it's defintiely a homogenous population with a more progressive bent. Maybe the 'Berg was in a state of flux while I was a student - I got to M'berg just as Prez Mes was ending his term and Arthur Taylor was beginning - which is why our experiences were not as positive. Also, I didn't say career serives was bad - just not strong. They tried but the alumni network was not there to support a huge post-collegiate endeavor. (I'm referring to work not grad school). I don't rememebr having any big name firms recruiting on-campus, but am glad to hear there is a campus recruiting effort now. As I continue through my career I still battle the "what is M'berg" question. I attended an Ivy for grad school so that helps me a lot with my profesisonal endeavors, but I constantly find myself giving an additional explanation about M'berg, its location, etc. I just describe it as being a small, liberal arts school near Lafayette and Lehigh. Anyway, best of luck to you. </p>

<p>PS I didn't realize M'berg was known for its communications program. When I think communications I think BU. Also, I know M'berg is known for pre-med but I never undertsood why a serious pre-med applicant would apply...most of the pre-meds I knew went on to become D.O.s or D.M.D.s, not M.D.s. It's slightly harder then impossible to get into med school from an Ivy or top, top liberal arts school nevermind a solid liberal arts school.</p>

11

<p>eorleans-sorry if it sounded as though I was attacking your opinion...I completely understand (again, based on my communication with 90's grads). I simply feel as though things are a bit different than the way you described. But I definatley recognize and appreciate what you're saying! And although basically everyone outside of the "Berg Bubble" that I have talked to has indeed heard of Berg (I always get the, "that's in Allentown, right?"), I do anticipate some unfamilarity with the school when I begin job hunting. Internship-wise, everyone has heard of the school so far, though.</p>

12

<p>Hello Eorleans,
My D is now a sophomore at 'berg, and her cousin graduated in '01, Phi Beta Kappa ,and attended law school.</p>

<p>In each my niece's interviews, post college, and for each of her summer clerkships, it was amazing that everyone along the way knew about Muhlenberg, and in fact, one interviewer had a child attending. </p>

<p>Perhaps, Berg is particularly well known in the Phila/ NJ legal circles, but it was AMAZING how positively Muhlenberg was viewed all along her law school experience, summer internships and two clerkship postions and her final job offer!!!!</p>

<p>It is most likely a regional school.</p>

<p>Now, regarding the closed fraternities which happened during my niece's time, and by the way, her fiance was VERY involved, and upset about the closings, so I am aware of how devastating this was to alums.</p>

<p>As a parent who is well informed about the current drinking conditions and the role fraternities play in that, I HAVE been so impressed with 'berg's focus.
Do you know about binge drinking and the alcohol related incidents/ deaths/ on campuses these days? The climate may be VeRY different from the "good ole days" and this fall alone there were 19 students taken to the hospital for alcohol poisoning at Muhlenberg. I commend the administration for the proactive role, for the letter the president sent to the parents informing us about these issues.<br>
Not all schools would be so forthcoming.</p>

<p>When you have children going off to college, you may look at a college through different eyes. Trust me we have. </p>

<p>Regarding the changed campus- was the library open, the student center, certainly, not the performing arts building? These are outstanding facilities, which we can compare to many other smaller LAC's in PA.
Once the Neuroscience opens this will be a great addition to the very well respected pre-med program. </p>

<p>Certainly, Muhlenberg is a small school, and caters to someone seeking a nurturing environment, and so far it has lived up to that.</p>

13

<p>We got home last night from June advising, and my D is so happy with her choice to be a Mule in the fall. Hopefully we can answer some questions as they come up in the coming months!</p>

14

<p>anothermom-w-q: I've tried to send you a PM but your box is full : )</p>

<p>I would like to talk to you regarding Muhlenberg as I understand your daughter will be attending for musical theater. Please PM me with another e-mail address that I can reach you at.</p>

<p>Thanks, Teri</p>

15

<p>emptied it....thanks. I pmed the email addy too.</p>

16

<p>Can you provide any input on vegan dining options at Muhlenberg?Thanks</p>

17

<p>The Dining Hall is one the smaller side, but the dining room itself is so plush, nice wood tables, carpeted, chandeliers. One of nicer cafeterias in a college that size ie compared to Gettysburg, Dickinson, Elizabethtown- the nicest.</p>

<p>The food-I recall several vegan offerings and a salad bar that was Vegan sign.
Also, noted there was a Kosher section labeled, too, but not sure if that is always there, or it was during a holiday.</p>

<p>Have you visted Muhlenberg?</p>

18

<p>Hi opmsma- I searched the Muhlenberg website and found the following about vegan options in the dining areas:</p>

<p>Vegetarians and Vegans
Dining Service provides a vegetarian entrée at the lunch and dinner meals. An extensive salad bar is available as part of the regular menu and a vegetarian soup offered daily. A variety of fresh fruit and canned fruits packed in natural juices are a few of the selections provided at each meal. If you have a special vegetarian entrée recipe, please share it with the management in the Garden Room.</p>

<p>The Garden Room has a special variety of items available each day to help satisfy customers that are Vegan. These include legumes, steamed vegetables, soymilk and margarine, multi-grain breads without dairy products, and baked potatoes. Vegan entrees and vegetables are identified on the menu, at the serving lines.</p>

19

<p>Hi there anothermom- how was move in for your freshman daughter? What dorm is she in ?
My D is in East this year, but was in all girl's Brown last year. In fact, she had single and has a roommate this year, but all is going well from what we are hearing. She got used to TWO closets and tons of space, but is learning to adapt.
Hope all went well for your move in, because you flew out here from Calif, right?
Hoepfully, you will be able to help students and parents with Muhlenberg questions! You did a great job with the vegan question!</p>

20

<p>Hi SJCM- She is in Prosser, and getting used to everything. They keep the kids so busy during orientation weekend that I don't think she has had time to get homesick. Her roomate is nice; another theatre kid, and they are meeting lots of people.
I have a question for you. Is the drive from Newark to Allentown about the same distance as from Philly? I looks that way on the map, and after flying through Atlanta this time, and getting delayed a couple of hours, I wuld prefer to fly right into Newark and just drive. What would you suggest?</p>

<p>As we find out more about the school, I would be happy to add more. I am really impressed with everything so far.
amwq</p>