Can anyone give any feedback on West Chester University? My son was accepted and loves the school, campus, town, etc. However, he is concerned because he has heard that a lot of students go home on the weekends and that people end up transferring out due to this. Any feedback would be welcome.
I live five miles from WCU and know a number of kids who attend. Haven’t come across one who didn’t like it;, and most LOVE it. Yes, a number of kids live fairly close, so they might go home on a Sunday afternoon to do laundry, or on a Friday from 2-9 to work, or on a Wednesday night for a family dinner; but many students are around for much of the weekend. The town has a lot of restaurants, bars, and a couple of live music venues. There are also plenty of parties near campus as many upperclassmen have apartments within walking distance of the school. I’d more concerned about him having too much fun on the weekend :), rather than not enough.
And the kids who I hear of transferring are usually transferring IN to WCU; they try an OOS school and are ready, after a semester or a year, to be closer to home.
We live north of Philly and many kids from our district go to WCU. There are some that transfer out, especially to Temple, but this could be for many reasons (like not getting into Temple as a freshman).
WCU is very popular lately, as it is a good lower cost option. I do think many students also choose to live off campus as Juniors and Seniors.
My son is a freshman and lives there and is OOS. Unless there is a reason that he needs to come home on the weekends, he doesnt. The key is getting involved early. He joined a club sport and is busy with that and the friends he has made through it. He LOVES it at WCU!!!
Town is adorable!
@mommfl My DD has been accepted to WCU & will most likely attend.
I expect her to stay on campus the majority of the time. Thanksgiving, Xmas, & spring break are the only times I expect her to come home during the year. With 14K students attending, even if some go home, I imagine it would hardly feel deserted. 
May be too late to be helpful, but I am 1 day off a tour with a friend of WCU. This is a very large commuter campus(tour guide was pretty shaky on her facts, thought 40-50% commuters), and note that the overall undergraduate population numbers of 14,000 indicate that undergraduates are taking longer than 4 years to complete a Bachelor’s degree (relative to the size of the admitted freshman class of 2600). Not a problem, per say, just a point. 76% graduate within 6 years. Does not seem to be as much of an emphasis on good food as other colleges. Lovely town, nice campus, some newer housing options. Most of our fellow students touring were transferring in from community colleges, but I know plenty who have gone for 4 years. and liked it. Kids on campus were very friendly and hanging out on greens, quads, etc. My impression was that one could have a good favorable residential college experience here, but that you would have lots of commuters in your classes.
According to the Common Data Set 10% of freshman live off campus/commute.It’s 64% for all undergraduates but hard to say how many are living in off campus housing versus commuting.
I think the 40-50% commuters is way too high.