Catawba College-- Not worth the price of admission
Written: Jan 21 '03 (Updated Jan 28 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Small and easy classes, great faculty, variety of learning tools
Cons: Where do I start...?
The Bottom Line: I wouldn't pay the money to send my kids here since there are so many state supported schools I already pay for.
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| scoopmorris's Full Review: Catawba College |
Good ol' Catawba College. Where do I start with you? I know you thought I appreciated the way I was treated there, the education I received, the way you ripped me off... but you were wrong. I never understood so many things about you, and now is my chance. I finally let my feelings be known.
Why are they paid so little?
I don't get it. Do you think by withholding raises and ticking off your faculty, you are making people want to teach the kids? It isn't really a great way to make the faculty feel supported. The professors are dedicated, hardworking people who try their hardest to help their students learn.
Unfortunately, they don't have much help from you. What do you give them that motivates them in the least? Let's see... Free lunch on Wednesdays, no raises for the ones that deserve it and ungrateful students that care more about their tans and football than learning what 2 + 2 is. There is no motivation for the faculty. The only motivation they get is when a student like me comes through that really wants to learn and enjoys the classes. Then, they get their motivation. It is because of good students like me - the ones that pay their own ways by holding down two jobs - that the teachers teach at all. They love me and those like me in class and then hope to get more of us.
On an up note, most anybody can get into Catawba. I'm serious. There have been some dumb turds to come through Catawba. Then again, there have been some smart ones that came through too. Mostly though, dumb turds. I guess the word spreads fast. The whole thing with letting anyone into the school has long been a point of concern with me. Even at the local community college, they have standards. I mean really. And, most of the students there are motivated to do well considering they are paying for their own educations.
Why are they paid so much?
One group of people that can say they are underpaid is the administration. I think they are paid too much. They make really stupid decision and then stand around, patting themselves on the backs for those stupid decisions. I call it "Old White Man Syndrome." Don't worry, it's not contagious. You have to be born with it and it gets worse with age. Only certain white men qualify though.
These (mostly) men stand around, probably smoking cigars and swilling wine, talking about how great they are. On the other side of the wall, their professors must sit, shivering in the coldness of Hoke Hall. Somebody is too cheap to have the heat fixed. But not too cheap to spend $6 million on a Center for the Environment that only 13 environmental science majors will be using. They also aren't too cheap to spend $3 or $4 million on the music building.
Don't get me wrong, music and the environment are very important parts of any well rounded education. My only problem is this: I thought to study the Earth and its environment, you only needed the Earth and a book. I guess I was wrong. I sure do hope those 13 majors are enjoying that building.
Another problem I have is this: you have to audition to be in most of the music classes. Excuse me. Did you hear that? If you aren't talented enough, you can't be in the class. Therefore, why are you in the building?
Do you understand where I am going with this Catawba? I hope you do. It is really hurting me to say all this. I credit you with my liberal arts education, but you need some work. This club of white men has got to go. Do you realize you are grossly underrepresented as far as African Americans and women go? Doesn't everyone deserve a chance to make a few rules and pat themselves on the backs every now and again? Don't get me wrong, there are a few good apples in your club, but let's face it. The old cliche is right, a few bad apples really do spoil the whole bunch.
Now, about those cost
This is the worse part of your institution. An in-state commuter can plan on spending up to roughly $15,000 per year to go here. That means it has cost me and the taxpayers of the United States (through money allocated by the federal and state governments) almost $60,000 to go to school here. I really feel sorry for all the out-of-state students going here. It will cost them roughly $80,000 to go to school here. I hope that you started saving early - say, four years before you were born.
I hate to say it because the faculty here is so delightful to learn under, but the bang for the buck sucks. Your administrators spend more on refrigerator/microwave combos for every room and Bradford Pear trees for the Chapel Circle than they do on the students. Visibly, anyway.
To give them credit, I don't know absolutely everything that goes on behind the scenes. Maybe there's more to it than I know, but I do know this - I was not satisfied with the way things at this school went down and wouldn't send my child here.
All the other stuff
I have to say, the campus is pretty. If you count the small-town environment as spacious, it's kind of medium sized. Of course, it's not nearly as big as Caroline or State, but for a small college, it's a nice size. Everything is spread out while still being in walking distance.
There is a fairly extensive library with a large catalog. Along with the Center for the Environment and the Music building, there are 7 other buildings for learning on the campus of Catawba College. There is a student center, cafeteria and ping pong tables. If you would like to see the buildings, you can tour the college's almost user friendly Website at www.catawba.edu.
The college has a real problem with space for their resident students. If you do decide to go here, beware that there is a rule to when you can move off campus. You must be turning 21 in the year you will be moving off campus before they will let you do it. The only exception to the rule is local people. They can live with their families instead of pay extra to live on campus.
The college has a real problem with parking as well. For some reason, they feel it necessary to let Freshmen drive and park their cars on campus. This is good for the Freshmen, but once they get there and see how expensive it is to run a car in this town, they park them. It makes for a right funny waste of space.
There are about 1,200 people that go to Catawba's day program. There, you can major in just about anything. They even have a pre-law program.
The college also has an evening program that I hear isn't nearly as bad as the day program. They call it the Life Long Learning program. I think it is a good program, but the only problem with it is the fact that they only offer three majors: Business Administration, Information Systems and Criminal Justice.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
scoopmorris
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Location: Where I wanna be
Reviews written: 6
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This side of the rainbow is muchcooler.
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