A Four-Year Academic Oasis for New Yorkers
Written: Nov 22 '05 (Updated Jun 09 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: good education, affordable, safe campus
Cons: not a party school, no on-campus housing, students commute and leave right after class
The Bottom Line: Jerry Seinfeld was here.
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| jeavinl's Full Review: City University of New York-Queens College |
I graduated from Queens College in 1998 with a bachelors degree in English and double minors in Business and Liberal Arts (BALA) and Honors in the Western Tradition (now known as Honors in the Humanities). I was very happy with the education and experience I received there.
At the time when I applied to Queens College, it was my fall-back school. I didn't want to go to a lousy, cheap city school because I thought I was better than that. Apparently, they thought I was too since they offered me a full scholarship ($2000 a semester; tuition at the time was $1600 a semester). Since my mother didn't want me leaving home and we didn't have enough money for my other choice (NYU), Queens College became my new home.
CAMPUS
Queens College is the only 4-year school in the City University of New York (CUNY) system with a campus. It's not a huge campus if you're from anywhere outside of NYC, but for us Big Applers it's an oasis. Other schools in the CUNY system are simply cold, sterile buildings. Queens College has a well-maintained quad surrounded by mostly low-standing buildings (some with a Spanish-style motif) and a clock tower (part of the well-stocked library). There's even a gorgeous view of the Manhattan skyline in the distance when standing by the fountains near the library. The campus is located in Flushing, NY, in a mostly residential area right off of the Long Island Expressway (exit 24). It is easy to get to by bus or car, but requires a transfer (or a 40 minute walk) when taking the subway.
CAMPUS HIGHLIGHTS
Colden Center is the Queens College theater. It has hosted orchestras, plays, and even Billy Joel concerts (well, at least one that I know of). Performances are open to the public and many Queens residents take advantage of its events.
Klapper Hall is the home of the art department. There are sculptures outside and art displays indoors.
The Music Building is home to the QC music department and often showcases its students. There are many performances throughout the semester.
PARKING
Although it looks like there's plenty of parking, there isn't. The complaint a lot of my friends had was that on-campus parking passes were only available for upper classmen who lived a certain mileage away from the school. Since the college is located in a residential area, most freshmen and sophomores are forced to trek back to campus from their cars that are parked on side streets and at meters.
ACADEMICS
Queens College has a multitude of majors for both undergraduate and graduate students. Most fall under the category of liberal arts (English, art, sociology, African studies, education, etc.) but there are also programs in the sciences (pre-med, pre-engineering, Psychology, computer science, etc.). QC is the only CUNY school, and one of the lowest tuition schools nationwide, to offer an ALA-accredited library science degree. Some may balk that pre-engineering is something a student takes in high school, but the courses are transferrable to other CUNY schools with full engineering programs. Queens College is pretty strict about transferring credits. It's actually harder to transfer credits to QC than from it. I knew a few people who ended up spending an extra year making up credits that they thought would transfer from Hunter College (another school in the CUNY system). I was able to get 3 credits for my score of 4 on the AP American History exam, but couldn't get credit for my score of 3 on the AP English exam (which I would've received credit for at some private institutions I applied to).
My courses were rigorous and helped me in the outside world. There was a CORE curriculum when I attended. This was a series of general classes that needed to be taken in order to graduate. I felt this helped me figure out what my major should be (which didn't need to be declared until the end of my sophomore year). I was forced to take courses in departments I normally wouldn't have. I think attaining that sort of balance to your education is essential.
I found that many of the science courses and lower-level classes were taught by adjuncts. But I also found that that was true when I sat in on a couple of courses at my friend's alma mater, Cornell University. I never had any problems with the adjuncts. They were all knowledgeable in their fields and very helpful (sometimes more so than the professors). There were a few foreign-born adjuncts who taught the labs who seemed to have a hard time expressing themselves. Some students felt that made it harder to learn. I didn't have that issue.
PROFESSORS
I found that the English department was exceptional. I was very happy with all of my professors who were knowledgeable and not just tenured figure heads. Like I said, I took courses in a variety of departments because of the core curriculum (and because of my double minors) and I never really had any justifiable complaints (there was that one guy who gave me a B instead of an A...).
FOOD
You better like pizza if you're planning on spending four years at QC. There are two pizzerias off campus but within walking distance, a Sbarros in the student union, and a Kosher pizzeria in the cafeteria. There's also Chinese food in the Kosher cafeteria (to better serve the large Jewish community) and a checkout-style snack and coffee shop.
TECHNOLOGY
When I went to QC I was amazed that my school had an automated phone registration system whereas my friend's much-more-expensive, Ivy League school did not. As far as I know, this is still the main means of registering for classes. It would be nice to see QC have an automated online registration system, but I don't believe they do. The current Web site (www.qc.edu) is a large improvement over the one from just a couple of years back. It is packed with a lot more information and is a lot easier to navigate. When I attended QC, there were two main buildings where students could access computers. The Science building had a small room of Macs and another room of PCs, which were always booked. The I building, near the cafeteria, had two rooms of PCs and was also usually booked. Rumor had it that the PCs that had signs saying they were broken were actually still functioning but being held for the computer science majors. I generally used the computers in the I building for checking e-mail and used the Macs (which for some reason were usually free) for my papers.
SECURITY
I never had a problem on campus. QC is very safe. Security guards are posted at all of the gates and are located in some of the buildings.
NIGHTLIFE
There is none. If you're looking for a party school, look elsewhere. This is a commuter school and most of the students have part-time jobs and really want to learn. Once a year, there's some sort of outdoor festival and there are occasional sorees at the student union, but nothing to talk about. There are some bars around nearby St. John's University, but I think the majority of students end up in Manhattan for clubs and such.
TUITION
One of the main reasons people attend QC is the tuition. When I went, it was $1600 for full-time undergraduates. Books usually came to another $500. For the quality of education and the beautiful campus, you can't beat that.
Recommended:
Yes
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