Drew University
Madison, NJ, USA

Reviews

Drew University

Eve from North Bergen, NJ

a current student here
6 people found this review useful
CategoriesComments
Am learning a lot
There is no doubt in my mind that I am learning a lot at Drew. This college is on the Princeton Review's list of top universities and top liberal arts colleges for a reason! The topics are very engaging and intense, and although I've had a couple of classes that I was required to take and did not necessarily enjoy (i.e. Statistics), the professors at Drew make every class worthwhile, so that I still feel motivated to attend their classes and learn more about the subject they are teaching. I would not say that I am having difficulty with the subjects, but that is because I keep up with my homework assignments. Each class challenges me to think on a critical and analytical level and sometimes leave me thinking about subjects unrelated to academics within the classroom. There are so many courses to take here at Drew. My only gripe is that some of the courses are specially-designed courses that do not necessarily exist outside of Drew. For example, my favorite class freshman year, The Global Burden of Mental Illness is not a class that is offered at other colleges, which can be a tad problematic.
Am enjoying being here
Ever heard of the ol' quote, Life is what you make of it? This undeniably applies to student life at Drew. I will be honest: when I first arrived at Drew, I did not fall in love with it within the first few days or even with in the first couple of weeks. It took time for the school and campus life to grow on me. I think it was because my expectations were too high. I wanted to love it immediately without putting any effort into making the most of my life here. I think the trick to falling in love with any university is to get involved! For such a tiny school, Drew has a ridiculous amount of clubs and organizations, sports, internship opportunities, and campus jobs to immerse yourself in. There isn't much to do off-campus, because Madison is a very suburban town mostly filled with boutiques and restaurants, and the neighboring towns are not-so-cheap train rides away. But if you want to have fun, you can make it happen! So don't coop yourself up in your room all day. I've found that the people I know here who are truly unhappy are those who coincidentally are not involved (physically or emotionally). This is NOT the way to go. You must be interactive and social - even if you are shy or introspective by nature, like me, apply your social skills and you will find that it is easy to have fun on campus. I am someone who has never been very interested in sports, but in November, I joined the Varsity Fencing team - and later, began to take up free fitness and exercise courses offered at Drew. Get involved!
Bang for the buck
The quality of education here is excellent, but Drew is very expensive. Apparently, it is one of the most expensive schools in the nation. Why I rate this four/five stars is because Drew gives terrific financial aid.
Tips for prospective students
Get involved. Make the most of your time at Drew. Enjoy yourself. And GO TO CLASS. This should not even need to be mentioned, but many college students assume that they don't need to go to class because they are adults. At Drew, students take their education quite seriously, and prospective students should enter this college - or any college, for that matter - with the same mindset.
Great for these types of students
Drew University is a melting pot of all types of students, although I will say that most of them are upper-middle class White kids from South Jersey. Still, we also have international and out-of-state students; we have artists and fashionistas; and we have athletes.

Sean from NJ

a current student here
1 person found this review useful
CategoriesComments
Am learning a lot
The Class sizes are small, so your professors actually have time to speak with you and get to know you. They (the profs.) also really care about seeing you succeed academically, and seem to genuinely love their jobs!
Am enjoying being here
The environment at Drew is AMAZING!! Everybody is really friendly and we're always happy to accept new people! Although we aren't a party school by any means we do have our fair share of fun parties that occur just about every weekend. If you aren't in to the party scene that's okay too, because there are plenty of places on campus for you to hang out friends or just be alone even. Aside from the people, the campus it's self is also pretty cool, It's basically surrounded by forest (our school's nickname is The University in the Forest). The wildlife on campus is like a 24 hour nature documentary, It's pretty entertaining. However if you want to spend a day outside of the campus it's a less than 10 minute walk into down town Madison NJ. and about a 45 minute train ride to NYC.
Bang for the buck
Academically, socially,and in-terms of location Drew is great. That being said it is also REALLY EXPENSIVE, This year's tuition is about $43,000.00 .for that expense you'd expect that the food would be better, however that is not the case! in fact the food at Drew is *cough* AWFUL *cough*, and despite student (and parent) outcry on the matter, and the availability of alternative food services companies the administration refuses to drop Aramark as our food provider. However if you can look past the food, cost, and administrative bureaucracy, Drew is an outstanding school in fun, friendly, and diverse environment. I can confidently say, from experience, most prospective students will really enjoy it here!
Tips for prospective students
Go out an meet as many people as you can here , we're all pretty chill.
Great for these types of students
intelligent
Liberal
friendly
outdoorsy
laid back
accepting
intellectually diverse