Student Profile
Dana
- Class: Alum
- Major: Art/Art History
- Gender: F
- High School: Deerfield High School
- Transfer Student: Y
Big Picture
The best thing about Bradley is definitely the size. It's small size means: small classes, more sudent/professor attention and getting to know a lot of people that you go to school with. Coming from a large University after my Freshman year, this was something that really impressed me about Bradley. Most of my time on campus was spent at my sorority house and in classes. There basically is no college town. To be honest, Peoria is really crummy. It is very urban and run-down. You have to be safe when walking around campus alone at night. My sorority gave out pepper-spray for this very purpose, but thankfully I never had to use it. Although there were a few reports of muggings and rapes, Bradley does a good job of increasing security. They have a great escort program; if you call them, they will walk you to and from anywhere on campus. Bradley's administration is great. We just got a new President, JoAnne Glasser, who is wonderful. She is so caring and thoughtful towards the students and really wants to get to know everyone. The biggest recent controversy on campus was after a popular soccer player was killed accidentally by his friends at the beginning of the year. The friends accused of his murder were told that after their time in jail , that they would definitely be allowed to enroll again at Bradley. But then when they tried to enroll for the 2008-2009 school year, Bradley's administration denied them. There is a ton of school pride; especially for the Braves Basketball team. Students have great attendance at the games and even have their own section. One experience I will always remember about Bradley is going to a Peoria Chief's game that unfortunately got rained out. And President Glasser was supposed to throw out the first pitch, so she was a little upset. But anyways, she ended up taking myself and 7 of my friends out to dinner and then for ice cream that night. It was so neat to be having dinner with the president of the university and she was so down to earth and fun to be with. It was a great night! I think the most frequent student complaints would be the low quality of food in the cafeterias on campus. I think they really try to get what the students want, but it's still not very good. Also, a big problem is the lack of air conditioning in a lot of the dorms. Which is basically only a problem your freshman/sophormore years, when most people live on campus.
Academic Life
Academics at Bradley are great. Again, because it's a small school most or all of your professors will know your name. My favorite class was probably, painting. I'm an art major but I wasn't required to take it. But the teacher was great and she really gives you personal attention. My least favorite class was Oceanography. For a 300 level class there was WAY too much information to retain for each test and the tests were the only grades in the class. Students study to varying degrees, depending on their major(s). Because I was an art major, I spent my time doing artwork instead of studying. But I had lots of sorority sisters who were nursing, accounting or English majors and they spent a lot of time studying. Class participation is very common, but again it depends on the class and your major. Bradley has high academic requirements for it's students. They expect a lot out of you and that makes you work harder and achieve more. The education at Bradley is definitely geared towards getting a job. They have a great career center and professors are always willing to talk to you about job opportunities in your desired field. Bradley really prides itself on the amount of graduating students who graduate with a job.
Student Body
Bradley's student body is very diverse. Although there are predominantly "white" sororities/fraternities and predominantly "African American" sororities/fraternities, but they don't interact with one another. There are also a lot of Christian/ religious student groups on campus, which can be overwhelming if you aren't Christian. But the Jewish student group, Hillel, is also big on campus too. Most students don't really dress up for class. Jeans are the prerequisite attire or even pajamas, if you're feeling lazy. Most Bradley students come from Chicago/ Chicago suburbs or St. Louis/St. Louis suburbs. Most students are middle class. There are a ton of political student groups that are very active on campus. It's a very liberal campus, it seems like, though.
The Best Things
small class size=personal attention
The Worst Things
outdated dorms
