University of Utah | Student Reviews | Best College

Student Profile

Spencer

Class: Freshman
Major: Other
Gender: M

High School: Judge Memorial High School
Transfer Student: N

Big Picture

The best thing about Utah is by far the outdoors. If you are a person who enjoys any kind of outdoor recreation, the University of Utah is definitely for you. I, myself, enjoy mountain biking, and have chosen to stay in my home state for that reason alone. However, the biggest reason by far that many people come to Utah is for the awesome skiing. Nevertheless, whatever you do, if you love the Outdoors, Utah is for you. The University of Utah, although it consists of about 28,000 students, doesn't feel all that large when you're on campus. It's about a 20-minute walk across campus, and you tend to see people you know quite frequently on campus. However, if you prefer the small school classroom experience, with the big school feel, I would highly recommend the Honors Program. With it you get the best professors on campus, in classes that are capped at 40. It's a great way to get a great education at a large university. By far the biggest hangout on campus is the Union Building. From the lounges and quiet areas for study, to its delicious cafeteria, to its bowling alley downstairs, the Union is the place to be. Although the U is pretty sweet, it does have its bad sides. The University of Utah administration is currently in a stage of hypocrisy as they swing from one extreme of policy to another. They promote outdoor recreation, yet fail to maintain or even install sidewalks around all areas of campus. They promote cleanliness, yet the north side of the dormitory dining hall smells like rank garbage most of the time. They promote physical well-being, yet make students who actually live on campus walk twenty minutes across campus to the Field House if they wish to do ANYTHING with free weights. (I've lodged complaints with three different people in Housing, and not even one set of dumbbells has been added to the Dorm gyms.) Now, as much as walking across campus would seem to promote physical well-being, with Utah's frigid winters, it can sooner promote frostbite than it can a healthy heart. As a student living on campus, one of the biggest complaints I most frequently hear is that the food is disgusting. As any good marketer will do, the Housing and Residential Education director will tell you at Preview Day that the food is "delicious" and "prepared by gourmet chefs". And when the dining hall knows they are hosting future students, of course they will cook their food at its best, but most of the time, it leaves much, MUCH, to be desired. Nevertheless, living on campus with friends is quite an amazing experience, and so I will still live on campus and deal with the food again next year.

Academic Life

With the University of Utah being a school of over 28,000 students, it is hard to find classes small enough to get some one-on-one relation with the professor. However, if you are a student who gets good grades, and who actually cares about the quality of his or her education, yet one who desires a big school feel, there is an answer. The Honors Program at the University provides a fantastic way to get some one-on-one relationships with some of the best professors on campus, in classes that are capped at 40. With regard to the attitude of your average professor on campus, I must say it is one of incredible pride. With the University of Utah being a research university, oftentimes the professors at the U become so caught up in the stigma of their own work that they forget they are fallible human beings just like everybody else, and it often shines through. However, if you will be a student in the School of Business, as I am, I would highly recommend Professor Calvin M. Boardman. His attitude is one quite contrary to that which was aforementioned, and he is quite an excellent teacher.