University of Wyoming | Student Reviews | Best College

Student Profile

Danielle

Class: Sophomore
Major: Nursing
Gender: F

High School: Wilmington High School
Transfer Student: N

Big Picture

Wyoming is a really great school. Academically it has very strong programs and the accreditations necessary. It has a beautiful but small campus in a small college town. If you're looking for a big city atmosphere, the University of Wyoming is definitely not the place to go. The students at the school have their fair share of parties, but many of the people that come to the University come because of the really great deal on tuition and room and board, or for the many outdoor opportunities that the school has to offer. Fifteen minutes east is Vedavoo, a great hiking and rock climbing spot; thirty minutes west are the Snowy Range Mountains, Centennial and some great scenic spots for those who enjoy winter sports, fishing, hiking and much more. If you feel like taking a weekend trip, Yellowstone, Jackson Hole, Saratoga Hot Springs, the Grand Tetons, and the Big Horn Mountains are only a relatively short drive away. My favorite thing about the school is the variety of activities it has to offer that you can't get out on the east coast, the fun old west culture that you get to see so often, and the country swing dances that happen in Laramie all the time. As much as I love these things you do find the negative aspects of the campus, I mean no college or university is perfect. A lot of times instead of 6 degrees of separation you find only 2 or 3. Many people that go to school at the University of Wyoming are from the area and come to school with an already settled group of friends. Sometimes it's hard to make friends when no one else is looking for them. I've made some great friends but you have to make sure to go out there and be social. Another thing I've learned is that Wyoming is usually at least 10 or 20 years behind the rest of the country in social mannerisms. Now don't get me wrong the chivalry shown is great, but sometimes people aren't so politically correct or accepting. This is definitely not the case for everyone, it just is a little more noticeable in a place like Wyoming, compared to the hub of liberals living in Massachusetts. The school has a lot of great things going for it, but i'd say the biggest student complaint would be the lack of things to do that aren't outdoor related, but there has been a lot of construction and new businesses coming in this past year, so we'll see if that changes a little!

Academic Life

Academics at Wyoming are very strong. Like any school though you have your good classes and professors and your bad classes and professors. My two favorite classes that I have taken would have to be my spanish class and my cultural anthropology class. Both teachers were engaging, challenging, and very concerned with how their students did. For the most part I have really liked all of my teachers with the exception of 2 or 3. Most professors know your name at school but if you don't participate actively in the larger lectures, you may get lost in the crowd. My least favorite classes have been two of the classes required for my major. The intro course to nursing and the human development online course I took. Both instructors were hard to work with and the classes felt like a waste of time and money at points. Nursing is one of the most competitive and difficult majors at the University of Wyoming. Toward the end of sophomore year pre-nursing students have to apply in to the actual nursing program. During this process we have been told that over 300 applicants are competing for under 45 spots. A GPA of at least 3.5 is needed but much higher is recommended. My advisor has been basically useless for me this past year, whenever my course selection came up I seemed to have a problem no matter what I did to prepare, thankfully the assistant dean of students and other professors and academic advisors really helped me out in getting the classes I needed. The academic requirements at Wyoming are fairly rigorous. I've been look at other nursing schools to apply to along with the University of Wyoming just in case and looking at their requirements for their nursing program has shown me tha the University of Wyoming has a much more rigourouse prerequisite course load. Wyoming overall is a really great part of the world of academia.

Student Body

The student body at the University of Wyoming is very diverse in the sense of they were raised and the way they think. Racially the school is predominantly white, but the university has an outstanding exchange program so there are more and more ethnic backgrounds appearing on campus. I have been able to meet many of the students involved with our LGBT group called spectrum and they are so great. The students on campus are definitely split with right wing left wing politics. It seems that on campus the majority of students are very conservative but if you're not very conservative you're most likely the opposite extreme. The rich., city dweller kids would definitely feel out of place in the foot hills of Wyoming. Students at the university are usally upper middle class or lower with a few exceptions. The student dynamic at Wyoming is very complex but if I were to describe four tables in the dining hall I would say that one table is the exchange students, one table is the cowboys, one table is the rock climbing adventurous students, and one table is full of your average everyday college student who is studying, talking with friends about an upcoming party, or discussing their social life.