Baldwin Wallace University

This is not my alma mater, but it is my husband’s, so I’ve visited frequently. He attended and was part of the Conservatory as a Music Education major. He got a fine education and has been back every year since he graduated to help with their summer music camps that they offer to kids grades 5 – 10 for string, piano, band and musical theatre. It’s a safe, comfortable campus in Berea, Ohio. The biggest threat you have there is if a squirrel will try and sneak into your backpack while you’re lounging on the grass. I wanted a more metropolitan feel to my college experience, so I did not opt for BW. For my hubs and his needs, it was perfect.

I work here so I’m biased.
This is a nice place to work. :) I like the campus and they’re continuing to try & improve it.
I never feel unsafe here & that speaks loudly, even if the college is in a burb.

I’m not 100% sure how you write a review of your ol’ college, but here it goes:
I thought long and hard about giving BW a less than perfect star rating due to things I’m a little bitter about (*cough* school loan debt *cough* no jobs after college *cough*) but then I realized all those things had nothing to do with the great experience I had here.
I’ll explain: After high school I went to John Carroll. I have no idea why, other than it had a pretty campus, but everything else fell flat for me there. It just wasn’t the school for me. I was looking for a warm, social environment with great professors and ratings. So I transferred and found that at BW! (And yes, I went there when it was BWC, not this University stuff they have going on now… but I digress.)
Overall, I had a complete and utter blast in college (met my very best friend!), which was exactly what I wanted. The broadcasting dept. was just getting started with their TV program, BuzzTV and my advisor got me right into higher level journalism classes I couldn’t get into at JCU (mostly because they didn’t even have a good broadcasting program there when I went.) It was nice to get right into classes that actually had something to do with my dream career.
Additionally the professors didn’t waste any time telling us exactly what it was going to be like «out there,» which gave me a much better idea of what I was getting myself into. The few liberal arts classes I did have to take were MY CHOICE – which was refreshing. Like, in my case, I didn’t want to take a foreign language so I had the option of taking some pretty sweet history/​religion courses that fulfilled those requirements. I absolutely could not get enough of these courses, especially since I got to choose one of my favorite profs.
The housing, food, and meal card situation was pretty nice – especially since surrounding restaurants accepted our meal cards. The bookstore had tons of electronics which sort of chiseled away at my food funds, but whatever. The books themselves can get pricey and there’s no off-​campus stores that offer used books – so that sucked. They did offer a buyback program that only half raped you, so that was nice.
Parking would be one of my only gripes, but when is that ever really nice unless you’re an upper classman? Just watch out for those pesky campus parking tickets… lol. Plus, the campus is relatively small and the buildings are all within close walking distance.
Greek life (I know I’m losing half of you here) was awesome. I loved the social aspect and you can’t beat the Alpha Phis! Clearly I was interested in more of the social aspect of school… but I did maintain my grades and even made it to some classes (probably hungover, but who’s judging?)
Things I wish I would have spent more time with: The Career Department. I just didn’t hear much about it when I was there and it looked so small – but I hear from other folks that it’s actually pretty good. For me? It didn’t help – I only made like 2 visits. I was still stuck in the mindset that I was going to become a reporter right out of college… HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! #fail
Then again, I have a much better job now than I could have ever imagined. (*wink, wink*)

I love the Cleveland area and Baldwin-​Wallace was just another reason why. All four and a half years I spent at BW were well worth the education I received. Small classes, amazing professors, and people who truly want to see you succeed :)
Strongly recommend the Political Science/​Communication Studies field ;)

I attended BW during my senior year of high school. I loved one of my professors (who also happened to be a family friend before I took the classes), so I know there’s at least one talented professor there (and can assume there are more, I just didn’t really meet them.).
My main memory of BW is hearing college students… students who had graduated high school and were accepted into college, say things such as, «We have to be in Iraq. Saddam blew up our towers,» without even a touch of irony. This doesn’t annoy me because it goes against my politics (I know plenty of smart conservatives) but because there are so many inaccuracies within the statement. This was not an isolated event. The statements/​questions of fellow students improved with higher level classes, but you can spend much less to surround yourself with ignorant teens and 20-​somethings. Unless you meet the faculty of your desired major prior to applying and love them, it makes sense to go to LCCC or CCC to save money.
Disclaimer: I know and love many BW grads, and my mother taught there for years. I also realize that I was never an official student, so my review should be taken with a heap of salt.

You cannot find a better school than B-​W. It is basically a world that you are lucky to be a party of. My four years there were spent making friends, learning about myself and taking classes where I felt like I was really learning and making connections. I encourage everyone there to get involved because it will help you succeed in your time there.

I absolutely loved all four and a half years that I spent attending Baldwin-​Wallace. I would seriously go into a state of depression when I would try to imagine my life afterward. I made more friends and accomplished more things than I could have ever imagined. It really prepared me for the real world and helped me find people I plan to keep in my life for a very long time.
I think one of my favorite aspects of the school are the professors. Granted, I had a couple that drove me up the wall, but I found once I did a little research, I set myself up with some truly wonderful and inspiring teachers. Classrooms are small enough that you can develop a more personal relationship with them — they’d recognize you and stop to chat around campus. I’m quite fond of very many of them, and miss seeing a lot of them.
Greek life is really great here. It’s not the like stereotypical, hazing jerks you see in shows on TVs and movies. It’s a welcoming community and a lot of fun to be a part of.
For ladies, I think that BW had a great selection of guys to date. I feel like any guy who chooses to come to the generally smaller, quaint school with a community of wonderful people over some sweaty party state school must have had parents that taught him well.
My only other advice would be to get involved in all there is to do, and do it right away! I didn’t get involved in campus activities until my junior year, and I wish I would have done it sooner. Keeping busy with those activities helped me make new friends and develop skills that I will use for a lifetime.

If you are very, very talented, smart, and going to be super successful then you should attend B-​W.

Strongly recommend! I had a fantastic undergraduate education which helped me land my first job. The student life here is really great and there is something for everyone whether you’re into parties, campus life or just low-​key hangouts with friends.
The proximity to Cleveland is great and there are lots of opportunities to interact with the world outside of BW. I participated in a summer long service opportunity called Project Affinity where I lived at a house in Cleveland with other student volunteering at different non-​profit organizations, participated in 2 alternative spring breaks (Seattle/​Tacoma & Atlanta) and also had the opportunity to study abroad. I wouldn’t change a thing — BWC was wonderful!