What could improve? Quite literally everything. My son Trevor is a freshman at the college, on our nightly call all I hear is complaining, no positivity. I am appalled that they do not clean the bathrooms, provide suitable living arrangements for students and the worst of all serve food that has made my son sick more times than I count. With the price of tuition and housing you really think they would do better. Don't even get me started on President John Swallows involvement on campus, because there's nothing I could say. Tuition prices are rising while student satisfaction is declining. Sorry excuse for a college. Hope this helps anyone's college search! read more

Parent perspective: My kid was accepted to many schools. Carthage offered him a full tuition scholarship. TBH I liked the school but was hoping he would choose another one. He chose Carthage. He is thriving. Loves the location, and most importantly the professors (math /analytics major). He plays a sport and has made some excellent friends. As a parent, I will share the positives were the admissions office, the athletics (coaches), small-mid size school (2900) but with great school spirit. If I had to mention a "negative" it would be the dorms. Though, they do keep them clean, they definitely need upgrading. With the choosing of any college, it's important to have your kid fully engaged. My kid chose the best fit for him. EVERY school will have something you may not like, but it's a matter of what checks the most boxes. read more

OUTSTANDING campus! We just moved our son in today. Well-maintained, clean, small class size, sits right on Lake Michigan. Their "new" dining service is amazing and so good. Variety for all tastes, and eat your fill. The staff are extremely friendly and helpful. The next 4 years are going to be such a wonderful experience. Couldn't be happier moving him 4 states away. He is in good hands. read more

See all

Writing from a parent's p.o.v. GREAT location without a doubt. Being an arboretum the landscaping is fabulous! Professors can be summed up as hit or miss. As for dorm life? Just plain filthy conditions. On par with the projects. I'm referring to mold as well as a centipede problem that just won't go away. Facilities need some serious updating as well. For the money charged to attend this school one might expect, at the very least, an attempt at building maintenance. There must simply be no pride. read more

Went on tour of this school and it is beautiful!! Can't wait to see it in the fall... it sounds like an impressive class size

Spent one semester here (Spring 2015) and I enjoyed my first and last semester here. I'm a transfer student from College of Lake County and the process of transferring was easy, thanks to Bill Weir. It was unfortunate that the maximum transfer credit was 68. My credits per class in CLC was 3 but if it was converted to Carthage, it was 4. My professors were AMAZING. I love how the classes have a small professor to student ratio which was small. You get to know them in a personal level and it's great networking. I personally love places where I know people by their name because it's more personal. You're not another number. If you're an incoming freshman or transfer student, you're required to do Western Heritage. I highly suggest taking Marla Polley as your professor because she makes it engaging. She's also a lovely professor who cares for her students. As soon as you step in her classroom she gives off a positive vibe. If you're a communication major, which I was when I switched from criminal justice, you should definitely take Colleen Kappeler. I learned a TON from her and I can guarantee you that you'll enjoy her classes as much as I did when I had her. The administration is all right. During my semester here we were required to do a survey of the Title IX which was an online training and educational program for sexual misconduct. If you don't do it they threaten you with a fine. Security here was also something to be aware of. They're either satisfactory or not. Make sure to park at the right places. I know that being a new student, it was hard for me to remember where I could or could not park. The campus was nice. I love how there's a Starbucks in this campus. It's very convenient if you have an 8am class (which I DO NOT SUGGEST). They have also built a new science building and it's pulchritudinous. The view of the lake was something unique and won't find in most college campuses. The library was well-maintained and you could wirelessly print if you have your own laptop. This campus also has a chapel so if you're religious, they have inter-faith sessions. Carthage has a career center where they could assist you with your resume, cover letter, and interviews. You also get e-mails for job opportunities which was very helpful. Not only do they have a great career center, they also have an outstanding advising staff from my experience. I was assigned to Ryan Polk and he was very helpful in my first semester. He helped me with transitioning and was very interested in his students. If you decide to dorm, be aware that there may be weekly fire alarms according to other students who lived there. A smart move is to get a couple of roommates and your own place around the Kenosha area. Fortunately, Kenosha is affordable. The student union offers a variety of restaurants. I was a commuter (didn't live on campus) so I never got old of eating there. Student life was lively. If you live on campus, you should check out the fraternities/sororities. I know it's not for everyone, but it's something to do because you're in Kenosha! It's better than just staying in your dorm. I had a pleasure of being an associate member of the Delta Upsilon fraternity but had to withdraw due to the fact that I had my own business going on and that I wasn't able to commit fully due to my schedule but I firmly believe in their foundations. I wish they offered more scholarships and more support towards minorities and transfer students. This was definitely a white-dominated campus. Also, tuition is currently rising and it's projected to rise every year so make sure that you're financially ready to commit to that and try not to take out as much student loans. It's a shame I had to leave because I was given an opportunity in Silicon Valley and I'm planning to pursue my education in either Stanford or Berkeley. read more

See all

This college came back 10 years after my son graduated and said he never paid his loan. I paid his loans for a graduation gift! The college said they were "updating the system" and ultimately got him confused with another student with the same name. Two year later we get another letter stating he defaulted on his loan. To get it off his credit I paid the trivial $500 PLUS interest...This administrative financial office is a joke! read more

[Attended 3 years] [Transferred in] [Commuter] The student body is made up of 95% mute individuals (based on repeated observations of the systemic lack in in-class engagement and participation). Okay maybe they're not actually mute, but seriously, this college has a severe problem with its student body. I cannot in good conscious recommend this college to anyone attending college primarily for an education. A significant portion of learning in college comes from one's interaction with their peers, so it is essential to make sure the student body (in addition to the courses) challenges and inspires you. The faculty are forced by economic necessity to dumb down their classes so enough students can pass to sustain the college's finances (based on off-the-record conversations with over a dozen faculty members from a number of departments). A number of the classes are complete jokes, total blowoff classes (most likely to increase GPAs). Some, usually the smaller niche ones, are fantastic. If you do go here, befriending the professors is key. The faculty are friendly, accessible, and highly qualified--even if some don't know how to make decent PowerPoint presentations. Class sizes are rarely above 20 students. The campus is strikingly beautiful, but the interiors of some older buildings are quite underwhelming. The college doesn't skimp on landscaping. The campus is also designed to isolate itself from the surrounding community. I see this as a negative, though certain kinds of parents might see this as a positive. The campus's walkability with Kenosha is properly poor. If you plan on frequenting the downtown, a bike or skateboard is a must. The buildings aren't open 24/7 which is incredibly annoying. And while I can't personally describe the dorm quality as I have never lived in them, I have heard numerous horror stories from my peers. If dorm quality is important to you, I suggest looking into it further. Also it gets seriously cold in the winters. Bring a jacket. It's a welcoming college for the politically conservative. It's not so good if you want a diverse student body. I'd give it a 40%, could try harder. read more

See all

i am very disappointed in the RA of the first floor long side. she was very disrespectful to me and my friend when we were here, she told us we need to quite down and stop talking because we were too loud. it was 7:30pm. WHO IN THE RIGHT MIND GOES TO SLEEP AT 7:30! DO BETTER CARTHAGE! read more

Carthage College - Colleges & Universities Near Me - Kenosha, Wisconsin

It's like living at high school. There were many great professors. The education is great but if you are looking for a great social life on campus - this wasn't for me. There is nowhere to walk or ride a bike. Tiny place but just because I didn't like it doesn't mean others wouldn't love that type of place. Shout out to Julio if he's still teaching geo. He was the best prof I had. read more

When you go on your college visit make sure that you ask a bunch of follow-up questions. The reason being is that they lie to you. Overstating and exaggerating claims that they will do but never honor. They are not in touch with their students and half the professors want to be there less than the students. Not a good sign. Worst decision of my life. Didnt even make it two years and they still expect me to pay back my loans. Shouldn't you be more concerned with the education you provide and the individuals you bring on to provide that education? But, you know, go there if you don't mind being screwed over. It's your choice, right? read more

My husband is in their adult computer science program and raves about it. The class sizes are super small and this teachers are amazing! I went to a much larger university and never had a class with 5 people in it. We attend the homecoming parade every year and as much of the football game as out two boys will sit though. Beautiful campus on Lake Michigan and dedicated teachers! Doesn't get better! read more

If I could give this place 0 stars I would. Only go here if you want to be treated like a wallet and nothing else. I will give a lot of backstory so you can properly understand why I have such an opinion. Coming in my Freshman year I was informed by my Freshman Advisor, Alejandro Medellin, that I had tested high enough in my Spanish proficiency test to not have to take any Spanish classes. The way it sounds, he told every Freshman he could that they could just not take the Spanish. I only found out my Junior year of college, while being a part of a completely optional group (peer coaching) during an optional meeting that what he informed us was actually wrong, and that we did need Spanish credits. Following that incident I took a 4000 level Carthage Symposium class that counted towards both Spanish and Humanities with the understanding that Carthage Symposium classes are capable of counting toward either of the subjects it was under. My senior year, after meeting with my advisor, I had been informed that this information, provided to me via 2 years of peer coaching and 1 year of freshmen advising, was actually wrong and that there needed to be very specific qualifications for it to count. I was lucky and was able to beg and send various emails to get my Spanish requirement waived during the Fall of my Senior Year. My Freshman year I also took an introductory computer science class, taught by Perry Kivolowitz. The class had 2 imbedded tutors for it, and they made sure to show up to as many classes and were as available as possible. They made sure to let us know early on that the assignments we were doing were above the level of an introductory computer science class. They also had some issues as the assignments got more and more challenging as they were not provided any sort of assistance from the professor. They were having to figure out solutions that matched our knowledge on the fly, which meant they were typically only capable of figuring out 1 solution in general. Our tutoring sessions usually had about 10-15 students in them, all struggling to understand how to even begin the assignments. Our tutors would try to walk us through the assignments as best they could, but as they only knew of one way to solve them we were only able to get one type of solution. This became a problem when Professor Kivolowitz started to take off 15% from our homework grades if we had visited the tutors. So if you visited the tutors, then chances are you had working code that was similar to other people as there were only 2 tutors that had other responsibilities as well. On the flip-side of this Professor Kivolowitz was handing out 100% to anyone who had original code, even if it didn't work at all. So you could turn in an assignment with minimal coding, not even working, and still receive a 100% for the course overall. The tutors and students were upset about this, but the tutors also tried to discuss why this grading was wrong. He would not listen and stuck to taking 15% from any assignment if you had visited tutors. My Sophomore year was pretty much the only good year I had at Carthage and I have to say "good" lightly at that. In between my Sophomore and Junior year my dad got into a motorcycle accident and became paralyzed from the chest down. This comes into play when I include that he was the main income for my household and that the Carthage is insanely expensive so he was able to take some of the pressure away from paying the outrageous prices. I had appealed to the Carthage Financial Aide Office to get some sort of "emergency financial aid" as this was an unexpected event in our lives. Carthage decided that my dad being paralyzed from the chest down and being hospitalized from June 2019 - February 2020 was worth $2,000 of their time, which doesn't even cover a day in the hospital. My Junior Year was plagued with problems with my home life, as well as dealing with faculty. With my father's paralysis, my mother decided to divorce him so she could get as much money as she could and party it up without waiting for him to die. This made me believe that taking J-Term off was the best choice for me so I could sort out my life in general as well as get some sort of mental-emotional stability. This turned out to be a mistake. In the second semester, we got hit by COVID. Most schools adapted poorly, and Carthage was no exception. The professors were all over the place with how they were teaching classes, giving grades, giving assignments, and overall how they were functioning. Carthage also dropped the ball by saying there was only going to be a $2,000 refund on housing despite the math saying they should be refunding students upwards of $4,000. I would get into more, but there seems to be a character limit on yelp. Also Brandon Porter will withhold information from you and email you the same thing without responding to you. I'm still waiting for a response and some of the emails are months old. read more

CONFERENCE/CONVENTION REVIEW I spent a week exhibiting at Carthage in June 2017 for a conference. The hands-down best thing about this location for a conference was that you were steps from the lake. Any time we had a break, I was at the beach. Climbing on the rocks was super fun, and just having that view for a week made everythign better. The exhibit space in the Todd Wehr Center was fine, nothing fancy, lighting could definitely be improved, but no significant complaints. We had meal tickets we could use in the cafeteria, and while the food was good enough, the menus didn't change at all during the week, so each station had the same two things for each meal (lunch and dinner, not sure about breakfast). I am guessing this is a summer thing and not that way during the year, but still sort of a bummer. But they had and ice cream machine, so I was happy. There was a Starbucks a few buildings over, but it was closed the only time I got over there. Parking was a little tough, but on one day of the conference they had parking attendants that would tell you where to go, and that was very helpful. Seems like a nice campus otherwise. Would be happy to go here again. read more

Great college with a strong faculty for teaching. If you are looking for smaller class sizes and the ability to learn more, tis is the college for you. read more

Just make sure you are 100% committed to Carthage before putting down a deposit. While my son was deciding between schools we put down the $300 deposit. My son chose another school and I informed his Carthage adviser that we would like to receive a deposit refund (we were within the refund timeline) on April 18. It is now August 18 and still no refund. I have emailed MORE THAN 10 times and also made phone calls. Horrible communication and every time empty promises. I'm beyond irritated and disappointed with the entire process. I expected more from this school. read more

Five stars in the summer, probably one star in the winter. Fortunately, I've only visited in the summer. A sweet little college campus along the shores of Lake Mich. Fresh! read more

Excellent little school and a beautiful campus located right on the lake. Super friendly staff and fellow students. Highly recommended. They're currently remodeling one of the buildings on campus so it's a minor inconvenience when walking around but work is progressing quickly and it should be beautiful when complete. read more

The campus is amazing. It's beautiful in the summer! The snow makes it less pretty but it's still a great school. The teachers are so nice (minus a religion teacher) and everyone is so laid back but at the same time takes it seriously. I loved my years at Carthage. read more

Instructors here are terrible. They don't know how to teach, and most seem like they are just there to collect a paycheck and call it a day. No clear lesson plans, no clear explanations or expectations provided for assignments, projects or tests. Students are left wondering what to do for graded work. It is quite disappointing when instructors for the education department don't know how to execute a good lesson plan or design an assignment properly. They are teaching future educators and setting a horrible example! what a fraud this school is, and unfortunately, once you begin there, it is quite difficult to transfer out due to the graduation requirements that don't match up with other schools. do not attend this school, especially if you are planning to major in education and become a teacher. you are better off going to Northeastern Illinois University or some other state school that specializes in education programs for aspiring teachers. Carthage college is severely lacking in instructors who actually give a crap about the students or about teaching in general. what a disgrace! Carthage college should feel complete shame that they are running the education department this way and the entire school in general. Do not go here. administration staff and teachers are nothing but rip off artists! read more

I was very impressed with Carthage College, the location, the student friendliness and the admission counselors attentiveness. On check-in/move-in, day my husband and I were thrilled when the students came by our overfilled trunk and assisted with my daughter's packages, furniture and other dorm items. I am extremely happy that Carthage was my daughter's final college choice and I hope she finds Carthage exceptional as we did. On first impression I give Carthage College 5 stars! read more

This place literally drains the life out of you. They provide no transportation services to Walmart or anywhere off campus you can spend money, and they force you to use the corner store that barges 4 dollars for a thing of chapstick. The curriculum is beyond irritating, and they force you to take gen ed classes that are not part of the UW system in order to prevent you from transferring. It's terrible. Avoid at all costs. This place is a business, not a school. read more

If I was able to give this school negative stars I would because it is absolutely horrible. I fell in love with Carthage College on my first tour of the school but after attending the school for a year I have come to realize how unbelievably dreadful it actually is. If you take a tour of this school don't be sucked into their trap. I know the campus may seem nice because of the lake but don't attend the school for the lake because that is the only good thing about Carthage. They promise a great learning environment, great food, and a great athletic facility. In reality the staff is not as quick to offer help as they say, the food is absolutely horrible and will leave you sitting on the toilet contemplating your life, and the gym looks like it belongs in a best western. For what you pay it is nowhere near worth it. Thankfully I will be transferring and getting far away from this garbage school. read more