I'm a procrastinator by nature. The simple fact that I graduated in May of 2013 and am only now reviewing my Alma mater in January is testament enough to that fact, but to put the exclamation point on it - I'm 37!
Yes, at the ripe old age of 37, I finally received my Bachelor's degree and I credit my success to three things: 1) My determination to better myself and my prospects 2) An amazingly supportive wife 3) The faculty and staff of Queens College.
Since I'm not going to toot my own horn (any further) and my wife would kill me if I shared our relationship details, I'm only going to refer to my experiences with the people of QC.
From the beginning, QC made success very attainable. Now I didn't say "easy," because it wasn't. It was "attainable" and as long as something is "attainable," it's worth trying. Applying is a simple matter of filing the online application ( http://www.qc.cuny.edu/ADMISSIONS/Pages/default.aspx ), submitting any applicable transcripts and filing a FAFSA ( https://fafsa.ed.gov ).
QC has an amazingly broad range of majors with a talented and passionate staff. As an Urban Studies major, I dealt mostly with social scientists: Anthropologists, Sociologists, Geographers, Political Science PhDs, Economists, etc. and there was not a single professor that did not impact me in some way. Several of my professors were even well respected leaders of academia in their related fields who could easily make their way without the trouble of dealing with undergrads, but it's their passion that makes them want to share with us.
Your entire academic career is saved and served by the CUNY website, CUNYFirst ( https://home.cunyfirst.cuny.edu/oam/Portal_Login1.html ). While I constantly heard complaints about it, I LOVED CUNYFirstI I began my college career in 1994 @ Brooklyn College at a time when, in order to register you physically had to go to the school, wait on line and pray there were openings in the classes you wanted. It was akin to an on-site Fantasy Football Draft where your entire year would be ruined if someone else got your second round Running Back or Poli-Sci Class. CUNYFirst makes all things dealing with Registrar's, Bursar's and Financial Aid offices a breeze! With it, you can check your grades, plan your coursework, add and drop classes, check Financial Aid status, and hundreds other things I probably never leveraged it for.
Aside from the purely academic issues, Queens College has a beautiful and modern campus. The numerous computer labs made completing work a simple task and the Library is an incredible resource that puts many other campus libraries to shame.
While not one of my priorities as a married, "mature" (yes, they referred to me as mature) student, I didn't partake in many social functions, however there always seemed to be some organized event happening with the myriad groups, clubs or Greek Life students. And while I never saw the inside of the new on-campus apartments, their exteriors were beautiful, clean and seemed well cared for.
My only real complaint was transportation. Parking is an issue as Parking permits are sparse and expensive and on street parking is limited. Rapid transit is not readily available without a transfer to a Bus, but surface transit has multiple lines stopping near the campus. Highway access is simple as the campus straddles the Long Island Expressway.
All-in-all, Queens College is an affordable, academic institution which will give you more than a degree. They will give you an education. read more