Academics
Brooklyn College “is the perfect representative of Brooklyn as a borough and [of] success in the community,” an institution that, like its home borough, “educates its students in an environment that reflects diversity, opportunity (study abroad, research, athletics, employment), and support.” “Lauded as one of the best senior colleges in CUNY” and boasting “a beautiful campus,” Brooklyn College entices a lot of bright students looking for an affordable, quality, undergraduate experience as well as some attracted by the school’s relatively charitable admissions standards. It’s easier to get in here than to stay in; Brooklyn College is “an academically challenging and rigorous school” that “feels a lot more competitive than one would anticipate.” Professors “are fabulous” and “really passionate about the subjects that they teach and their students’ career paths,” although there are some “grumpy and nasty professors” that might best be avoided. Students are especially sanguine about special programs here, such as the various honors programs, in which “you will meet tons of highly intelligent people. Honors classes boast very good in-class discussions and highly vibrant, enthusiastic students. Non-honors classes are more run-of-the-mill but still very good academically.” The school also works hard to provide “constant and innumerable job opportunities available to students and the Magner Center, which helps students find jobs and internships, and [to] help them prepare for the real world through résumé writing workshops [and] job interview workshops.” There are also “many financial awards available.”
Student Body
“The typical student at Brooklyn College is hardworking, from the NY metro area, and a commuter.” Many “hold part-time jobs and pay at least part of their own tuition, so they are usually in a rush because they have a lot more responsibility on their shoulders than the average college student.” Like Brooklyn itself, “the student body is very diversified,” with everyone from “an aspiring opera singer to quirky film majors to single mothers looking for a better life for their children,” and so “no student can be described as being typical. Everyone blends in as normal, and little segregation is noticed (if it exists).” Students here represent more than 100 nations and speak nearly as many languages. There are students who “come from Long Island to North Carolina, from Connecticut to even Hong Kong.”
Campus Life
“Apart from all the clubs and athletics on campus, most people come for class and then leave” at Brooklyn College because “we are a commuter school, so it has to be this way. All social activities happen off campus.” There are “pretty nice places to hang out around campus for the occasional coffee,” and “there are a lot of student organizations and a lot of activities done to help enhance student life on campus,” but the “immediate surroundings of the Brooklyn College campus are generally not where you would want to stay for hours,” and “on weekends the campus usually is dead.” That said, “the campus is quite beautiful, and the quad during spring time is usually a nice place to sit and relax.” Furthermore, “New York City hotspots are a twentyto forty-minute [subway] ride away,” and Brooklyn itself is “a great place to live” where “there are always fun things happening.”
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