jmcomicÂþ»­

Gave me false information about financials that cost me significant amounts of money. Out of all the many frustrations Bradley gave me, nothing was worse than finding out I needed multiple extra thousands of dollars I did not have because the financial office told me I was receiving aid I was not. I consistently had technical issues registering for classes that required multiple meetings with different advisors to resolve. Many classes were offered with only one section and overlapping with times... Read More of other classes in my major. Combined with Bradley cancelling classes to save themselves some money it made it difficult to take full time hours unless I was one of the first 20 people to register for a class. Frequently a random fee from something would cause a registration hold, making it far too late to register for these classes even without the technical issues every time. I also consistently had issues receiving credit for classes I completed on my transcript, which caused further technical issues registering for classes and took multiple years of requesting different advisors to fix. Bradley failed to ever actually assign me an advisor after I changed my major at my first semester at the college which was another issue I had to resolve. The video game design program has many nice professors trying their best, but there are a lot of instances in which I felt the program was still being tested and figured out (e.g. board game design class being labeled as writing intensive and just having us write in journals, which was ultimately positive in that I didn't have to take an extra writing intensive class but still odd, or a "Practicum" class in which everyone gets to spend time and money listening to very basic business advice about networking being good and being open to possibilities in your career). I wish I had gone to any other college.

Bradley is a very good school, especially for younger students. It wasn't a good fit for me for several reasons. 1) I'm a non-traditional student and it wasn't geared toward this type of student. 2) It seemed too fast, only because the hard courses were grouped together and some were only 6 weeks long. 3) They do not accept classes from undergrad schools especially for the non-traditional students (because they were taken several years ago). I get that they want to make sure that you are in line... Read More to pass graduate level certifications, but when you put a class like statistics in the line up, it's not goof. The last time I had any kind of math classes was back in 1995. I felt like I was prepared to fail, which I wasn't that far off. I did hire a tutor but it was not helping. I could go on and on. I do recommend the program but not so much if you're older like me, 55. So parents looking to send their kids somewhere, it's a very good school. I would put my own kids through if they wanted to attend.

I am currently a student in the Bradley University Doctor of Education in Higher Education Administration. My experience with this program has been positive. I was part of one of the first cohorts in their online doctoral program so I did experience some growing pains. However, I was able to make it through them. Some of their professors are excellent, others need some more experience but again, it was a new program and completely online so I'm not sure if this was their first time teaching in that... Read More environment. The coursework was good. Everything tied together nicely. The research courses were a bit difficult as, because of the accelerated pace of the program, there was not much time to really learn a lot about doctoral research. A lot of the learning was done on our own. However, they did provide very clear recorded lectures and discussion board interaction that you can use as a guide. The professors were also accessible and some provided live zoom classes which were not compulsory to attend. The program also had cohorts which was great as we were able to form friendships and help each other. The major con for this program is the cost. It is very expensive and they don't have scholarships. Besides that, I am enjoying being a student there.

Good size, about 6,000 undergrad. Strong population of Greek Life. No football team, so not a lot of school functions to attend on the weekends. Homecoming is a nonevent. All the parties are held by fraternities, and if you're not in a fraternity as a male student, you most likely will not be allowed to attend. There are house parties for different clubs, speech/debate, and sports houses for soccer and baseball, but yet again, not part of the club you probably won't get invited. Girls can pretty... Read More much show up anywhere and get free alcohol. Though I've heard admin has cracked down on parties lately. I could be wrong. Bars are a really cheap cab ride away and lots of bars have free shuttle services to and from campus. Downtown and Farmington Road are the best options. Class sizes are relatively small. Feels like a high school classroom, so if you're looking for stereotypical lecture hall college experience, you'll get that maybe 1 out of every 5 courses. The worst dorm was recently renovated, so you can't really get placed in a bad dorm anymore. There are a few restaurants in the student center, Starbucks, Moe's, Chick-fil-a, and a convenience store. There is a strip shopping center very close with a CVS, a bar, chinese food, italian food, liquor store, nail salon, mexican food, and sushi. Literally across the street from campus. It is called "Campus Town". Very convenient for students without vehicles. The surrounding area is somewhat dangerous, Peoria has a high crime rate, and students often receive BUForewarn texts about armed robberies and muggings on/near campus. The real danger is when you go "down the hill" however. Sort of a projects type community down there. But you have to drive through it to get to the Wal-mart and Target, and most of the chain restaurants (Chili's, Applebees, Texas Roadhouse, etc.) There are other options in West Peoria with a movie theatre and Hibachi grill and Olive Garden, Red Lobster, etc. There are two malls. One indoor traditional, one outdoor and higher end. There in an international airport in West Peoria, maybe a 20 min drive from campus. Convenient for out of state students. There is also a bus service that goes to Chicago suburbs, champaign, and a few other places that picks up right on campus and is relatively inexpensive. $30 a ticket maybe. Known for nursing and engineering program. Communications program is really good too. Lots of internship and networking opportunities through professors and advisors.

Bradley University's Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering Department students are sought after by multiple large manufacturing corporations. When attending as an undergrad, I was given every chance to excel and pushed to do my best by my professors. The biggest benefit being the small class sizes and one-on-one interaction with the instructor. Returning as a Graduate student, the small classes tend to hurt the experience more that help due to low enrollment. The department chair pushes more for... Read More the business aspect of engineering and less for the technical competence.