jmcomicÂþ»­

Back when I went to the school, it was California University of Pennsylvania. Overall, I had a positive experience at the university. The campus facilities were well maintained, and there were plenty of opportunities to involved through clubs, activities, and intramural sports. The gym was nice, there were a lot of food options available on and off campus, and the location itself was beautiful and enjoyable to spend time in. There were also may resources available to students like a doctors office,... Read More a mental health office, tutoring, etc.

One challenge was parking. Getting a parking pass could be difficult and expensive. The main options were either a parking garage or the river lot, both which felt far from most class buildings. Aside from that, I felt the campus offered a welcoming environment with a lot of opportunities for students to stay involved and connected, with many resources available to the students.

Overall, I am really enjoying my time at PennWest. The classes in my major are challenging, but good, and I find myself being pushed to learn. The perception of others based on my degree and work here at PennWest is very positive, and despite recently merging from into one school from three different schools, I've found everything to be very well organized.

The only issue I have is with advisement. I was told I would be getting an advisor to help me make sure I'm getting through my program, and I... Read More have never been assigned one. When I reached out to enrollment and registration about this, they said they would reach out to my advisor and that they would reach out to me, which has still not happened after almost six months. Not sure if this is a failing on the advisors part or not, but it's kind of disheartening and makes me feel like I'm isolated. I do take classes exclusively online, and am not sure if this experience would be the same if I were an in person student who can't fall through the proverbial cracks as easily.

Rating 2 out of 5 The graduate FNP program is propped up by the educators at Edinboro University. A noticable divide in the educational value of the courses is seen. Self education is an important aspect of the online learning course work. What they don't tell you is that you yourself will have to review every book and HOPE that you have retained the correct information to pass board certification. If you plan push through this endeavor with help from professors, you will be sorely mistaken about... Read More half the time. As stated previously, look for the Edinboro professors. They are a beacon of light. If you can navigate your way through the correct professors you may stand a chance in this program. As for the boards, you will more than likely need to supplement.

Clarion as a whole is a good university. However the MSN-FNP program is completely in need of an overhaul. It is VERY disorganized and out of date. Because the program is online, professors simply open classes without changing due dates or old information. Internet links often do not work and are outdated. Constant automatic emails sent out about due dates from years and classes from the past that do not apply and result in massive confusion. No consistency in professors and class requirements. Much... Read More time wasted on unnecessary projects. Professors take days to reply to urgent issues. Students attempting to use the chain of command to have questions answered results in nothing more than the department secretary replying to emails and forwarding emails back to the initial professor who never replies. New adjunct professors who do not know what their requirements are resulting in delays in grades. Strict grading policies and due dates and professors who take multiple weeks to return grades, leaving students wondering if work is appropriate before handing in the next SOAP note. Subjective grading of notes with unclear expectations- what one professor gives a good grade for, another docks points on for something. Students are at the mercy of whatever their professor decides and there is no consistency among professors. Professors do not follow grading rubric when grading papers, grades are based on what the professor thinks should be done- whether it’s on the rubric or not. Advisors who do not know what class students should be in, which cohort students are in and advise students to take classes that have already been taken or are not required. Completely a mess. You have to be 100% on your game to keep up with the nonsense and disorganization because no one knows what is going on- ever. Please save the headache and find a different university. This one has some work to do even though the university has had this program for many many years, it is a mess. They literally changed the curriculum and applied for state approval for changes in the middle of the covid pandemic, resulting in more massive confusion for incoming students. I’m glad to be out of this disaster.

Clarion University has a wonderful atmosphere and wonderful professors that truly want you to succeed. Compared to people I know who went to large universities where they were only a number to their professor, I greatly appreciated being personally known by every professor I had. I felt it motivated me to do well, and I could better succeed in my classes. However, due to it being a smaller university, there were not always the resources I would have appreciated. I wanted to minor Spanish and this... Read More was very difficult because there were only two Spanish professors so they had very limited class time options. I also felt that a lot of the classes were dumbed down more than at other universities. However, I am still doing well in my graduate level classes at another university and have not felt that this has negatively impacted my career.

After undergoing a career change, I have finally found my true passion in life. I previously earned a B.S. in environmental science in 2017, but shortly found out I wanted to pursue a career in accounting after taking an accounting course my senior towards my minor in economics. Clarion offers a wonderful program that allows students with a bachelors degree completely outside of accounting or business, to obtain a M.S. in accounting. This one year program is offered completely online and provides... Read More students with summer pre-requisites to begin the program. It greatly prepares students to enter the accounting world and gives a wealth of knowledge and opportunities in the workforce. I never looked backed after applying to this program and I recommend it to anyone who wants a career change to accounting.

Clarion University had an excellent undergraduate degree program for Library and Information Sciences. I was able to earn my BSEd in Library Science, K-12; a certification in Secondary English, 7-12; and participate in the Honors Program - and I graduated a semester early even with all of these things. The Honors program was rigorous without being too taxing, and it provided many opportunities for scholarships, networking, and advancement. The Library Science program had excellent professors while... Read More I was there, but the program has since been moved online and I can no longer attest to its effectiveness. Clarion was a wonderful, affordable school. Just be sure to get involved in something; it's a little rural, and without outside interests, boredom can definitely set in.