Bradley University Top Questions

Bradley university is like a bounced check. It had a lot of promise, but didn't deliver. The current programs are suffering at the hands of the Bradley expansion plan, which essentially means that Bradley will be really cool, in maybe 3-4 years. For instance, cafeterias have no funding to replace old or damaged equipment, the health services are a joke, the gym was demolished, leaving only one small area in which to exercise, administration is aloof and uncaring of student concerns, there is highly insufficient parking, the student newspaper is laughable at best, the yearbook has shut down, the list goes on. In fact, the only reason I could even think of going to Bradley is the excellent teaching staff (if not equipment), and the dedication these underpaid, overworked individuals show in their day to day lives.

Bradley was the perfect size for me. A ten minute walk from one side of campus to the other. The only thing I would change about Bradley would be its location. Aside from the campus itself and the old mansions on Moss, the surrounding neighborhood is pretty sketchy. It is in one of the poorer areas of town and students have to be careful if they venture out - especially at night. Peoria is a fairly accommodating "college town" with two malls, plenty of night life at the bars surrounding campus and downtown, and some big influential business located in town. Caterpillar is headquartered downtown and recruits many students from Bradley. If you can't find what you are looking for in Peoria, Bloomington is just 45 minutes away. The biggest recent controversy on campus has to do with underage drinking and over drinking on two occasions which lead to student deaths. I believe the President is trying to enforce some stricter rules in regards to these two instances to prevent the future from repeating the past. Overall, there is a lot of school pride by students, faculty, alum, and the community. We are still the Braves but a new mascot is in the works. Basketball and soccer are the most popular since there is no football team. The most frequent student complaints are probably about parking on campus - there is very little and from my understanding, commuters have a hard time getting spots during the late morning and afternoon. Other than that, books are a complaint because the bookstore is run by Barnes and Noble - and there is a dramatic markup on text books. Don't be surprised if you pay around $500 or $600 per semester. The only upside is that you can sell the books back at the end of the semester - but that doesn't nearly make up for the initial investment. I usually received about $100 to $150 back. One experience I will always remember will be the very fragrant trees located on campus. Students have many different words to describe the scent, but that can be left up to you.

I didn't like the cafeiterias when I lived in the dorms. I don't think we have very much school pride at our athletic events either. I also know that a lot of our students don't like the president's new policies.

6,000 or so on a campus where most activities happen within a square mile; keeps everything close and easy to access. Class size is great. Teachers always helpful. Low on school pride, except for basketball games.

Bradley is really, REALLY small. The campus is so small you can walk across in 10 minutes easily. Getting to class is never a problem, but it feels like there's nothing to do, and once Bacci's closes at 3 am, you can't get food anywhere on / near campus. The cafeterias are expensive as shit and they close on the weekend and rarely have food worth eating anyway. Luckily, there's a CVS in Campustown [The parking lot just off campus], so you can No, not CVS. Save-A-Lot. Save-A-Lot has 12-packs of ramen that are like 15 cents each. The ramen always says 2 servings, but that's a lie to make you think it isn't full of carbohydrates and stuff. 1 serving is like 1.5 to 2 ramen packets. School pride is lame and I wish I hadn't gone to such a sports-oriented school [I despise sports] but it was really convenient as its less than an hour from where I live. Also, all the CS lab computers are running Deep Freeze, so you can't modify anything on the hard drive permanently, because Deep Freeze restores the disk every time you restart the computer. This gets really annoying [Always asking me for the same passwords and shit over and over again!], so I recommend bringing a Linux-bootable USB flash drive and just booting that when nobody's looking. The printer I got for college sucked like no other. I won't go into detail, but it's incredibly a piece of shit. Fortunately, like I said earlier, you can walk anywhere on campus in less than 10 minutes, and the library printer is only 8 cents per page, which I think is cheaper than ink for my shitty printer, but I'm not sure. Also, there is partying. Always. Every weekend. I think this is universal, as most colleges make little to no effort to enforce underage drinking policy, but weekends there get extremely lonely when all your friends are: 1. Getting wasted [If you don't drink, these people will hate you anyway] 2. At their frats avoiding their roommates who are getting wasted [I don't think that guy ever liked anyway] 3. Really nice non-drinking people who are cool and you don't mind that they're religious - But they're trying to make out with each other on your couch. Jerks!

For me, the best thing about Bradley is the overall environment. It is the perfect size for me: not too big, not too small. All of the people I have met have been great, and I have made friends that I know I will have for a lifetime. When I tell people I go to Bradley, they are immediately impressed because of its reputation for being a prestigious school. However, due to events that happened this year (the alcohol related deaths of a few students) I get some questions about the partying and stuff. I always tell them that while Bradley does have alot of parties and drinking, it is not the only thing to do on campus.

I enjoy the campus. It's a nice size for the amount of students that go to Bradley. I especially like to find a place on the campus (when it's nice and sunny out) to sit and relax or do homework. Bradley wouldn't be Bradley without its squirrels, either! The campus is not so fun to nagivate around when it's been raining, though...tons of huge puddles everwhere that make it hard NOT to get your feet and pants wet. I do appreciate the fact that Bradley offers options of vegetarians, but if you're vegan options are scant. Geisert cafeteria is the only cafeteria that offers veggie options on a daily basis. There are days, however, when all they have to offer are Boca burgers and noodles...yum? A lot of the times I feel like Boca burgers or mock meats are expected to fufill a meal for a vegetarian or vegan which is not the case at all. Variety is good! How about some variations of pasta dishes or vegetable dishes (not the watery vegetables that come from a can). There are other times when they have plenty of meatless dishes...but they're covered in cheese. Like I said, I do appreciate the fact that there is a veggie friendly cafeteria...I just wish they would incorporate more healthy variety into the meal plan. I also wish the cafeterias would be open all weekend. They're open for brunch...but not dinner. Recently the university started accepting meal plan in the Student Center on Sunday nights, but it costs 6 bucks for less variety than in the cafeteria. And again, if you're vegetarian...it's alright...vegan? side dishes. Campus Town is alright. There's a Save-a-Lot and CVS for anyone who needs to do some grocery shopping. Eating options: Subway, Avanti's, One World (veggie friendly), Starbuck's, Jimmy Johns, and Bellacino's. I like the school and classroom size. They're just right for me. Some people know about Bradley and others haven't heard about it. It's half and half.

After spending a year at Bradley I honestly could not see myself anywhere else. The campus is the prefect size. I would say there is a 7 minute maximum walk of getting to any class, and in the winter with the snow the small campus is a blessing!! The quad is awesome too, especially when it's nice out!! laying outside and playing catch or frisbee is the best. Also conveniently located across the street in Campus Town are a variety of places to eat of which the majority accept 'quick cash' which is on your id card. Campus Town also has a Blockbuster, CVS, Save-a-lot (which is a great cheap place for generic groceries,) Starbucks, Sallys Beauty Supply store, and a Salon and Tanning. Jimmy Johns, Papa Johns and McDonalds are all within walking distance as well. Outside campus, the city of Peoria has much to offer. Peoria is the second largest city in the state of Illinois. With a car there is plenty to do. It offers 2 malls, one indoor and a brand new outdoor mall. There are numerous Wal-marts and Buffalo Wild Wings and Culvers. There a many options when you are looking to catch a flick at the show. The riverfront is awesome too, there's plenty of good eats down there. Also downtown is fun, mostly if you're 21 though. The bars are all located downtown and it's only a 5 minute drive down Main street. When I'm on campus, i'm usually in my dorm. Living in the dorms was so fun!! If the weather is nice though there is no question you will find me outside on the quad somewhere.

This school isn't too small but for the amount of greek life it is way too small. Greek life overwhelms the entire school. The city sucks, it doesn't offer anything to draw students too it. When people hear that i go to bradley, most of them are overly impressed because they think you have to be really smart to go to bradley which is not the case. I spend most of my time in the dorms or quad. The biggest and most recent controversy is the death of two bradley students under the influence of alcohol. School pride is decent, but nothing like a state school. Bradley isn't really unique or interesting. There are some cool people but you have to find them. I think this school is extremely clicky and divided. There are also a lot of rich snobs that attend the school. I think the school would be perfect if there were no frats or sororities.

I like the size of Bradley. It's small, but not tiny. It's big enough that if you end up switching your major, there's a good chance that you'll be able to find the one that you want. It's small enough that you have the chance to know your teachers well, if you choose to. There are also opportunities for things like research that I know would not be available to undergraduate students at a larger school. The administration at Bradley seems somewhat disconnected from the student body. Students at Bradley are pretty apathetic. There isn't much school pride. The campus isn't great. It feels like everywhere you go you end up walking through a parking lot. The dorms are pretty small and dingy, too. I've seen much nicer dorms at other schools. Some of the academic buildings are very nice, but others need renovation, which some will get during the current construction on campus. There aren't a lot of places to "hang out" on campus. The student center is pretty pathetic. The part of Peoria where Bradley is located is pretty sketchy. I often do not feel safe on or around campus. There's not a whole lot to do in Peoria or on campus. A lot of people end up drinking most weekends because there's nothing else to do.