Saginaw Valley State University Top Questions

Overall, I am ecstatic that I decided to go to Saginaw Valley. I'm in my third year at the school, and I couldn't be happier with the value of my education, my extracurricular activities, and my friends. Campus is just the right size; living on campus, your furthest walk to class is ten maybe fifteen minutes (if you walk fast, you can get anywhere in five). There is absolutely no need to take a bus or carry a map to navigate campus. There most definitely is school pride and if you need to see an example, I suggest checking out one of our club hockey games. Some sporting events are more popular than others, but students come out heckling and cheering in full force, giving all we have as support for our teams. Our biggest complaints revolve around our academic advising office and the slow speed in which our financial aid is processed. The academic advising office has workers who are not specialized for each field of study, but they still try to give you advice about which classes to take. A way to get around this is to utilize the degree audit that tells you what classes you have taken and what you still need to take to graduate with your degree and schedule your own classes. Personally, I have only used the academic advising twice in my three years. As for financial aid, really the only thing to do is stay patient and save your money. Final payment dates come about a week after all your financial aid processes (in some cases anyway) so make sure you have enough money to pay your tuition.

I'll start with the bad things about this school since there aren't too many compared to how many good things there are. Two bad things about this school are the parking lots and professor's hours. There are many different parking lots, that's for sure, but it feels like more than half of them are for those who live on campus, need a parking pass, or for faculty. It's something that many students, especially commuters, have been complaining about. Which it's really only bad on cold windy days or on those really hot days other wise it's pretty nice to take a short stroll from the parking lot to the building you need to be in. Then there are the professor's hours. These are the times that you can see your teachers when you don't have their classes. Now, some of them are very nice about their hours or, at least, very nice about squeezing you in if you can't make it during their hours. There are times when if you can't make it during a professor's hours than you can't really meet with them at all, which can be frustrating if you need to see them about something. Besides those two things there aren't any other bad things or things that should change that I can think of. One thing that people usually say to me when I tell them I'm going to SVSU is "Isn't it expensive though?". Honestly, it really isn't. For the types of majors and minors SVSU has, and not to mention some of the undergraduate and graduate degrees they have, it's a pretty good deal. Plus, it's a lot cheaper to get my B.A. at SVSU and then go on to a graduate school then to just go to a grad school and get my B.A. and masters. Of course another question I've been asked is "Wouldn't it be easier to go to Delta and get an associates and then go to SVSU for your B.A." or "Wouldn't it be easier and cheaper to go to Delta first and finish those gen ed classes?". Truthfully I'm still not sure how the first one would work or how it would have to be done. However for the second one... I don't think it would be easier. It might seem cheaper but I think it would be too much of a hassle to constantly watch and make sure the credits would transfer. Plus then you'd be coming in later than all your other peers who've already made bonds with others and you would've been missing out on all the fun things that happen at SVSU. I liked the idea of coming to SVSU straight away to start earning my degree because then I would get to really be apart of the SVSU experience. Also another upside to SVSU is the size of the school. To me, the size is just right. It's not like it's own city or town that you would need to spend days learning how to get around and it's not so small that it makes you feel like you're right back in high school again. I've been at SVSU for almost two years now and the school still isn't getting boring. There's too much to see and do to get bored at SVSU but it's also not overwhelming. I'd also like to think that there is a good amount of school pride at our school. There are many different things going on all the time for our school and we even have a rock that different clubs and groups get to take turns painting. As for anything unusual about the school... I wouldn't say there is anything unusual but there are always rumors about unusual things happening. Whether they are true or not, who knows. There are so many other things to say and talk about that have to do with SVSU but I wouldn't want to give all of it away. A lot of the magic and fun from college comes from exploring the campus on your own or with friends and finding all kinds of neat things, like the perfect place to take a nap for example ;).

SVSU is awesome. The class sizes are smaller. You receive one on one training from teachers any time you want it, and we are still a University. CMU, MSU, UofM, etc. have professors that will never remember your name. At SVSU I have professors I still talk to and get advice from on a weekly basis. These professors are ones that I haven't had a course with in three years! The housing on campus is the best in the state. Also the affordability is the best in the state. All of our facilities are new.(Eastern certainly can't say that). The only thing I ever hear students complain about is parking. The issue though is that you'll have to walk much farther at every other school in the state of Michigan. Those of us who have been here for four years are just spoiled because our walks were short years ago.

SVSU is awesome. The class sizes are smaller. You receive one on one training from teachers any time you want it, and we are still a University. CMU, MSU, UofM, etc. have professors that will never remember your name. At SVSU I have professors I still talk to and get advice from on a weekly basis. These professors are ones that I haven't had a course with in three years! The housing on campus is the best in the state. Also the affordability is the best in the state. All of our facilities are new.(Eastern certainly can't say that). The only thing I ever hear students complain about is parking. The issue though is that you'll have to walk much farther at every other school in the state of Michigan. Those of us who have been here for four years are just spoiled because our walks were short years ago.

I really like SVSU as a college for me! It is small enough that I know people anywhere that I go, but not so small that I feel confined, or like I'm not at a university. There are people from all different backgrounds here and so that gives me different perspectives and different types of interactions. SVSU has given me many opportunites such as study abroad, alternative breaks, and many different organizations to join to keep myself involved on campus (The dorms are the best that I've seen of any school too! )

SVSU is a small school, the same size as some high schools. Having only 10,000 students and only about 3,000 on campus it feels very very small. Dorms are amazing and well priced. Not a lot of off campus apartments available because the city is so poor most housing is section 8. It is NOT a college town and gets boring. Not many people have heard of this school. I chose to go here because I was awarded the full tuition scholarship. They offer plenty of financial aide and the tuition is the lowest in the state of MI. Res life isn't extremely helpful to students. Campus internet is horrible, can't load more than 30 seconds of a video. Those who are over 21 must go to alcohol class and only have 2 bottles in their room. College of Nursing is amazing! Can't speak for other majors.

The dorm is fabulous. The only thing I feel not good is that they do not have enough profs in Accounting. The school is not big but students are friendly. Gym and library are good places to stay.

"It's a GREAT day to be a Cardinal" This is something you are guarenteed to here early and often if you every have a campus visit. And it's true! I love SVSU for so many reasons. One thing is the school pride. Crowds support at every sport on campus and off. There are events going on every night for various activities. There are more RSO's (registered student organizations) than I can even count. Ranging from academic clubs, greek life, school sports, intermural sports, volunteering groups, scholarly groups, and even performing groups life dancing, singing, poetry, etc. There is something for everyone and because of how easy it is to be involved Cardinal Pride just happens naturally. But don't just listen to me, come on a campus tour (middle of the week when campus will be most occupied) and see it for yourself! Make sure and grab some Cardinal swag before you leave too!

SVSU is a wonderful school if you're looking for small class sizes but at a school that doesn't feel small. Living on campus is a great experience at Saginaw Valley. The upperclassmen dorms especially are better than living off campus. The administration at SVSU are also awesome. If you're involved on campus you'll probably meet President Gilbertson(Gilby as the students call him..). He is involved in a lot of things on campus and you would have to try pretty hard to never see him. One negative thing I would say is the "college town" experience. I would say in no way off campus are the tri-cities a "college town". However, it's not a big 10 school so really this isn't surprising.