Tricia
smaller school in a big city, always something to do. most frequent complaints are about the lack of financial aid and the fact that father biondi doesn't address student needs at all. faculty is excellent
megan
SLU has a extremely nice campus and may be one of its main attractions. It is landscaped and very green during the summer with water fountains and everything. I feel that the school is just the right size for me. walking across campus you almost always see people you know but every weekend there are always new people to meet as well. because SLU is in a city there arent "house parties" but ive never run out of things to do. a fake ID is almost essential. bars are a huge part of the social life. Frats and Sororities rent out bars and have busses running to and from for their parties. joining a sorority was the best decision i made as a freshman but i have plenty of friends who didnt go greek. School sports arent huge though but i dont feel that it takes away much.
Heather
I love the atmosphere at SLU. Everyone is so accepting of everyone else that it seems almost impossible for anyone not to fit in. Both students and faculty alike are all so motivated by the possibility of living in a truly just world, as service and community are both so highly valued at SLU. The campus is just the right size; it's not too big so that you won't feel lost or like a number, but then again it isn't too small so that there is variety in the SLU lifestyle. One thing I'd like to see more of is school pride, as SLU students seem happy to be there but our school spirit is nothing compared to many other universities. It's a great place to learn and get to know people from all over the country. I think anyone would really enjoy SLU life.
Megan
The school is a perfect size. There are small classes and the teachers really care about you, they want you to succeed. It is the most beautiful campus but very exspensive. When you tell people you go to SLU everyone says wow, you must be very smart. The thing that lacks at SLU is school Spirit. Sports are not that big of deal and there is no football team which I wish they had. If you're a guy and not in a fraternity and not 21 there are not very many parties to go to. Girls have a better time because they can go to all the frat parties and if you are in a sorority their are a lot more social events to go to. Campus is very close to downtown and a cheap taxi ride to go to the landing and all the bars and clubs. It can be pretty dangerous around campus a lot of people get mugged and held up at gun point. I got mugged freshman year, but if your smart you can just call DPS and they will give you a ride.
Nikki
The size of the school is great. It's big enough that you see a ton of new faces every time you walk to class but small enough that, on those same walks to class, you always see someone you know. There are a multitude of places to hang out around campus (tons of bars... not to mention the one we have in our student center and the newly built arena). The campus itself is absolutely fantastic. When you're walking around, it feels like a beautiful, little oasis in the middle of midtown St. Louis. Everyone I've met who has been visiting the school rants and raves about how beautiful it is.
Jessica
The best thing about SLU is that it gives students an opportunity to really grow and see the world. I know sense I came to college I have seized opportunities SLU provided such as study abroad and am a part of one of the newest organizations on campus that was formed while I was here. Students can really find a way to live out the Jesuit Mission if they are willing to challenge themselves. The problem is that it is not a forced Jesuit Mission so some people don't want to challenge themselves.
If I were going to change anything about SLU it would of course be the price that everything costs. Everything seems so ridiculously priced here. I also think I would change the way in which our money is spent, but maybe not because I don’t know how it's spent because they won’t really tell us. Things like that make me not too fond of the administration. I have never met Father Biondi, so I shouldn't say anything bad about him, but I think that is a huge problem, I have never met Father Biondi. He is never around, so all I hear about is what kinds of things he's doing for himself or his own fame. I don't know who he is personally though.
Although the area SLU is in is not very safe, the campus is safe, and the city is great. I love living in the city and would say I get off some of the time, but only because I am able to have a car here and a job off campus. I think the St. Louis community likes SLU as a whole though.
Controversy...haha...I believe there was a protest over the Vagina Monologues replacement, a memory, rant, monologue and prayer. It was approved and then kicked off after the original had been kicked off. It really pissed some people off. I could understand why...it seemed to be all about what rich alums wouldn't send money if they continued to allow the performance, but the replacement really didn't have anything sexual in it. It was all about violence against women and raising awareness. I didn't understand why it got kicked off...outside of the money issue.
I think the SLU experience i will never forget will be the whole experience. I will never forget that I was able to go to El Salvador to study abroad through SLU, the days sitting outside by the clock tower, community at College Church, or the day by day walks down West Pine Mall. College in general has been wonderful and I will never forget that.