The University of Houston

I started out in the Political Science Department but quickly found out the staff and faculty there are horrible. The academic adviser, Claudia Baba, has a very limited amount of intelligence, is condescending, and self absorbed. Moreover, most of the students in the Poli Sci Department are very narrow minded. To give you an example, in an International Relations class, their perspective is limited to thinking as just an American, wanting to bomb every other nation, instead of thinking as a world citizen.

My switch to the Chinese Department under Modern and Classical Languages was a blessing in disguise. The classes have a small student to faculty ratio which allows you to get the most education bang for your buck. The faculty are all top notch who have taught at schools such as Rice University and Beijing University (the Harvard of China). They are always there to help you and you will become close to them like the faculties of non-commuter schools. After comparing the language progress and ability of our department's students with other top schools, I strongly believe the UH program is up to par (if not better). To give you an idea on the caliber of the program, most of the students are also in Honors Programs, which creates an ideal learning environment.

Overall, my experience at UH has been wonderful. I envision this school upgrading its rankings as soon as some of the plans for residential dorms are in place. There has been a lot of recent construction in an attempt to expand the campus which is adding a lot of value to the school. Although, some of the students at UH have a problem with articulation, this isn't a problem with any of the language majors. Also, the surrounding areas may be ghetto, but I feel the school is safe during daylight hours.

2nd Year Male -- Class 2008

Faculty Accessibility: A+, Social Life: F