College in VI

I attended the university. I have a couple friends who attended the university... ask your questions, Ill answer and I will ask them to come on and answer also.

Are the professors good? Is the campus safe? Is crime a big issue? Do you think a 20 year old white female would be treated badly? ie descrimination, prejudism
Was the school fun? Are there lots of activities? Are the sports teams good and fun to watch? What do students do for fun?...besides go to the beach!
Any other information that you have that you think may be useful for me, I would love to know! Thanks so much for your time...I really appreciate it.
Leslie Smith, Eastern Oregon University

My major was in the Social Sciences - yes I found all my professors to be very good. The basic freshman courses there were a few I thought were a bit not well structured - but that was perhaps 2 out of all of the courses I took. My professors were from various backgrounds - I had a US Military guy for a math professor - he was very hard and structured, I had a professor from Nigeria Africa who was excellent, I had Caucasian professors from the US mainland, I had Afro-American professors from the Caribbean and the US and aboard... the professors are a mixture of people which makes it interesting. Because classroom sizes are relatively small so you really have an oppurtunity to get to know the teachers and them you... I still see many of my professors and stop and talk to them. The small classrooms are really really a blessing - you can stop by the professors offices and they are usually very willing to assist you. You will not be treated any differently as a student by the faculty as a white female, I never had any issues and never heard of any either. There really is no crime factors on the campus. I have heard stories from students on the mainland at big schools about - people being attacked on campus, woman being attacked, cars being stolen - none of these are an issue at the UVI campus. On the island in general = there is crime - however much of it is domestic, abuse in the home against spouses and children... and also among persons in illegal activities.

I do not think you will be treated badly because you are white. Racial issues are a funny thing to explain - in terms of comparing the white-black issues from the mainland to white-black issue in the USVI - very very different. In the USVI it is hardly an issue at all. If you are a nice person people like you - it is not a race factor, race cards should not be pulled - it creates unnecessary issues. The local girls and guys will invite you to the beach, to go out to parties, bbq's, volunteer to braid your hair, take you to Carnival events and local functions, introduce you to local foods and customs. Descrimination and prejudism is not an issue at all.

The school was fun - it is not a party school so dont come expecting that you will be disappointed. Not sure what you describe as fun. Most students there really do want to get an education and have had to overcome opstacles to attend so are serious about getting an education. Lots of activities - ummmmmmm, not really. Sports teams, not many.

For fun students have parties at the beach, go to the beach, go out dancing and/or drinking, go island hopping to other islands, take up diving, sailing or other water sports, camping.... out doors and water stuff.

What is you major going to be?? What other questions do you have?

Hi

I attending UVI on different times, and all have been positive experiences. Its a great place with great people .

Mike

Hi Leslie,
I graduated from UVI in '92 with a BS in Chemistry. I then went on to get a PhD in Chemistry at UCSD followed by doing postdoctoral research at CalTech. I felt that the education that I got at UVI was top notch as compared with UCSD and courses that I took at U. Mass, Amherst. The class sizes are small (<30) and so it makes it easy to ask questions when you don't understand something. Also, because the school is so small, the professors all know you and take an interest in your success. There was also undergraduate research going on there which prepared me tremendously well for graduate school. In addition, if you wanted to do summer research in the states, like for example at a university or company, the information and access was easily available. That's the positives.

Here are the negatives. Because UVI is on a small island, I felt isolated as far as knowing what jobs where available to me with a degree in chemistry. There wasn't any career advise or job fairs on campus...things that you get at a university that is in a big city. For example, at UCSD there was a career center that helped you with your resume and had listing of jobs for local companies. Also, there was a career fair three times a year that was very well attended by many of the big and small companies in San Diego. Many companies will not fly someone fresh out of undergrad to interview. They prefer just looking locally. However, if you are planning on going on to graduate school like I did, you can just ignore this part.
In addition, UVI does not offer degrees in some fields. For example engineering was not offered when I was there. What are you planning on majoring in?
I hope that this doesn't discourage you. The other thing to keep in mind is that this is a rare opportunity in your life to travel and experience somewhere new. Once you start to work, get married, have children, living in different country or island becomes much more difficult. St. Thomas is a beautiful island with lots of beaches and water activities to do. Also, there are a few islands near by that you can take ferries to.
.
Sheila