Bentley: The Big Picture
Bentley is truly a business school--do not expect to get more out of it. Having just finished my first semester, I can say I felt more like what I imagine an MBA program would have been like than a liberal arts undergrad curriculum. For many, the strong business focus is exactly what they want, but those who aren't committed to business may find that the scene gets old quickly. Nearly everything has a business focus, from the course selection to extracurricular events (many of which include Big Four recruiters). There are some other options, like the Liberal Studies Major, which is a great addition to the business curriculum, but for those who really want to try and get away from the business world Benltey thrusts you into, this won't be enough.
Bentley Academic Life
One of the great things about the school is that the class sizes are definitely small from the start. Some of the very basic classes everyone has to take (like math 123/131) tend to fill the room with about 30 students, but the rest of the classes are usually just above 20 students which allows you and your professor to get to know each other. I've been told first year profs aren't always the best ones you could get, but I still had some great professors this past semester. Classes generally don't have a lot of discussion though, and not many students are jumping to contribute either. From my experience there are typically 3-5 people in each class who generally lead the discussion when it happens.
Competitiveness exists because we're all (for the most part) business students wanting to get one-up on each other, but so much of the general business curriculum is focused around working in teams on large projects that you really have to throw your competitive edge to the side to be able to work with others. The curriculum for next year is changing and eliminating a lot of the group work that has been done in years past, so it will be interesting to see where this takes the competitiveness of the student body. On the whole, however, everyone's pretty laid back outside of the classroom.
No one's humiliating themselves with the kinds of conversations they have outside of class, but not everyone knows who wrote The Republic either. This reflects the mission of the school's curriculum though--if you come to Bentley, you're there to learn how to do business well. The school doesn't have much liberal artsy intellect flowing around because that's generally what people did not come here to be a part of. If you're on the fence about whether or not business is your thing, you may find that a school that offers a business program alongside an Arts and Sciences school may be a better fit.
Bentley's Student Body
The school is pretty diverse. You'll find a good number of international students, but they aren't all friendly. Many international students end up sticking together and can get pretty exclusive. They aren't always extraordinarily polite either, especially when they're in their groups. There seems to be an equal balance between the international students who stick together and the ones who go out and find themselves with American groups of people.
The school isn't very politically active; however, there is a pretty strong conservative perspective that blankets the campus. The LGBT population doesn't get shunned by students, but there is some noticeable tension as not everyone is comfortable with people that are different. International or not, students generally have similar viewpoints and personalities so accepting differences with others doesn't always seem to go well. People are pretty nice for the most part, though. Not many try to hide their financial aid backgrounds, either, and many (including myself) are very happy with the awards they've been given.
Guys and girls at Bentley look, for the most part, nice, but not model material. There are some standouts, more for girls than guys, where some people obviously put a little more work into getting ready in the morning. It's not excessive and they aren't sticking out. There is a pretty balanced mix. The campus doesn't have much of a preppy vibe at all, so you won't see many guys in polos and girls in pearls unless they have something going on that day. While not personally my type, the girls are pretty attractive and the guys stay in shape, so I'd say we are a pretty good looking campus.
One of the biggest downsides of the student body is the proximity to home many students have. Many students are from Massachusetts or someplace very close, so the campus can get pretty quiet on weekends since home isn't very far away for a good chunk of the student body.
In being a business school, a lot of students have hopes of making a ton of money after school. Money gets talked about a lot and can get a bit obnoxious after a while, but most are willing to divert the subject elsewhere (especially in this economic downturn).
Bentley Student Activities + Social Life
Guys here are big on sports and video games. I'm not really sure what the girls do in their free time, but many of them do go into the city often. A ton of the student organizations often host events affiliated with some finance/accounting firm, which can get excessive and annoying for those who would rather have a traditional college experience. You'll start to notice that many students have multiple eBoard positions--involvement in student orgs on campus isn't huge which can be a downer for those involved in them, but you will get to know the members of other clubs pretty well since those who do participate typically participate in a few.
Athletic events aren't huge, but don't go unnoticed either. Basketball is huge but if its not your thing you're not going to find another sport on campus that people are as enthusiastic about. Guest speakers don't come often, don't get much publicity when they do, and typically have a higher turnout by faculty than students.
The school's arts program is virtually nonexistent, and if you feel that you take the arts (whether its visual or performing) seriously you should not let anyone else tell you otherwise. There is a group (APO) which does some OK productions, but they are all the school has. A jazz band and gospel choir are said to exist, but those (at least) in the a capella group have never seen or heard either. There is one piano on the whole campus that can really be practiced on as the other three are inconveniently located or in horrible condition. The lack of an arts department and the students who care about them is one of the biggest disappointments I have about the school.
The school generally focuses on academics during the week. People don't have parties during the week and usually hold off until the weekend to really celebrate birthdays. The city is a great resource of entertainment that a lot of kids take advantage of. The shuttle runs hourly or half hourly on the weekends and brings you straight into Harvard Square. From there, the Red Line can get you anywhere you want to go. The campus loves to drink, though, so on the weekends if you're not interested in drinking you'll have a tough time trying to find something to do that doesn't involve doing homework in your room and doesn't involve a ton of money someplace in Boston. If you don't drink but can at least tolerate being at parties with those that do you'll get some fun out of it, but the fact that everyone's drunk when you aren't and have no interest to be can be a bit aggravating.
Bentley Naked Truth
In a nutshell, Bentley's a great school for business, but those looking for a more culturally well-rounded, intellectually focused college experience that allows you to figure out what it is you're most passionate about may not find that Bentley is a true fit for them. As someone who did almost everything before coming to college, I feel like I've hit a wall already with the things I can pursue at Bentley. It is a great school if your interests match up with those of the university's (in nearly every aspect), but those looking for more of the traditional college experience with the ability to try a lot of different things and figure out what it is you're most interested in may want to really consider whether or not Bentley will give them the experience they want.
