Brianna -
04/06/2024Manhattanville is a small and intimate campus that has a lot to offer. The class sizes are on the small side, not larger than 25 students. It is easy to take advantage of the small classes because you get that one on one time with your professor and they are there for whatever you need.
M -
01/15/2023Airing all of my grievances cannot be written out into a small text box so I will outline the issues as best I can without making a monologue. Starting off, the most detrimental issue to the academic experience and mental health of the students at Manhattanville College is the administration. Incompetent, trying their best, and falling short, they are currently (Jan 2023) attempting to dig themselves out of a monetary hole after a mismanagement of $6 million. This disproportion and massive amount of funds allocated to renovating two houses, one of which the college does not own, has lead to the wave of arts department cuts. These include art, art history and music just to make a few. Not to mention a downsizing of the already very small chemistry dept. But wait, there’s more. The college has also committed to a very expensive (unnecessary) project to take out the old pool and install some new sort of gymnasium area..The hardest part of this for me to talk about, as it sets a dangerous precedent, is the letting go of 8 tenured professors and 1 tenure-track professor. These 9 exceptional individuals include the co-heads to the entire department of arts. Every liberal arts major and minor resided under their oversight, and now they’ve been given severance packages. Although the college had opened 3 new full-time positions in the wake up the 9 severed ones, it’s a embarrassing for the college’s sake and disheartening to the students who were promised a full liberal arts education. This consistent pattern of un-investing in the arts shows the administration’s gaul, and lack of care as they gear the school towards trade and commuter students in a last-ditch effort to increase student enrollment. If nothing else, Manhattanville College is a stellar example of colleges going corporate in America. Besides the behemoth I just explained, the dorms are old and negatively impact my mental health as they’re dingy, the food is a hit or miss and the campus is pretty, but has next to zero student energy/involvement. You don’t see Mville students prideful to be here, but instead, you see them complaining about how they hate it and want to leave. The college ropes you in as it looks amazing on paper, has a nice pretty campus and most importantly (and sneakily) offers you a very large financial aid package. This makes it incredibly hard to leave as you become financially reliant on the tuition they cover. In my humble opinion, after spending two years there, it’s better not to go in the first place. In fairness, the professors are some of the nicest and smartest people you’ll meet and the location is great, with a bus to and from the nearby city town, and a shuttle bus to Manhattan on Saturday’s and Sunday’s. Finally, Mville is a very difficult place to thrive socially. I’m a social butterfly and I was lucky enough to find a small, great group of people but many are not so lucky. This is coming from someone who used to go up to strangers as a two year old in the supermarket and hug their legs because I wanted to make new friends. I don’t take pride in many things as I struggle with my confidence and mental health, but one thing I am and always will be sound in, is my optimism. I look on the bright side in all situations, applying a mix of emotionally-involved, logical and practical solutions to a variety of situations that life throws at me. But still, through my perseverance, a part of my spirit has been broken by Manhattanville. Do I regret going here for 2 years of college, supposedly the “best years of my life”? Yes. Do I regret the experiences I had and the life lessons I’ve learned? Not one bit. Take what you will from my short essay if you’ve made it this far, that’s my peace.
Deanna -
02/19/2020My overall opinion of Manhattanville College is very positive. This campus is in a very safe and beautiful area. The buildings and classrooms are very clean. The professors are very knowledgeable with real world experience which adds more value to my classes. The classes are small which allows the chance to have one on one's with your professor and does not treat you just as a number in a seat. So far my experience has been great here and I look forward to growing along with the college.
Rosamaria -
11/14/2019Manahattanville has a long way to go. The residence halls need major improvements as well as central air and heat that actually works in the residence halls and classrooms. The higher up offices always have miscommunication and tend to mess things up for students continuously. There is a lack of community feeling which can be fixed if they would make students feel like they were actually cared for rather than just out for their money.