Fort Smith, AR
University of Arkansas-Fort Smith

Univesity of Arkansas is a place where you can discover who you are and find what you want to do with your life.

I am a very devoted college student studying music at The University of Arkansas Fort Smith. I am the first one in the building when it opens at 6:30 in the morning, so i can practice my instument and prepair for the day, and almost alway one of the last ones to leave at 9 when the building closes. I do this so i can mae sure all my work it done and also so i can become the best musician and musical composer possible. When we have peformances I'm at the venue hours before the show to make sure everything is in place and after i stay late to make sure everything is put back. I work hard at what I do because I love it and i can wait for the day to have a career doin what I love, Writing and performing music!

The music fauculty is the best within 1000 miles of Fort Smith.

It has prepared me to move on to a larger college and it has saved me a lot of money by getting my basics out of the way at this school.

The worst thing about UAFS is that they spend money on stuff thats not needed.

This is a very diverse school and its very easy to fit in and get involved.

I have highly developed my concept of design and my skills concerning all aspects of design.

I think the wide variety of students on our campus is the best thing about my school. I think this because it allows all of the student to be exposed to different cultures and their views.

I think the worst thing about my school is the fact that because we highly value our freedom of speech we can not kick out people who are intentionally trying to cause discourse in our school.

Small college, growing rapidly in past couple of years

Nursing and tech school

I have learned so much while being here, and made many friends in the process. It is a small college that is growing more each year. I do wich there were more activities on campus, and most of the people here go home on the weekends so it can become very hard to find something fun to do. I would say a good 70% of the people that go to this college commute here, the college experience here feels more like an oversized community college than anything else.

My school is very small and tight-knit.

My college experience so far has been rather pleasant and it has been valuable, because I have learned independency, leadership, and responsibility. I feel that it is sufficiently preparing me for my future career in Nursing.

The worst thing about my school is the lack of financial aid available to students that is not based on parental income, GPA, or ACT scores.

It has great teachers who aren't afraid to take extra time with their students. You never have to be afraid to ask questions. They love when you do.

I attended school for a year before I had my son. I tried really hard at some classes , then not so much at others. I regret the choices I made then. It's been three years and I feel like a completely different person looking back. I realize now the opportunities I didn't take full advantage of. University of Arkansas Fort Smith was like a second home to me. I had friends and mentors all around me. My teachers were very encouraging, pushing me to my potential. Back then I took offence to their pushes. Now, I know they could see I wasn't applying my full potential and want to help my discover that person. They did. I found that person through their advice. I'm just sad I didn't discover it sooner. My college gave me mentors to look up to. My mentors showed me how to push myself. And I discovered how much I want to succeed.

The first time I came to school I was 18 and immature. I now have a two year old son. Im married. I wish I had understood how lucky getting to go to school is for a person. It's a blessing and you shouldn't take it forgranted.

I have gotten to know some really nice people. These include professors (of which I am older than most) and students which I am older than most. The learning is also something that really sticks out because the atmosphere is more non-traditional here than at your typical four year university.

I wish I had known about the scholarship and grant opportunities before I signed up for the loans.

The worst thing about this school is the administration of financial aid. You get different answers depending on who you speak with and they tend to want to find blame instead of solutions. To be certain, there are very, helpful financial aid counselors but for the most part, they are inconsistent.

The University of Arkansas at Fort Smith was student oriented, yet some of the professors seemed like they really did not care if you suceeded or failed.

I have really seen what college classes are acutally like, size wise and learning wise. I now know how to better my future education. I have learned that I need to try harder, and study more often.

The most frustrating thing was that some of the teachers did not care about the students well-being and if they passed or failed the class.

As a returning student, I have been able to experience college as a recent high school graduate and as a non-traditional adult student. I decided when I was in first grade that I was going to be an engineer. I looked forward to college and worked hard through school to prepare. I feel that my early college experience confirmed to me that there is a world of opportunities out there that I hadn?t even considered. The variety of required courses provided exposure to literature, Sociology, music, Psychology, and many other subjects that opened my eyes to the possibilities for study. I learned so much. But, it all served to confirm and support my lifelong dream to make a difference in the world as an engineer. Now, I am back in school, after taking time off to have a family, and am thankful for the myriad experiences that have prepared me to be a successful student and engineer and to, hopefully, make a difference in the world through my chosen field.

UA Fort Smith has been growing very quickly, which is a great thing in many respects; however, they are really struggling to provide enough parking and living space on and near campus. It can be very frustrating to spend 30 minutes looking for a parking space.

I love to tell people how quickly the school is growing and about the increasing educational and social opportunities available through UA Fort Smith. I am part of a very fast-growing Engineering program that provides increasing opportunities to try new things and network with industry professionals.

If I had the ability to go back in time to tell myself what I know now as a college freshman, I would tell myself that it is important to practice time managemant and organizational skills to be successful in college while taking on multiple demanding tasks such as a part time job and attending college full time. High school is another world than college and, as a high school student, I had been told numerous times that learning how to study effectively in less time is vital for success in college. In high school, the teachers make sure you do everything in their classes to pass them but in college they do not care for the most part if you pass or not. The responsiblity of the professor is to teach you the material so that you can understand it well and it is the college student's responsiblity to use the information to succeed in performing tasks assigned by the professor. I wished I would have known as a high school student that college builds upon knowledge that I learned previously and that it is important to remember the things that I learned pertaining to my major.

I have always wanted to go to college and I couldn't afford to go to larger colleges so I decided to attend UAFS and it has been a great college. One thing that I didn't really realize at that time, but wouldn't have changed my decision either way, is just how small the campus is. I had expected it to be small but I didn't really think it would be a school that I would get used to so soon. I know there is many oppurtunities UAFS offers but I hunger for change.

I consider the fact that UAFS has some professors in the science and math departments that do not teach on a level that college students can understand the worst aspect of this college. Most of the professors are fairly understanding of certaing academic issues and will work with you if at all possible. The fellow students are friendly and eager to lend a hand for the most part. The college is great despite the issue of having to take certain classes that are only taught by two or three professors and both have bad reviews by students.