Reviews of Western Michigan University (School)

Codie Burt

Very shoddy educational facility. Wish I never would have enrolled. Thank God I'll go onto law school and not have to really ever mention that I went to Western. My community college classes were more informative and added more value than the majority of classes at this school. To add to it parking is a scam and joke, hundreds of dollars for a parking pass yet there isn't enough parking for the amount of passes they give out.

abe Kane

Good university! Just don’t go into debt to get a degree that isn’t worth it! Going 25-100k in debt is worth it many a times. Don’t just go to college to go to college. Have a plan. Other options cost less and you make more or the same.

Jeff Chamberlain

Go Broncos! Excellent higher Ed in a very fun, welcoming city

Heraclio Enrique Atencio Bello

It has not stood still in time. It has progressed with time and modernity improving its facilities. upgrading its curriculum, raising its standards and widening the choices for students in terms of their preference for available careers, for example, the new school of medicine. It has included attractive architecture and design to the campus and landscape intelligently. Also, it is a safe and secure campus.

Jeff Rinvelt

Great public University.

Lou Morgan

The hours listing that comes up here on Google with WMU or Waldo Library is just wrong -- be sure to check the specific office or buildings website for up to date hours. They vary greatly due to semester breaks or services offered.

Allee McIntyre

Great school with great professors. Have loved every minute of my college career here. Except paying for a $300 parking pass and never being able to find a spot.

J D

DO NOT go here. I'm a student a western right now and can't tell you enough about how much I hate it here. They never clear the snow off sidewalks and expect you to go to class with the wind chill at -30 degrees. I'm transferring this fall and know a lot of other student who plan on transferring as well. Parking is a pain. They never have enough spots. The parking officers even gave me a ticket for parking in my own lot. Facilities are falling apart. Cable and internet never work.

Brittany

I'm a freshman this year at Western and I regret coming her at all. I am staying in the valleys with an unkept suite mate who has stained my towels, trashed our bathroom and nothing has been done. She has also had the cops called on her and is still somehow has not faced any consequences. As for the school itself, I feel that there is constantly a lack of communication. I am a first year student so I had no idea what to expect coming in here. Apparently I don't know the right questions to ask my advisors here because I am still left in the dark each time I make an appointment to figure out what my next move is. I have taken courses that I was told I needed in order to graduate, just to find out that I don't actually need the courses and I waisted an entire course period on a class I am 1. not interested in and 2. doesn't even help m in the long run. On top of that, I've had some very poor teachers that have made wanting to learn extremely hard in their class. They are mostly grad students who, simply put, do not know how to teach. I cannot wait to leave this campus and not return.

Abdikarem Cadceed TV

I have received a message scholarship for this university so Gonna check up map It's pleasure to see it

Jeff Hansen

Architecturally impressive. Floyd's modern “IT & Engineering” look is prominent, yet you become very impressed while driving around the entire structure, discovering its enormous size! My son has been very satisfied with all the interior features as well.

Paula Hill

$300/year to park, ever-rising tuition, flat rate tuition used to cover 16 credits and now only covers 15 for more per credit hour, university leadership more concerned with new buildings and colleges (not to mention competing with U of M), too many negatives to outline in a Google Review

Chad Hopkins

WMU is a great college!! I highly recommend!! Go Broncos!

John Paepke

I really enjoyed going to Western. I thought the campus was lovely and there were always lots of activities going on. The town is also very nice and a lot of fun. I spent a lot of time at the parkview campus and that's an interesting building. You get a lot of exercise walking from class to class!

David Zemariam

Unique place for unique people. Wish the foreign faculty coming here for research were more personable. Hoped to see more of a natural mesh of diversity, but this is a pwi. College is what you make it, go educate yourself!

Dark Nest Travels

This is a great school. I like that it's not as large as Michigan or Michigan State, yet it's big, secure, and offers a great education.

Wahidin Teguh Sasongko

(Translated by Google) Good campus. Had training 21 days here (Original) Good campus. Pernah training 21 hari di sini

Peter Guertin

Civil Engineer grad in 2012 and I loved my experience here. Many of the complaints you will have at any university (parties, profs concerned with research, ect). I highly recommend WMU! Go Broncos!

Jay Rogers

Excellent public university! The teachers are great, the students work hard, and the campus is consolidated so everything is easy to find! Transportation works well and there is also a career center to assist you during your college time. Yes there is that party reputation, but at the end of the day your academics matter more because that's what will get you a job. I did my undergraduate degree for Marketing here. I highly recommend this school. Broncos forever!

adham anwer

Visit

D'Mitry Jackson

Great University!

macey withrow

I'm spending 300$ just for a parking pass yet they can't make enough parking spots for students. you can go through 5 parking lots without finding a spot but there's always so many empty spaces for staff. Also, they always have problems with technology and it's not a school that challenges you...feels like I'm getting a high school education. For 3 years I feel like I've only had like 3 teachers that made me think and question life and what I know and they were the only classes I feel like I actually learned something new in.

Purity Wambui

It has been awsome being there

خا لد

WMU

Mitul Patel

Spent productive 2 years here. Beautiful place with full of engineering resources.

Gregory Skitt

Fun Fact: If 10,000 students buy a parking pass (about half the student population currently), then parking services can build a 8.5 Million dollar parking garage every 3 years

Theodore O

This school is a complete joke.

J

Make sure you stay on top of your education because at Western you are just a paycheck. They really don't care about the students as long as they get your tuition money.

Josh H.

I root for Michigan State but a great campus and I like that there's a collage in my city

hambo 11

Do NOT go there! Worst experience EVER!

Dean Bartholomew

Class of 1984,BBA. The University emphasizes external accreditation and social skills, two very valuable aspects of a degree.

Heather Jones

as of today I literally regret ever signing my son up for this school....im stuck with a $17,000 bill and he can't even do a 2nd semester there, all over a wage verification...don't do it.....

G. Wil

Great school! Great value! Did my MBA there with almost no debt while gaining a first class education. Go Broncos!

Bailey Haring

I'm a 5th year senior this year at wmu and wish I'd chosen a different school to transfer to after my 2 years at kvcc. I mainly chose western because living at home was the cheapest thing to do at the time, but I never expected it to be this bad. It is a party school, so if you live at surrounding apartments or dorms, always wear shoes outside when walking to your car or anything else. Usually, there is glass everywhere. Parking is super expensive with little parking spots for actual students, who by the way, are not allowed to park at parking meters if there aren't any spots to make it to class on time. If you end up going to western and want to find parking, leave for class 30 minutes to an hour early. Also, be careful driving around campus, especially in the parking lots, which students seem to be fine with whipping through as fast as they can. Teachers aren't very adequate. There are some who are engaging and actually care about how you're doing in class, but most could care less if you pass or fail, as long as they get their paycheck. Some professors are really smart, but are boring and don't know how to teach the material. Also, most teachers will specify that the most reliable way to get ahold of them is via email, but I've had maybe 3 profs so far that have been quick and helpful with responding, all my other profs don't frequently check emails or just don't email you back at all, resulting in you asking them "did you get my email?" like an idiot the next class period you have with them. If you do end up going to western, I would take Mark Orbe and Randy Ott. I loved both of these professors. There are a lot of teachers I didn't really care for, but the worst are Katherine Propp and Onaiwu Ogbomo. Especially Onaiwu Ogbomo. All this professor does is copy facts from the texts and liters powerpoint slides with paragraphs upon paragraphs of text he reads word for word in a monotone voice, on top of his Nigerian accent. He is sometimes hard to understand and makes class very boring. He seems to be as unenthused as the students are to be there listening to his lecture. Moving onto financial aid and what western calls "bronco express". They absolutely suck. If you're like a normal American student and have to take out loans, go through someone else. This is only my second time taking out a loan from them. The first I didn't have to worry about them splitting up between fall and spring semester because I ended up taking out my first loan in spring of last year. This year is a whole different story. Like I said, I am a senior and am planning to graduate after next semester. What wmu does is split up the federal loans you qualify for between both fall and spring, therefore I did not have enough to cover my fall classes because they won't let you put all of your loan money on just one semester. Soooo, my parents filed for a parent plus loan, which was denied because if something doesn't apply to you on the loan application, you're supposed to write "n/a" instead of leaving it blank.....which no one stopped to tell me when a bronco express employee was entering our application into the system right in front of me. They are EXTREMELY unorganized and uninformative. I've called multiple times the last week to see if the loan was processed and each time I was told "no", only to find out a week later, that it was denied the previous week. On top of them being slow and unhelpful, every time you go in to see someone, there is ALWAYS one or two people working, the rest are talking or ignore the students standing in line. Yes, I know they have other things to do, BUT helping students should be first priority. But....at WMU, the students don't seem to be a first priority in general. I'm so ready to leave this school. That is, if I can find a way to pay the rest of my tuition off in time to register for spring classes so I can graduate..... -.-

Many Voices

My daughter is in her second year and finds it no different from the local Jr. College she attended while in HS. Classes are challenging and not every prof. is her favorite but then this is no different from any level of schooling. I've read reviews from people who complain that the instructors don't care about their success, that it's a party school, and parking is a pain. My response is...Welcome to the real world. This isn't a daycare and you aren't going to get along with everyone or agree with everything. That's just how life both in school and work are. I've never seen a school that had enough parking for all the student drivers and as for financial aid... Well any issues there are probably due to lack of research. I've been filling out student loan apps for years with no formal training. Yet, my daughter has had money for each semester. The last was partying as the major complaint about WMU and again I've never seen a university or college town that didn't have an excess of partying. Don't like to party or booze it up then don't go out to them. WMU is a great school that offers diversity and knowledge for those seeking either or both. But if you are looking for a school in a city practicing prohibition with ample parking for hundreds of thoughts and and has teachers and staff to hold your hand through every phase you need to look elsewhere.

Alexander Barkman (Grade 12)

WMU is straight booty

Amaury Pineda

As an international student, I had a great experience. The university's RSOs, campus, faculty, staff, residence halls and wireless network are top of the line. Definitely, a great value compare to other public universities in the US

Tyron1212

Nice School People are Funny, Unity, Caring, Kind, Young energy, Opportunity's, Unity

Denise Negrea

:) !

Cole Maxson

Last year, I made it to the state geography bee. I had a great experience and fun time here.

Gregory Bowler

Its ok it is not a school you would jump up and down to go for but has alot to offer. I would recommend the school to a lot of people its a good experience.

Venkata Sriram Jayanthi

I did my Masters in Electrical Engineering there. Love the place and variety of things which University has in all aspects

Zeke King

Do not get the meal plan if you are vegetarian, vegan, and/or need to know what you're eating for religious purposes. While WMU had more vegetarians and vegan options a couple years ago when I started attending in 2012, the selection has gone down which coupled with an indifference from staff has made the dining experience a frustrating experience. An example: I was told that a food item, labeled "meatless lasagna", was vegetarian only to discover ground chuck in it. I notified the student worker of the mistake in labeling and was told "It's not my fault" when I never said it was his fault, and later when I emailed food services to tell them of the mistake I was thanked but given no update on how they would improve this ongoing problem of miscommunication between the menu, kitchen, and cafeteria staff. This is not an isolated incident, with many other students I know having similar experiences. There are a host of other problems, including a lack of parking and no clearing of snow/ice in the winter. The later resulted in a friend fracturing his ankle in a parking lot and WMU offering no compensation. The university also underpays its women, part-time staff, and other people in order to save money. This is not an ethical school whatsoever and its currently pretty corrupt.

Pujiyanto

I miss my alma mater already ❤️❤️❤️

Birdman Wilson

Eduacate yourselves dont be a Drumpster

Saarang Sane

LOVE Western _ GO WMU _ GO Broncos !!!

Joel Shekoski

I absolutely abhor this school. I cannot wait until I graduate, if I make it that far. Mind you, this is the 4th college or university I have attended. Based on how I've seen these other schools operate, there is nothing redeeming about WMU. Incompetent instructors. Inadequate facilities and accommodations. Unfair policies. You won't even have to spend the whole semester here to find out for yourself.

Varreaus Dutko

So far been really quite bad, bad counselors who don't seem to care, the honors college is a sham, literally better food in prison (as one of my relatives who came to visit stared), and they don't seem to give a damn about you after you have signed up and started paying for classes, the dept im in at least is terrible, my very first physics prelab had a problem where gravity pushed a cart up a track (and I checked it was the correct answer). Overall pretty bad, plagued with professor's that only care about the money (I had to buy 3 books for a class, we used the 2 books 7 times together and the third book the professor wrote), class designers that would rather have you pay for their class to be told to pay another $100 to just take a third party online class and maybe talk once a week or even just the semester, and an administration that would rather spend $300k on an esports arena than fixing the dorms, most of which the water is orange and one it's even toxic they just put filters on all the taps. WMU is like that kid in class that while they don't procrastinate the assignment they do figure out the least amount of actual work and then just make it look pretty on the outside. That is the real "Bronco Way" as they say.

Luke Richard

This college is money pit riding on their old name. Parking is outrageous, buildings are falling apart, classes are crap, and they say they have the best, don't believe it. Its a lie and every college says their the best. Talk to a senior in the program you want and they'll tell you what its really like. Also, when you say hey I went to Western, people say "Wastern, huh I bet you can sure drink a lot."

Shavonte Ross

The staff needs help.... called to retrieve some information for the semester I went there in 2010 and they were just as unhelpful as when I attended Western. Honestly, I find it amazing that I've read some reviews with the same issues I've endured and hope that Western improves this matter. I do know some individuals who've went to Western and absolutely enjoyed themselves, unfortunately my experience hasn't been that pleasant.

Matthew Walaszek

No better place to be!

MegaRaikou64

More people should come here without a doubt.

Andrew Martin

It's a great school to be at

Maksym Kloka

Mediocre party school filled with mediocre students in in a dying Midwest city, charging rates that top schools do.

ENG. Amer

Amazing

Khalid Alrajeh

-Great University. - Helpful Prefossers - Diverse Community. - Reachable destination between major cities in the Midwest. - Safe Campus.

Tricia Currier

My daughters first year was a success. From the classes, class sizes, teachers, activities, bronco pride, school athletics, productions and great city and surrounding sites, you just can't beat it. There is literally something for everyone and as far as I can tell, everyone feels welcome.

Miles Mu

Decent college, nice teachers

daniel yaquinto

Most people who gave a negative review were probably just dorks who never made any friends at western. With any big university there is going to be plenty of negatives. I will admit the parking is a joke on campus but tbh unless you are going to parkview you dont really need a car. I did have my fair share of professors who I was not fond of. With that being said my positives far outweigh any negative. The amount of memories I made at this university are too many to count. I bleed the brown and gold, I made friends for life, have stories for days, and now have a career which I am proud of. CAB throws so many different cool events and the amount of organizations on campus. Along with the sporting events and parties you will never be bored on campus. I love western I will be a bronco until the day I die. Kalamazoo will always be my 2nd home. Thank you WMU, and to everyone who has something negative to say can kick rocks.

Jacob Proper

My sister Alyssa goes there

Kashif Kashif

(Translated by Google) He (Original) Hy

Devon Barley

its a great day to be a bronco!

Megan Solfronk

We enjoyed our tour. Beautiful campus friendly staff.

Ahmed Yaseen

please note, this is not my personal opinion about WMU. It is about one of the clerks, her name is Dawn, in the billing department of WMU, . I called and asked about the tuition of a certain graduate class. her action wasn't satisfactory to me. she chose the fast and easy way when she said "go online and you'll find the answer there". She could've been more helpful.

Ethan

Engineering program is a joke.

Destini Perkins

I absolutely loved my time at WMU. They have a great BBA program and there is so much unity in between students. The faculty and staff really care about the students and are not just there for a paycheck

Grant Haynes

WMU is big commuter school, main campus is silent at most hours of the day. Classes are generally good and interesting.

Noriah mohd ishak

My life at Western is absolutely fantastic. I love the faculty members who were so understanding

Azzan AL-SHIDI

Love

wildan syah

good campus

ali alqahtani

Nice city for Muslims' community

Gabriel Nielson

A truly undervalued school! There are some truly great programs here, and the campus is wonderful! It's constantly undergoing improvement, and the students are generally nice and welcoming.

Michael Turner

Nice college which provides an amazing amount of time and resources for its students

Safwan Zulfazli

WMU is a great place to be studying at!

Terry Butcher

Great place to earn a degree. Just pay attention to the parking signs. The parking police are always on it looking to write a ticket.

Alex Margol

Your experience at western is what you make it. A lot of reviews complain about the teachers just looking at you for a paycheck but this has never once been my experience. I certainly have had my share of teachers I disliked, but not one was unwilling to work with me. This isnt highschool and class sizes are large proffesors cant spend their time babying you, but if you put in effort to get what you need the proffesors are always more than willing to help.

Giovic Blanco

Seriously one of the best experiences in my life was to be part of WMU for 3 years. The diversity of people on campus is enourmous. There are many great teachers in all different fields of study. Specially in autum the campus is beautiful. I went as an international student. Enjoyed very much the life on campus, the great learning environment at Waldo Library, the football games, the gym and running tracks. I also appreciate the kind of work that is done on the Arts: There is a constant show off of the works of students on campus on diverse fields of the arts, be it music, theater, literature, etc. Being a public university I think it´s great because many people benefit from it. Also the cafeteria food isn´t bad. Many beautiful people run around WMU campus.

Rashad Mansouri

I got my undergrad at Western before eventually getting my MBA at Michigan in 2013. While I didn't have the biggest expectations for Western, I was continually let down by both the counseling staff and Teaching staff. 85% of the students and even some of the teachers, seemed to be more concerned with getting wasted rather than actually preparing them for a career (seriously a prof would come in hung over everyday). I originally was in their health administration program and their HFHS program was a COMPLETE AND UTTER JOKE. Half the teachers were clearly there just for minority hires and were bar none some of the stupidest people I have ever met and most other actually qualified professors were clearly more interested in their research than actually helping students. The hard science classes were ok but overall I had a more challenging time in my public highschool than at Western. This is not an exaggeration. My 11th grade chemistry class was more difficult and strenuous than WMU's 3000 level course. With that being said it is not all bad should one not have the grades to initially get into a big 10 school in Michigan and are looking to take cheap courses your first two years before transferring. WMU's business and OT programs are both very good, far better than Western's overall tier suggests. The same goes for Engineering. In addition, they offer many masters programs that are well received as well as (formerly) being a good party school with a strong greek campus. Also, there is a surprisingly good Alumni association here, mainly due to Stryker's influence, who recruits a lot from WMU. Besides that though this school is a waste of time. If you're going into sales or finance Western is a good alternative to MSU if you are cash strapped but besides that, and a few health programs, it's a waste. In short: Consider going to this school if you are going into: Higher level Business and need a cheap undergrad, engineering, Nursing, Occupational Therapy or aviation. In addition, if you have rich parents and goofed off in HS western is a good party school to get an easy 4 year degree from so you can end up working for your parents. A large percentage of kids from the West Bloomfield/Northville/Rochester Areas seemed to go there just as a participation degree before getting hooked up by rich mommy and daddy. Do not consider this school if you: don't like retards (accounts for approximately 80% of the population), have any school pride, want a big school experience, don't like remedial classes dumbed down for the Kalamazoo promise kids, or just plain have the financial means and credential to go to MSU or UofM in Michigan.

Janice Held

Hometown university pride.

PJ Singh

Just Amazing!!

Jacques Short

I have been having some serious problems with their unorganized financial aid office. My scholarship check was awarded to the wrong person, yet they will not allow me to register for classes even though a mistake was made by a person in their office.

biggranny000

It's a decent college. Parking is expensive and a joke, and they rip you off with a lot of fees and expensive books. Some professors even say to buy certain books but never use them, commission much? Professors are a hit and miss here. Some just lecture and nothing else, and some are caring and do a lot to help you succeed. Advisors and some staff are also somewhat useless, again hit n miss. The campus is beautiful and all classes are fairly close. Some buildings are out dated and are a nightmare to have classes in. Especially in Dunbar. The food is ok, don't get a meal plan or live in the dorms. Apartments are significantly cheaper and better. If you work hard you can get a degree here, but you'll waste a lot of money and time if you don't. Join some clubs and have fun. Just take in mind graduation rates are 25% here for a 4 year program.

Jheri Miller

Western Michigan University has a lot of lovely amenities, and it is in a wonderful city. Kalamazoo, MI, is not too large, nor is it too small, making it a great transition for someone from a large city or a small town into the college lifestyle. There are several groups that one may join while attending Western, and there are several incredible programs such as their Medieval Studies Master's program, their engineering programs, their aeronautical programs, their acting/arts programs, and they have recently added a medical school. However, WMU is a party school, and the carelessness has shown in the buildings' interiors and exteriors. The dorms are the absolute worst. Living in a very small room with another person is already difficult, but much more difficult when you share a bathroom with two other people and your walls are made of blocks similar to what you see in prison movies. The rules are ridiculous. As a full grown adult, you are not allowed to have people of the same sex stay with you overnight, and if your RA finds out that you did, that person can be blacklisted and not even allowed in your building at all. During the tours/visitations, they will show you the new buildings, but do not be fooled. It is unlikely you will be in those buildings often, unless your major's classes are held in them. The outside of Dunbar Hall looks like a prison, and it is not much better inside. This is where a number of English, foreign language, and history classes are held. Being a history major, I spend all of my time in this building. It is depressing. My low budget, rural high school of eight hundred students, placed in a cornfield, has nicer classrooms than the classrooms I have had during my time at Western. New Sangren and Brown are lovely, but Knauss, Dunbar, Rood, and Old Sangren are in dire need of a makeover. Considering how much students pay to be here, keeping the buildings clean and welcoming should not be majorly difficult. While there are many wonderful, caring professors, their work becomes muddled due to the university's carelessness for the interior of its buildings. Western Michigan University has also recently cut its foreign language departments, firing or threatening the careers of many of its professors. Some of the best professors I have had have been in that department, and they have gotten rid of them, despite having many loyal students that continued to take their courses. They are also not very good at updating things. 90% of the classes mentioned on the website that were applicable to my minor are not even classes anymore and are to never be offered again. They were not offered three years ago when I was a freshmen and they still are not offered now. When I asked the head of that department what classes I should take, he simply instructed me, "Take classes with the word 'medieval' in them." How helpful. Outside of the university, things are not much better. This is a party school. While rent is low, it is very difficult to find places with decent living conditions. My boyfriend and I were able to find ONE apartment complex out of the dozens that we felt would have suitable living conditions for having animals and not wanting to live with other roommates or in a bad neighbourhood. It took us three and four years to finally find someplace that we felt was acceptable. Western is a great school if you are looking for the college experience, and you will likely meet some great professors here. However, if you are trying to stay away from party schools and your environment really matters to you, I would consider re-evaluating your options.

Green Leaves

WMU is OK, But there are many better choices. Most prof.s care about researches more than caring about their students..

Jared Page

Getting your degree is an achievement that sets you apart. Get the one that interests you the most. Things will work out for the best.

Jack Bennett (Grade 09)

ign 10/10

Jason Mrachina

Great value for undergrad work. Good mix of modern campus, traditional values, great study abroad program and classes taught by professors vs grad assistants. Go Broncos!