PennWest Clarion — Attraction in Clarion

The integration of Clarion University with two other schools has been a disaster. Enrollment is down and state funding is at the bottom of the table in the nation which has forced administration to make difficult decisions just to keep the place running. The decisions have almost all been to the detriment of the students. Administrators claim that they have not "cut any majors" because one of the other campuses still has that program. I do not go to Edinboro or California and I am not going to travel an hour and a half daily to attend a class that is only available elsewhere. General education classes are being cut or moved online. My major, theatre, has been sunset and the quality has diminished exponentially semester after semester. We went from two productions a semester to one to none. Next semester there will not be a single theatre class on this campus. If you want to attend a school with plentiful options of classes to take outside of your major (that isn't at risk of getting cut), do...

While the campus is nice and the town is a safe place for my child to attend school, the College itself has downfalls. The most important being that you are not guaranteed to be accepted into a class that you may need to complete your degree in a timely manner, particularly in the Science Majors. Prerequisites aside, while not posted or made public, some classes you need to contact the instructor by email to let them know of your interest in joining the class, even if you have registered, and your name is appearing on the class waiting list. Failing to do so will prohibit you from being able to be accepted in that class and will require you to take it a year later.

Another would be their distribution of funding and student loans, especially if your child wants to study abroad. The deadlines for study abroad payment and Clarion's distribution are not in line. My child was abroad for 2 weeks and funding still was...

As an alumnus, I highly recommend parents do not send their children to this university. While Clarion community is great and the university has some stellar faculty, the institution is, overall, of very poor quality. The administration is more focused on a "fun college experience" than academic standards. A high percentage of students do not graduate and, if they do, cannot find a job with their near-useless degrees.

My recommendations: 1) invest in a better institution with rigorous academics, or 2) save the money and enter the workforce. Clarion University is good for a few fun college years, but it's not good for...