Hunter College — Local services in New York

I attended Hunter for some classes post-high school during my gap years in between high school and college. My parents taught in the CUNY system at Brooklyn College (which, unlike Hunter, has an actual campus) but I overall preferred Hunter, as it was right in Manhattan. I was impressed enough by the strength of both Hunter's Theater Arts and Film & Media Studies departments to make it the one (& only) CUNY school I applied to for my Bachelor's when I was finally making my college application decisions. Taking classes there before applying was a REALLY good idea, because it gives you a more concrete idea of the college and what the experience would be like if you enrolled and went there for four years. It also connects you with faculty and the departments you eventually hope to work in throughout your undergraduate education.

There's Hunter history in my family as well: my grandmother attended Hunter back when it was still a women's only college. I took a total of twelve courses at Hunter over a two-year period, while working, interning, traveling and auditioning, and all the classes I took at Hunter and Brooklyn pretty much transferred credit towards distribution requirements for my Bachelor's in Theater & Film which I ended up completing out of state at a private college. I took eight Theater courses (six of them were at Hunter, two at Brooklyn) and four in Film & Media Studies at Hunter as well (Hunter's Film Department was much better than Brooklyn's, where I only took one film course). One was on Israeli & Middle Eastern Cinema, which was an INCREDIBLE course!

Another was on Avant-Garde Cinema, and two courses in Experimental Film & Video. I was impressed by how enriched Hunter's programs in the arts were for a public college. I enjoyed how interdisciplinary Hunter's departments in the performing and cinematic arts were (far more so than at Brooklyn), and SUNY Purchase (which also has strong programs in Theater & Film as well, and even an intensive conservatory program in Theater Arts) and Hampshire College (where I eventually attended college for my Bachelor's degree) were the only other institutions that I applied to for my Bachelor's along with Hunter, that facilitated nearly seamless study of both fields. Most other places had structured divisions between departments. NYU for example. Sarah Lawrence and Emerson colleges were some of the other examples of places that made you choose either/or, major/minor. Reed College also: very STRONG Theater Department, but no Film Program (though you can find options for working in film within the city of Portland, which makes Reed a viable choice). Yet, because these programs were strong regardless of that I applied and they rounded out my top choices. Hunter was in my top five, along with the four other private institutions, BECAUSE I felt it was such a strong choice and it competed with those same schools in terms of departmental and academic quality. People who hold assumptions that CUNY schools aren't as good as private institutions are SORELY mistaken.

One of my best friends from high school started attending Hunter during my second year of taking classes there (Fall of 1992). She was studying Nursing, and she absolutely LOVED Hunter. When I went away to school in Massachusetts the following year (Fall of 1993), she was just moving into the Brookdale Campus residence for her sophomore year. And I completely understood why. It's a very dynamic college. And the price tag is FAR LESS steep than private colleges offering the same level of education as Hunter does. Hunter was the ONLY CUNY school I applied to, because it would have been the best place for me to be to study what I wanted to, at the maximal value. Other than where I did end up going for my degree, Hunter was ABSOLUTELY in my top five choices. I just really wanted to go to college in New England and have a different kind of undergraduate experience. She was ALWAYS a friend that I would hook up with when I was in the city for whatever reason and I'd always ask her: "How are things...

DON'T GIVE STUDENT LOANS TO EDUCATION AT HUNTER;

I was a student at Hunter and experienced a lot of bullying from the highest level of administrative officials at Hunter. Below is one example:

I was asked to film classes I taught at public schools, but the filming instructions didn't work so well and I was "bullied" by the admin in the education building. This became a problem.

"Bullying" includes directed comments in meetings from admin staff such as these below: Some of you should not be here.] I'll be making so much money I won't need to even go back to teaching.-direct quotd [Just go back into your school and shoot the video of you teaching. (without permission guidelines). (recorded email printed and shown to the law offices of S. Kar*.) I will not recommend you or evaluate you. No other person in your class has ever had a problem video taping their classes.

The Hunter employee evaluating my performance told me that he WOULD NOT RECOMMEND MY CERTIFICATION.

(wo..wo..wo...wait a minute...The camera I was using to upload videos doesn't work and the students at the public school know this and did not want to be filmed anymore. The directions for uploading and making the videos are wrong according to a number of witnesses, and even the supervising teacher at the school didn't like the idea at this point.)

This interaction above was recorded in emails. They were presented to an attorney. ( A purple binder with 30+ emails was presented to an attorney.)

But what was most stunning was that my DOE NEW TEACHER application received a RED FLAG. I received a RED FLAG on my NYC DOE profile. It was reported to every principal I interviewed with. Why???

So maybe I am a difficult person-FINE!!! My "evaluator" doesn't like me and doesn't want t certify me- FINE!!! I din't ask for this.

BUT DON'T GIVE FINANCIAL AID TO A PROGRAM IF THE OBSERVING STATE ""EVALUATOR"" DOESN'T WANT TO EVALUATE.

**The reason I am reporting this is that I could not gain employment from the RED FLAG issued on my DOE account from many schools that were interested in me. Again, this is fine, but..DONT GIVE FEDERAL LOANS....

Amazing college. They gave me a second chance. At my previous college, I failed and dropped multiple classes and had a very low GPA, but the Admissions Office saw potential in me and believed in me, and I was able to transfer here. Now in my senior year, my GPA is a 3.8!

If it wasn't for Hunter College, I wouldn't be where I am at today. There is a reason why CUNY, with Hunter being a flagship, is called "the Ivy League of the Masses".

This college is also a great value for the price, and most of my professors are extremely passionate and the courses are quite challenging.

If you are looking for a commuter school at a great value, this is the school for you. If you are looking for the typical college experience with dorms and frats and a big campus, then NYU, Columbia, Stony Brook, etc., might be what you're looking for. But Hunter has that stuff too, just more low-key.

The only downside is that this is a commuter school so most students just go home after and it is hard to make friends, but the ones you make are awesome. Also, the bureaucracy and administrative stuff can be overwhelming and archaic at times. And it is it a little run-down and needs renovation. But honestly, I don't even mind because the culture and vibe of this school is awesome.

I also like the support network as well, and was able to get a practical Work-Study job related to my field, a part-time job with CUNY Tutor Corps at a middle school in Chinatown, and was also able to be a part of and have internships in amazing organizations like Teacher Opportunity Corps and NYC Men Teach. Shout out to Kenny Robinson for getting me an interview at a prestigious school, and my professor Virginia Russell for getting me an interview and an amazing job in my field! There are many others I need to...