Roberts Wesleyan University

I wish to be as objective and fair regarding my review of Roberts. I have been an alumni as long as I was a student there, so I believe I am able to avoid emotional judgments and can focus on the reality of being a student there. As far as my degree program itself is concerned- I have been very successful in my career as a music educator. The knowledge I acquired as a music student has been invaluable within the classroom setting. I do not feel however, that we were not adequately taught the "how"... Read More to teach as well as we were taught the "what" to teach. I attribute this to the degree program treating music education majors more as "music majors" than as "education majors". There was a large emphasis on performance and not a lot on pedagogy, teaching techniques, navigating relationships with colleagues and administrators, writing lesson plans and creating units, handling student finances (as an adviser of a club at my district this is required), communicating with parents, documenting and maintaining student data, among other things. I am thankful that I have an extensive knowledge of the different instruments I teach and the ability to play them, but I basically had to figure the "how" part out on my own. I think since I graduated, there has been some shuffling of the staff in the department (in a good way) that perhaps has led to a more organized and cohesive approach to music teacher prep. My last semester Roberts' Music Department gained Dr. Dina Alexander, who was amazing and taught me so much in a short amount of time. She is an incredible source of knowledge, As for living on campus and the social aspect, all I can say is that thankfully college isn't high school, and you can pick and choose your friends and the people you want to be around. And also thankfully life after college gives you more opportunities to pave your own way, and the people who were good to you you can keep around, and the people who weren't, you can choose to wish well and part ways with. Friendships at Roberts can be challenging, but so can relationships anywhere in life. I would suggest looking into any work study programs possible- my final summer, I lived at Roberts for free and worked for the Grounds Department full-time. I was paid 40 hours a week and was able to save a significant amount of money by the end of the summer. I wish I had done that every other summer as well. I also worked about 20 hours a week during the school years for the housekeeping/grounds department. Roberts is expensive but if you work hard in and out of the classroom and have financial goals, there is no reason you can't find ways to minimize your debt. Finally- as for career services, when I was there they were not very helpful, but I honestly never expected them to be. If I want to get a job, I should be the one doing the leg work myself, and that's what I did.

On paper, the program seems great as far as job placement etc. but the quality of the curriculum and the faculty are another story. While there are several professors who are strongly skilled and able to be practical in their teaching the main staff in the dept seemed to teach in a bubble and were ignorant to the realities of public education. The focus of the program seemed to be primarily on touchy feely nonsense, not hurting people's feelings and whether you were well liked by others while the... Read More nuts and bolts and skills of the profession took a back seat. Newsflash...you can not let your decisions in public education be driven by emotion or you will get eaten alive. They constantly preached about "interpersonal skills" but continuously praised those who were uptight and arrogant. Seemed to only invest in the success of particular students. Spent more time boasting about having "integrity" than showing it. Several other programs in the area seem to have more substance and offer a more comprehensive education. Long story short...Was I able to get a job right after graduation as the school promised? Yes. However I credit that to a shortage in the field. Do I credit Roberts for any of my current or future success? No.

I enjoyed my time at Roberts Wesleyan College. While the material in the Communication department was very one sided, only including communication in the aspect of literacy, speech, rhetoric, and dialogue it was very informative which is a pro for those who wish to continue along that path. Unfortunately, the opportunities I had to take mainstream course such as journalism, media studies, and graphic development were slim to none. If I could make a suggestion I would to revamp the program. Since... Read More it was lacking during my attendance, I would make this a con. My peers, and professors were very helpful. Almost always available when I needed them. I truly enjoyed the one on one time our small classrooms gave us. Given our small classrooms however did make social life very difficult at times. More often than not, students became clingy to their bubbles and groups they formed. My overall rating of the program and institution is positive and I would advise positively yo anyone thinking of Roberts Wesleyan College.

My education was well rounded, and my psychology program is helping me greatly in my pursuit of my graduate degree in Social Work and Mental Health. Roberts is a liberal arts college and every student is required to complete general education credits. I found this to be helpful as well. I loved many of my liberal arts courses such as literature, writing, and philosophy. I had a great experience with most all of my professors. They were supportive and genuinely cared about me as a person. The psychology... Read More department is solid, and all the professors in the program are helpful in guiding the students to options for their future careers.

The education graduate program at Roberts caters to the working adult. The options for completing the program are as diverse as the backgrounds of the student body. Additionally, the option to move between full-time and part-time study if needed is fantastic because we all have had life derail our best laid plans. I chose Roberts for my graduate studies because my undergraduate experience was wonderful. Roberts has perfected the art of attracting and serving traditional and non-traditional students.... Read More