Academics

I can’t compare the professors at KU to anywhere else, but I feel most I have had were pretty exceptional. Honestly, there were a few I didn’t like, but you’ll find that anywhere you go to school. The one important thing you must remember is that you must take the initiative with your professors. This sounds bad, but they don’t care if you show up for class or if you’re really interested in the topic, because they’re going to teach either way. Always sit towards the front of the class and during the first couple days, and introduce yourself and ask a question or two. Put some BS together, if you have to. They will remember you and will help in the long run. Don’t be a brown-noser; just act interested and it will help greatly.

Athletics

We have the best basketball team in the nation. Also, our football team should be pretty good this year, too. Basketball is everything at KU. Basketball players are treated like gods, which I hate, but I guess they kind of deserve it. People camp out for weeks to get good seats at big basketball games. If you come to KU, you have to get season basketball tickets. There is nothing like a KU basketball game. I can’t even describe it. They are so much fun, and the school sprit is unbelievable. For IM sports, you name it, we have it. There are Greek and recreational leagues so anyone can participate. The rec leagues are pretty laid-back, but the Greek leagues are pretty competitive.

Campus Dining

Dorm food is only as good as it sounds, but so convenient. I miss it, actually. There’s no cooking, no cleaning, and you’ll be eating with all your friends. It’s a fun time, if you’re not too picky. Wescoe and the Union have cafeterias. They’re okay (hot dogs and Pizza Hut), but expensive if you’re the average college student. I usually brought my lunch if I knew I’d be on campus all day. Mrs. E’s is on the hill, and you can get a sack lunch there on your meal plan instead of going to the regular cafeteria.

Campus Housing

I would recommend Oliver, except I really think you should stay on the hill. Hashinger is art students mostly. McCollum is sort of a melting pot of folks. Oliver is the party dorm. GSP and Corbin are all girls, mostly those going into sororities. Lewis and Templin are suites, so they’re really nice but more expensive.

Campus Strictness

Drinking is not allowed on campus, but I know that you can sneak it in. Just don’t get caught. It is pretty easy not to get caught drinking in the dorms. There is not a huge drug problem at KU. I’ve never been around anyone who does them, but I know there are several people out there who do them. I don’t think that they are too strict. I would say that they are just normal. They know that college students drink, so they just kind of go with the flow.

Computers

I would recommend bringing your own computer just because it makes things much easier. All the dorms have small labs, and there are two large labs on campus, but having one in your own room that you can work on anytime is essential. The campus libraries are all accessible from the Internet, so you don’t have to go there to do research. You can stay at home and do work whenever you want. If you can’t bring your own computer, there are plenty of accessible ones on campus. If you haven’t checked out the KU Web site, you definitely need to.

Diversity

Well, the campus is in Kansas, so compared to rest of the state, KU is very diverse. The state is, for the most part, white, middle-class, and Republican. However, Lawrence and KU are different. We are mostly white, but the minority population is growing. There is a sizable African American, Hispanic, and Chinese population at KU. Also, there is a large gay and lesbian population here, in comparison to the state of Kansas. All in all, the campus is more diverse than the state, yet is not at all like, say, California.

Drug Scene

I don’t know anything about it. I’ve heard date rape drugs are on the rise, but not too much. I know pot is big, but only if you want it to be. That is the extent of my knowledge there, though.

Facilities

The facilities at the University of Kansas are very good. The Recreation Center is my favorite facility. It has been expanded and is extremely large and free for students. It is pretty crowded a lot of the time, but it's a great facility. The Kansas Union is another one of my favorite places. There are comfy places to sit, and it's a great place to stop and eat lunch in between classes. There is also a bookstore with anything you can think of including electronics, school supplies, and clothing.

Greek Life

Frats are very popular and so are sororities. I don’t like being told what to do by kids my own age, so I chose not to join one. But I do have a lot of friends in both fraternities and sororities, and they told me that the experience is great.

Guys & Girls

There are some cute guys at KU, but if you are a girl looking for relationship material, the guys here are probably not what you are looking for. There are a lot of nice ones, though. There are definitely a lot of pretty girls at KU. A lot of them like to party just like the guys.

Local Atmosphere

Lawrence is only 45 minutes from KC, so you can do all of that stuff. Westport is a great bar district, and the Plaza has world-class shopping. Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun are neat theme parks. Also, Topeka is only 30 minutes away in the opposite direction, so you can go there and do stuff. I worked at the capitol building for a state senator and got six credit hours. K-State is about two hours away, and it’s a great rivalry. Lawrence is very quaint. There is a main shopping street, Massachusetts Street, which is filled with local shops that are truly unique.

Nightlife

Lawrence is only 45 minutes from Kansas City. I don’t know if you have looked at KC, but it offers many things to do. There is this place called Westport. It is part of KC that has many big clubs. There are specialty clubs there, like gay and lesbian clubs, pop top 40 clubs, and grunge clubs. Overall, I would say most people always find something to do.

Off-Campus Dining

Off-campus restaurants are great. I have several personal favorites. I love Jefferson’s, a local restaurant that has great wings and sandwiches. Every restaurant on Mass. Street downtown is great. I have yet to find a restaurant that I don’t like. I should tell you now that Lawrence has one of the best downtowns in the USA. It is very liberal, and just a great place to hang out. They have clubs, bars, stores, coffee shops, sporting goods and banks on Mass Street. It is a great place to hang out.

Off-Campus Housing

I love living off campus—you make your own rules. I lived in the dorms for two years, and I was ready to get out. It was a good way to meet people, though. The cost of off-campus housing depends on how close you want to be to campus. The closer you get to campus, the more expensive the rent is. It is not hard to find a place, but it is a little difficult to find a place if you are looking for something inexpensive and nice. The utilities are a ripoff, as well. Companies tend to take advantage of college students.

Overall Experience

I would not trade my four years for anything. I had the opportunity to go to many other schools, some with much better academic reputations and others that offered more money, but KU was definitely the best choice for me. The coursework can be tough, but there is plenty of help and tons of time for fun. And, there is a lot of fun to be had in Lawrence. I recommend KU over any other school in the Midwest.

Parking

Parking can be a nightmare, but if you know the system, it is no problem. Most of the residential living for underclassmen—dorms, scholarship halls, frats/sororities—are within walking distance of campus. I would suggest bringing your bike for quick and easy transportation across campus—just watch out for buses!

Safety & Security

Campus safety is pretty tight. The biggest problem is theft, usually of bikes or stuff people have left in their cars. We have a great blue-light program on campus that places big blue emergency lights with call phones on them all over campus. This makes me feel very comfortable walking across campus. Pretty much, you just have to use common sense. I wouldn’t walk alone on campus late at night, but I wouldn’t do that in my own neighborhood, either.

Transportation

I have actually never used public transportation because I use my car to get everywhere. But, I know that during the school day, a lot of students use the KU buses to get where ever they need to go. I know there are buses from campus that run to downtown and out past 31st and Iowa.

Weather

We have a saying in Kansas: ‘If you don’t like the weather, wait 10 minutes. It will change.’ We say that, because you can wake up in the morning and put on shorts, and by noon it is raining, and then, by 5 p.m., it is snowing. It gets to be in the 100s in the summer with 90%–100% humidity. Then, it can be around zero degrees for highs in the winter with a cold, north wind blowing, making it feel like negative 15. Those are only the extremes, though. This past winter, we did not have any temperatures lower than two degrees, and that was a day that school was not in session.