Bradley University Top Questions

Peoria is an awful city, but that's the biggest complaint. There isn't much to do off campus, even if you do have a car (which you can't have on campus until you're a junior). People are nice. My major, graphic design, is a small department but I'm learning alot and the people are friendly. Pretty apathetic towards sports, so dont go expecting a huge homecoming game with cheerleaders and the works.

The biggest thing that Bradley pushes in its admissions department is the school's size, and for good reason. It isn't the tiny, liberal arts school that you'll usually find and it's not a gigantic public university where you get lost in the shuffle of everyone else. Classes are typically small in size so you get a lot of attention from professors. The student population is large enough where you don't feel like you know everybody, but small enough where you can walk from class to class and say hi to at least one person you know. Peoria is certainly not a college town, but Bradley still gives it a college feeling with Gorman's across the street in Campustown and the bars on Farmington Road. People (especially freshman and sophomores) regularly refer to the campus as the "Bradley Bubble" because sometimes it seems like you never get off of it to do other things around the city. It can be seclusive at times.

I'll start by saying that I love my school. We're big enough that someone can get lost in it, and small enough to always know someone wherever you go. It's a nice mix. Classes are decently sized, and most of the teachers really care about what happens to you. In fact, all but maybe two of my professors knew my name in the first month. Peoria... some may say it gets boring, but with the right group of friends, one just has to know where to look. The administration is more helpful than I'm used to, and they really want to know your feedback, although there's an occasion that they run the school more like a business to make money rather than an institution. Really, the best I can say is the people I've met here, both staff and friends.

If you are looking for a small campus in a city setting, Bradley is the place to be. It only takes 5 minutes to walk from one end of campus to the next. There are many activities to get involved in including the greek system, student senate and many department groups. I enjoy the atmosphere because on a nice fall or spring day, there are always people out wandering campus, and if you want to play football, frisbee, or any other lowkey games on the quad, there is always a large supply of people willing to play with you. The dorms are also great. My freshman year, the dorm became like my family. Not only are there many interesting people worth getting to know, most of the academics are great. Listen to people when they tell you what teachers are good or not because most of the time, they are right. It just a fun place to be no matter how crazy a schedule you set for yourself.

Bradley University is not foe everyone. The alcohol policy has become a problem recently before school recently ended. Some are threatening to to transfer even. Bradley University is in thw works of becoming a "dry campus". Students have died under the effects of alcohol and have been dismissed from the University for such actions. Bradley is very supportive in working with students in finding job placement after graduation and even before graduation. The most controversial topic in past few years was the Bradley mascot who was a Brave Native American.

If you're looking for a small school, Bradley's great...but if you're not looking for a small school don't come here. You'll constantly run into the people you know, so if you're looking to avoid someone it's pretty difficult. We have a new alcohol policy that sucks but we'll see how well it's enforced. The Bradley Bubble isn't bad, but Peoria isn't exactly a college town, there are alot of areas you don't want to go. The campus is small but awesome, I really love it here.

Most people say something like "good for you!" or "that's just great!" when they hear I'm at Bradley. Not many from my high school go there, so it's quite a treat. A lot of people appreciate the small class sizes (outside of a lecture hall, the biggest class I've been in is 30ish). I wouldn't consider Peoria a college town. I've been to Champaign, and that's a college town. Peoria is just a city.

The best thing about Bradley is that its a small school and that your able to get to know your teachers on a one-on-one basis. Where if you went to a big school, your just another student to the teachers. The town that Bradley is in, Peoria, is a shitty town!

The best thing about Bradley is by far the family-type atmosphere. Once you attend Bradley, you feel like you are part of a big family, and you never ever want to leave. Eventhough this is great when you are on campus, it makes breaks really hard, because most of the students go home for breaks, you are away from that family you have created at Bradley. It's such an encouragement, and a blessing! The only thing that I would change about Bradley, is the cost. It is a private university, and the cost proves that. But, if you have Federal Aid, and grants and loans, the cost isn't too bad at all. This year, I think the total costs were right around $29,000. But, with Federal grants, and student aide, and loans my family only had to pay around $2,000. (yes, this is still a lot, but no where near the full cost.) There is one other thing that i would like to change. Bradley likes to keep you here longer than 4 years. I just changed my major the summer between my soph, and jr. year, and I'm going to be here an extra semester. My brother also went to Bradley, and he was here for 4.5 years also, but he got done with a 5 year program in 4.5 years (Mechanical Engineering) I feel that Bradley is just the right size. We are at about 6,000 students. about 600 of them are graduate students. The rest are undergrads. But don't worry you don't have to live on campus all 4 or 5 years. You are required to live on campus for the first two years, unless you are in a Fraternity, or sorority, or if you are a commuter student. As for spending time on campus, there are a lot of things that are going on every day, and every weekend. There is a new recreation center being built, and it should be done the first few weeks of the fall 2008 semester. There is also a lot to do around Peoria. There is bowling for 1.75 (shoes included!) and a place called Stone Country (line dancing, and a dance club..now smoke free)Anything you could want to do, you can do! One thing that is unusual about Bradley, is that we don't have a football team. Soccer and basketball are the main attractions. Our soccer team made it to the NCAA Div. 1 Final Four!! OUr basketball team made it to the sweet sixteen two years ago, and was 2nd place in the bradnew CBA tournament this year! Homecoming is in the fall with the soccer season. the most frequent student complaints are that there isn't enough lighting around campus when it's dark. So, the university's new president (4'0 President Glasser) has started a 10 million dollar lighting project, and it will be done before the fall semester starts.

I absolutely love Bradley. It's so quaint. It has its own small bubble, and I feel completely safe while on campus. But unlike some other small schools I've seen, its not in the middle of nowhere, all you have to do is walk two blocks and you're in a city. Wouldn't change anything; just the right size; most people ask where it is; outside the dorms or on the quad; Peoria is definitely not based around Bradley; the administration is good; um, the upping of drinking tickets?; yes, a lot of school pride, everyone wears Bradley clothing; not really anything unusual; can't remember anything too special, just a lot of little things; costs of drinking tickets.