University of Hawaii at Manoa Top Questions

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There are some nice people here. But it isn't a very engaging learning community, which you would expect of a school of this caliber. The campus has nice trees and the dorms are good, but there are a lot of smokers and the buildings are not very pretty. Honolulu as a city is a lot more "ghetto" than I thought and the architecture is, quite frankly, ugly, in my opinion. The size of the school is fine. When I tell people I go here they are always surprised, and I am a little embarrassed honestly. There is a lot of school pride when it comes to certain things, like volleyball.

Overall, I think that while UH Manoa isn't a bad school, it isn't the best school either. The location is really good because the buses can pretty much get you anywhere in town easily. And a lot of things in the community is within walking distance. I wish that they'd spend less money on creating new buildings and more on fixing existing buildings though... Because UHM is basically the only major university on the island, most people come here as a "default" choice. Judging from the amount of school merchandise people wear, I would say that there's a decent amount of school pride. Though I think it's mainly focused on people who are into athletics than anything else. My favorite memory on campus is the Winter ball that we had recently. It was a lot of fun and I hope there will be more events like that in the future.

My overall opinion of this school is positive. Most people react in a somewhat dismissive manner when I tell them that I attend UH Manoa. I think this is due to the fact that they have heard of UH, and they know it isn't just a community college (it is a fairly large university), but it isn't some Ivy League school that is considered prestigious. If I could change one thing I would try to get more recognition for UH Manoa. I think it is underrated and some of the great professors don't get the recognition that they deserve.

overall i feel that UHM does provide the resources that you need to reach your goal. one of the only downsides recently is the the rising tuition and the construction that is going on through out campus. the classes sizes are are perfect because there is a wide variations between large lecture classes to gain information, and small lab groups to apply work.

I enjoy attending UHM. The environment is very welcoming and there's lots of ways to get involved on campus and meet new people. The campus is a great size, not too small and not too large. It might take 20 minutes to walk across the whole campus. The tuition isn't that steep and they offer a lot of scholarships for students. Around campus, there's different places to go and the public transportation is very convenient and comes with your tuition so you have unlimited rides for the entire semester!

My overall opinion of this school is that it is a great place to meet new people and the atmosphere here is one of the best.

Overall, it's an enjoyable experience here. The school not too big or too small (Granted, I came from a really small high school so anything is bigger and could never be as small). I'm from Hawaii, so it doesn't seem all that impressive, but when other people find out from the mainland or where ever, it's always that kind of "Really? Hawaii??" reaction. Even though we may not get big seasonal changes on the islands, they sure are jealous when we're still in shorts and tees and they're layering up. I will say that the cafeterias for the dorms have some pretty bland foods sometimes, and that irks me. Also, food can just be a little too oily and unhealthy in general. Other than that, the people are generally friendly. There is that aloha spirit everywhere. As far as school pride, we have it, but not so much for our football team. There is definitely a lot of pride for our Rainbow Wahine volleyball team. Most common complaints tend to be maintenance issues, but I find a lot of them do get fixed or are bearable. I haven't run across any issues that have remained unfixed or inconvenienced me in any way.

Overall, UH Manoa is pretty well-established as one of the main universities available in Hawaii. I think the best thing about it is the various opportunities that are provided. However, one of our biggest flaws is the size of enrollment in classes makes it difficult for students to get a seat in the class they desire. Some of the problems is the continuing tuition hikes that the school has been proposing that many students are protesting. This can be seen as a potential deterrent to other students.

UH doesn't have the best overall academic reputation. Ranked 164th on US News & Report, it's pretty mediocre in a lot of areas, especially for a flagship state school. Most of the standard liberal arts & science programs are inferior to mainland programs. And the students can be really, really dumb in some classes (ask anyone who's transferred from here!). However, I think you can make it work academically if you decide to come here for the good stuff, namely - Asian/Pacific studies, Marine Bio, Tourism Industry Management, Geophysics, physics, languages, or international business. There's a few more pretty good programs (I'm in anthro and it's pretty legit), and I've had good professors in many programs, but the best ones are still based on Hawaii's geography really. Besides academics, the student diversity is incredible (if you're white, you're a minority - get ready to see how it feels for once), and basically every type of person is represented here. This can be a real pull factor if you don't like those ridiculously homogenous mainland liberal arts schools. There is some racial clique-ing that goes on, but it's not that black and white (lol). It's definitely a party school. Football team is good. You're allowed to drink in your dorm if you're of-age. There's basically no Greek life, but parties are rampant nonetheless. Honolulu and downtown Waikiki can be off the hook if you know where to go. And obviously, the natural environment is amazing. It's hard to tell how much time is passing because it's tropical and the only seasons are dry and wet (summer and winter). If you like outdoor activities and surfing, you will love Hawaii. The bus system is amazing and you can literally decide to go hiking, swimming, etc. any time of day and get there for free with the bus. You can even take the bus to the North Shore, the coolest part of Oahu hands down.