1. Marywood University Towson University Bloomsburg University Kathleen Steinberg Literature and Society 11:00 – 11:50 Dr. Sherry

2. Bloomsburg University INtroduce

3. Bloomsburg University While reading “My Freshman Year” by Rebekah Nathan I read many things that are similar and different between Any U and all the schools I observed. For instance, I observed over the first week of school when the freshman were moving in that we had many things for them to do. In “My Freshman Year” they had “optional social, sport, and orientation activities”. (Nathan,2005,p.10) This is unlike Bloomsburg due to the fact that the orientation is mandatory and in Any U it is optional. This excerpt began my thinking of why people choose the colleges they go to and why do they go to college overall. I noticed how different but similar “AnyU” is from Bloomsburg and wonder what other colleges are like. While reading “My Freshman Year” I gained an understanding of how to go about to find out answers to my questions. Ethnography is appropriate to approach my questions, because I was observing why college students chose their college and what makes them unique and similar. [1]

4. For my project I have decided to compare many colleges to one another. I looked at Bloomsburg University, Towson University, Marywood University, and the New Jersey Institute of Technology. I gave interviews and looked at time diaries from students who attend the Universities to obtain my findings. I also looked at pictures from the all the colleges. I picked these methods because they helped me discover why people choose the colleges they do and they also help me show the differences and similarities of the colleges. Bloomsburg University Towson University

5. For my findings I used interviews and time diaries and pictures. I used these three forms of information for my findings, because they helped me observe the differences from each college. Towson University Marywood University Bloomsburg University

6. During my research I asked five students from Bloomsburg University about their daily routine. The students gave me a list of activities from when they woke up to when they went to bed for one day of the week. Also, I asked them what time they woke up the next day, so I could achieve a more accurate answer. As seen on this pie chart, many spend it sleeping or with their friends. INtroduce INsert

7. During my research I asked four students from Towson University about their daily routine. The students gave me a list of activities from when they woke up to when they went to bed for one day of the week. Also, I asked them what time they woke up the next day so I could achieve a more accurate answer. As seen on this pie chart many spend it sleeping or with their friends. This shows that many students at Towson are similar to Bloomsburg students. INtroduce INsert

8. The similarities I discovered between Bloomsburg University and Towson University were that most of them slept and spent time with friends. Also, not many students spent time at meetings for clubs or sports. This is very similar to “My Freshman Year” by Rebekah Nathan. In the book she wrote “by 1990 it was already becoming clear that few students participate in campus events.” (p.47) This shows that even before Rebekah and I started doing our observations and research that many students didn’t participate in their colleges events held by clubs and organizations. INsert INterpret

9. I interviewed students from Bloomsburg University and Marywood University. I interviewed students from these two colleges, because I thought that they would be very different even though they are close to one another. Marywood University is a small school while Bloomsburg University is a medium sized school. The questions I asked all related to why the students picked the college, if they would switch colleges, why they came to college, and what they liked/disliked their college. Bloomsburg University INtroduce

10. UniversityAnswer Bloomsburg UniversityI couldn't see myself not going. Bloomsburg University To get a job because a high school degree doesn't get you many jobs. Marywood University I wanted to get away from home and I knew I wanted to major in speech pathology Marywood University To get a career I really wanted to pursuit as well as playing college lacrosse.

11. UniversityAnswer Bloomsburg UniversityBecause of the Mountains and her major. Bloomsburg University Bloomsburg was cheap and I liked it the best out of the three state schools I looked at. Marywood University Marywood has a 5-year masters program for speech pathology and it was the perfect distance away from home Marywood University I loved the way the campus felt when I set foot on it.

12. UniversityAnswer Bloomsburg University Rains too much. Advisor doesn't really care. Bloomsburg UniversityHaving to pick classes. I wish they would assign them they are hard to get into, especially the education classes because there is so many people in that major. Marywood University I wish it was a little bigger and had more things to do on weekends and wasn't a dry campus. Marywood University The high tuition for such a small school

13. UniversityAnswer Bloomsburg UniversityThat you get to know your professors and you can go to them for help even if you are currently not in their class. Bloomsburg UniversityIndependence, you are sort of on your own but not entirely, because you can still go home and see your parents. Marywood UniversityI like that the people are really friendly and that there are a lot of things to do close by Marywood UniversityEverything. The food, the people, the classes, lacrosse is great, the lifestyle is a dream.

14. UniversityAnswer Bloomsburg UniversityMillersville University - too close to home Shippensburg University - entire family lives there and they work on campus Susquehanna University - not a good education program Indiana University of Pennsylvania - too big Bloomsburg UniversityWest Chester University - too close to home (10 minutes away) and mom and dad work 5 minutes away. Kutztown University - Freshman year you had to live in a dorm that was all girls. Marywood UniversityMarywood is one of the only schools in the country to have a 5 year masters program for speech-path. and i liked the dorms and campus the best Marywood UniversityThey didn't have the same feel as Marywood did.

15. UniversityAnswer Bloomsburg UniversityI do know people that come here but that didn't influence me. Bloomsburg UniversityDad's friends son and one girl from my school but I don't really talk to them. Marywood UniversityWhen I went to an open house for Marywood during high school I met some people who lived near Howell and started to become friendly with them and that helped me decide Marywood University I did know someone but not that well, but I met my roommate at orientation and we requested to be roommates and hit it off and have been like brothers ever since.

16. UniversityAnswer Bloomsburg UniversityNo, I love it here and I would never switch! Bloomsburg UniversityNo, because I have friends here and it doesn't cost a lot and it is perfect distance from home. Marywood UniversityNo because I would not want to start over Marywood UniversityProbably, Somewhere a little closer to home, maybe Richard Stockton College, Kean, or Montclair. Only because it would be easier to travel whenever I wanted home, my brother could come up and see me whenever.

17. Within my interviews, I noticed that they all basically went for similar reasons. Whether it was due to the campus itself or the major they were in each student picked their college for very similar reasons. I also noticed that most students didn’t want to switch schools if they had the choice. One student stated that she loved her school, and that she would never switch! This tells me that not only did she pick the school she went to based on the look of it, but she made sure that she would never have had a “what if” moment about picking her college. Only one interviewee did, and it was because they wanted to be closer to home. These similarities and differences show that even though every college has their own culture, the cultures do not differ to an extreme extent. INterpret

18. These conclusions show that all colleges are similar in their own ways but different also. All students pick their college because they feel comfortable there. This also means that an education isn’t just academic. Education is affected by the atmosphere and the people who are around you. Many people pick a college for the education it provides but also because of the atmosphere it perceives. For colleges many of them use the same set up for their dorms and the furniture they provide.

19. -http://www.collegeprofiles.com/marywood.html -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eberhardt_Hall,_New_Jersey_Institute_of_Technology -http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1370150653976&set=a.1370148853931.10 0009.1238020211&type=1&theater -http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=282164785132725&set=a.16758169325770 2.46071.100000176173470&type=1&theater -Steinberg C. 2010 - Steinberg K. 2011