2013 Grad
Full disclosure, I went here for undergrad for five years and I went to Florida State for grad school for three years after. I liked Clayton State better.
I really enjoyed it here. The professors are typically pretty awesome. There are some less than stellar acts (in 120 credit hours worth of classes I encountered 3 professors I with teaching styles that I was not a fan of). To put that in context, I was at FSU for 90 credit hours and only really liked about 6 professors.
The reason for the high quality of the education you receive is this: the professors care about you. It doesn't matter where you come from you are important to your professors and they want to teach you. The small class rooms make it possible for them to help you if you are struggling or want to be heard. Nearly every professor had time for me and if they did not have time for me they made time for me. When I compare it to the other, larger school I graduated from I can honestly say that the level of focus Clayton State gives to its students is really something special.
Diversity is encouraged by the faculty, staff, and the vast majority of the students.
The school is very diverse and shines in just how much you learn and at a very affordable price.
It is not as large of a school as say GA state, but it is a bit more selective. The English, Nursing, and History departments are awesome (I was a History major so yay!). The combination of small class rooms and accessable professors make this a great place for people getting ready for grad school.
Now this is a stellar experience, but there are some areas to improve on. A 5 out of 5 is not perfect, just outstanding, and to be honest I am really just nit-picking. So even though the school is amazing, there is a scarcity of parking issue and there have been known to be minor communication issues with the financial aid office. The financial aid office gripes though are everywhere. Once again, since I have a much larger school to compare it to I am going to tell you: Clayton's financial aid office exceeds the quality of service you find at much larger universities.
The organizations on campus are really dope. The Political organizations are really great at helping you see the world from a different view (especially Society of Global Affairs, go join Society of Global Affairs, now, lol), the honors orgs are great (Phi Alpha Theta for the win!), the Bent Tree News paper is always open to new talent (as are Clayton State Internet Radio and Clayton State Television), there are greek life orgs that are really active (especially the NPHC orgs that seem to be throwing events every other day), and Campus Events Council always CRUSHES IT with their events.
So, for those of you looking for a fun, safe, and generally awesome experience check out Clayton State University; you'll be glad you did.
Also, I just want to say that David Gilbert, Adam Tate, Augustine Ayuk, Carol White, Dennis Miller, Chris Ward, Karen Young, Eric Bridges, and Greg McNamara are awesome!
And if you want to skip all of the excess prose check out this quick list.
Pros:
Amazing professors
Fantastic education (especially given the price)
Diversity encouraged
Programs that will actually teach you
A community that really cares
Cool Orgs
Dry campus (At least I think that it is a pro, but that may be a con for you)
Cons:
Parking is limited
Not as well known as it deserves to be
*Please note that the quick list "Cons" list only included the cons that, given my experience, are below par and not just "less than perfect." read more