I went here for my education classes (Case Western has a joint program with JCU) from August 2003-December 2004. I took a total of 5 classes here. I was a commuter student and the extent of my involvement in non-academic activities was limited to buying tickets for and attending the Ben Folds concert, so take this review with a grain of salt (especially if you're a prospective student--I'm sure I would have liked the place a bit more if I lived on campus and made friends outside of class)
I highly recommend taking education classes with Dr. Kelly--he was one of the most influential professors that I ever had in my life. During my student teaching experience, he was incredibly supportive and understanding while simultaneously encouraging me to stretch myself. When I'm writing the story of my life, he will definitely be someone that I will consider as a major influence on my life. I would absolutely love to have the opportunity to study under him again.
I do wish, though, that the student body was a bit more hard-working and intellectually curious. While I met some fantastic people who really worked hard in their classes and sought to make the most out of their educational experience, many of the students did not appear to place much importance on critical inquiry\critical thinking and discussion of ideas in class. I went here during the 2004 elections--one of the most contentious and monumental times in recent American history--and my frequent attempts to engender class discussion about the candidates' education policies were met with either apathy or hostility. I would hope that the campus is a bit more engaged with the rise of Obama! Also, when we did class presentations, I frequently thought, "You're really going to turn in *that*?", especially when I knew that they were capable of better work. I know I sound like a snotty elitist liberal, but it's true.
Two very nice things about JCU are the close parking and the free printing. (The free printing may have changed, though). I went to Case Western, and the commuter lots are far away from the majority of the class buildings. JCU's commuter lots were adjacent to the important buildings, which was very nice when I was running late (which happened almost every time I drove there). They also had unlimited free printing in the libraries\computer labs, which was a nice change from Case's low limits on free printing.
All in all, I was pleased with the education that I received from JCU. I wouldn't recommend it to a free-thinking, artsy, out-of-the-mainstream type of person though... read more