Dalhousie University

Nope, I couldn’t even do two stars. Dal looses pts again!
CONS:
— You have to PAY to get into the dalhousie properties parking lot. Upwards of (though not limited to) $ 500. PER SEMESTER. And you know what the crazy part is? YOU AREN’T GUARANTEED A PARKING SPOT. You pay and they give you a pass that permits you to park in a certain lot. That’s it. I mean, that’s just crazy especially since parking in hali is already horrendous and expensive. Pfft, seriously dal? If you can afford ads all over canada, you can afford to give us some decent parking.

So I bleed black and gold. There’s nothing unbiased about this review.
Between 1992 – 2012 I completed 3 degrees at Dal, worked as a P/​T student for 4 years and a full time employee in 7 different jobs in one department for 14 years.
My arts degree, science degree and multi-​disciplinary degree had me taking classes from across the university. My broad experience included classes in the Faculty of Arts, Science, Education, Computer Science, Graduate Studies, Health Professions, Law and Management. Rarely did Dal fail to deliver on my academic expectations. The professors I had were engaged, professional and very good at either research or teaching — some were even good at both! The administration was helpful.
I won’t lie — if you want to be a wall flower and a number at Dalhousie — you totally can have that experience. But if you want to get engaged I don’t think there’s a better university in Atlantic Canada. There’s a shopping list of societies and activities. You can meet people with almost any interest. But it’s up to you to get involved. No one is going to hold your hand like you’re in preschool and walk you up to a group of friends. Very few professors are going to go out of their way to get to know you unless you show interest, intelligence or try and participate beyond asking for extensions.
This is a school for growing up and for grown ups. It’s about taking responsibility and meeting expectations.
My only regret about my Dalhousie experience? I wish I could go back and live first year in residence.

After I graduated I thought long and hard about my time at Dalhousie, and most of it I regret. It wasn’t what I wanted from a university experience, and that was okay for the first little while. After I attended another school I realized that when I only went to Dal I accepted things weren’t that great. Once I left and experienced an entirely different university that I actually liked, that I felt I got something from, that treated me like a person: I knew exactly what was wrong with Dal. So here’s a small list of all the pros and cons:
–Tuition was exorbitant especially for just an Arts degree. I spent over $ 1000 on books alone because the professors insisted we buy new copies and use those to write essays. If you were a day late, a $ 50 fine was there to remind you that you better pay up (SMU has no fines!).
–Although some of the buildings were connected most weren’t and slugging 15 minutes through snow, sleet, and rain made for a very cold and cranky student most days.
–It wasn’t until I took the 4^th year courses that my professors seemed to know who I am.
–The food selection stinks. Period.
–Most nights Campus was dead. Nothing was happening. No events, no school spirit. Nadda.
–After I graduated Dalhousie sent me an e-​mail titled «Need help finding a job with your Arts degree?». It detailed a session for new grads that cost $ 50 on how to put your degree to use. Thanks, because I want to pay you more money. In comparison SMU offers career counselling, free resume services, and job search helps for two years after your graduate.
–Dalhousie is COLD. The buildings are freezing, especially any of the pre-​1970s structures. Some of the windows in the Henry Hicks don’t even close. We’d be greeted Morning with a small snowdrift in our classroom. I never took my coat, scarf, or mittens off from November through til March. You know those fancy pictures on the website and the pamphlets were students relax on the lawns and recline in big Adirondack chairs? That happens for approximately two weeks. The first week of school, and the last. Otherwise, it’s too cold.
–The sexist «Halifornia Girls» campaign to recruit new students. Attract people not by saying there’s pretty girls at Dal but by highlighting all the actual things that happen there. Like academics, and world class sports.
The only things I liked about Dalhousie were:
— The Killiam Library’s endless stacks and collection of books. It was a perfect quiet place to study (and sleep).
–The old Grawood which had fantastically cheap Chinese food, and these massive 1 $ spring rolls which made the best lunches.
–My Shakespeare professor Dr. Baxter. Every class was fun, informative, and made me think about the texts in ways I couldn’t have dreamed possible. Plus he showed clips from theater productions and films of the plays.
–If you hang out in the Killiam often enough pick a window and watch pigeon eggs hatch into ugly baby pigeons that eventually grow up and poop on you.
Although Dal is a big school they need to work on making you feel like more than a B00 number. I’m glad they’re updating the older buildings and doing much needed renovations. Hopefully in five years it will be a different place.
But for now, I rename thee, Dal-​lousy.

I went to Dalhousie for both Acting and Sociology. But they just couldn’t keep me there. I left after my second year but still have friends attending all the time. Parts of Dalhousie I like, such as the Killam Library and Dalplex, which is a sports and exercise facility for students and the public.
I like the layout of Dalhousie and some of the dormitories are great such as Sheriff Hall. Yes that’s an all girls dormitory, but I spent a lot of time there and I won’t go into any further detail on that chapter in my life ;).
But when it comes to the classes and what’s available at this University, I just don’t feel like you get what you pay for. You do get your degree and Dalhousie is a very reputable school. I have friends who graduated out of their Law programs and some have said its one of the best Law programs in the country. But no matter what program or study you are in, you will be paying one of the highest tuition costs in the country.
Their acting program, which has changed but not by enough, still teaches mainly theatre style acting. This is incredibly strange given the fact that an Actor nowadays makes the majority of his or her living off of film, television and commercials. The Sociology courses were fun and interesting, but I just wasn’t that impressed by the type of work we were doing. One class spent a few weeks focusing on how a tribe in some rain forest somewhere played Cricket. But none of us knew how to play Cricket normally and the teacher wouldn’t teach us that when we asked. So it made the whole process a bit pointless.
Dalhousie is a beautiful looking school. And its lucky it is in Halifax. I honestly believe if Dalhousie was in a small town or a smaller area, its flaws would become a bit more noticeable. But they do have programs other schools don’t which is what has kept them afloat. But some of their programs need to have a face-​lift and brought into the new millennium if they want students to remain interested in them.

In the four years that I went to Dalhousie University, I never really had a name, just a B00 #, a nine digit number which served for my identification while at Dalhousie University.
Some of my classes were held in the Rebecca Cohen, including a Pysch class which consisted of over 900 students.
Since my time, many buildings have been added and replaced on campus including the new Management Building.
Looking back, some of the things that I miss most about Dal were the Student Union Building, the gigantic Killiam Library, and of course, the good old Grawood.