Remind me to just deal with it/Venting.

NurseGirl525, ASN, RN · Dec 7, 2013

I don't know. My school is a community college but it is very clean. And well organized. I would hate to go to a filthy place without a good internet connection. My school just has vending machines also but I am not there for long periods of time so that doesn't bother me. I would speak up and say something.

liberated847 · Dec 7, 2013

I am that person who almost always finds the positive in a situation. I spent 12 years in the military and have learned what hard work is over these years in several jobs and my personal life, so I'm not a primadonna. But the whole positivity thing is just not working very well this semester. I've been working on pre-req's at a community college in preparation for transferring to a four year college and applying for a spot in their Nursing program. I took some gen eds in the spring semester of last year and this fall; 12 sh each term. I have come to this great site off and on throughout the past year and am thankful for the info and encouragement I find here. I took to heart the whole 'go to a community college' for your gen ed classes as its easier to get a spot in the classes there and its soooo much less expensive. I've met some awesome people in my classes and for the most part have gotten decent instructors as well. I will say though - from the first day I came to register and up to today I just hate the shape the campus is in. I tried to basically justify it, make excuses etc but it is so disorganized, and it isn't taken very good care of, parking is beyond pathetic actually. That sounds so trivial...but it bugs me! There is not even an actual meal area - just some vending machines and couches. I recently went to a conference and we had to use the lab facility of the A.N. program, and even that classroom was a shambles. Do they not require the students to at least put classroom items away, tidy up etc at the end of the day/evening? It is the sim lab for the NURSING program - heh. Also, I see janitors pushing trashcans around the corridors but aside from emptying trash, is there any actual 'cleaning' going on? I go over to the local state college campus to use the library sometimes, and its a modest university with a student population of about 12k -- but the difference is major. The buildings are not super up to date, but basic things like cleanliness, organization etc is so obvious there. Even the internet connection is normal and not so slow that one has to wait forever when just viewing text documents... K. Done with negativity for now. Someone smack me and remind me I'm paying 'less' money (*though really its only about 25% less dollars per credit hour) so I should just suck it up and be uncomfortable and inconvenienced continuously. Or share with me if you have the same feelings sometimes about your campus/facilities...??[/quote']
Don't like the college? Do an online program, that way you can do it at home where I'm sure it's tidy :-)

DadStudentPerhaps · Dec 7, 2013

I do classes both online and at the campus. My CC is squared away when it comes to cleanliness and organization. Also, at the end of Labs, we put away our microscopes, slides, bones, etc.. Plus no food or drinks allowed in the rooms. We have a nice large area that serves food and has plenty of seating to sit and do group study. Within our same building, Ole Miss offers classes, so there is a mixture of students on campus... some working on their Associates Degree, others on a Bachelors Degree through Ole Miss.

Lossea, RN · Dec 7, 2013

I started my higher education in a community college, but, unlike in your case, I always felt that campus was made for people not just to come and study, but also enjoy their day. It was clean and there was lots of room, nice landscape, and good parking. I can relate to your feelings of discomfort, though, to a degree. When I transferred to the university, I often used the library, and the chairs in that library always looked so filthy to me...Most chairs in the auditoriums were also quite worn out, and that bugged me. I know this is only one very little thing in my instance, of course, and is trivial comparing to the quality of instruction at the facility. I knew I can't have it all, and overall the facilities were exceptional... In your case, however, it seems that you feel that the place is just unpleasant. It can be distracting when you aren't comfortable in the environment and are constantly upset by the lack of something. I suppose you are paying less money, but also you have the power to influence things. For sure, things are supposed to be put away and all the facilities clean. If you see that it isn't that way and it interferes with your learning, maybe you will feel better if you bring it up to the people who are in charge? Has any of your classmates felt similarly? You have a perfectly valid point. I realize that maybe in the military it can be bare and not very comfortable, but educational facilities in civilian world should make you feel comfortable and safe.

Online degree is a possibility too.

PS: I actually realized just now that labs aren't always tidy here at the university. I have been teaching cell biology lab this past semester (graduate student - teaching assistant), and one of the two days I taught, it was after this guy who never asked his students to clean up. So I came in to a lab with desks that often had spills on them, or something else. It is up to instructor to oversee that students put things away and clean up! So I would say something. It's unpleasant to come in to a lab/classroom that is in a disarray.

studentbear, CNA · Dec 8, 2013

I think this may just be the community college you are experiencing. The one I attend is clean and up-to-date. It's a beautiful campus with lots to offer, although it is somewhat small. Parking can be a pain in the ass because the convenient spots always fill up quickly, but we are never totally out of parking.. It may just mean trudging to the other side of campus lol. I think that's pretty common for most colleges, university or community. My roommate attends the university and from what I hear, the parking is far worse there.

Why not take distance ed per-requisite classes, like some previous posters suggested? My friend is currently taking her LPN-to-RN bridge courses from an Indiana university and she currently resides in Michigan.

iPink, BSN, RN · Dec 8, 2013

Yup, suck it up. I've been in hospitals during my clinicals where they barely had supplies and they used what they had to make it work. If your education is being compromised, then there's a real issue. My BSN program was disorganized in so many ways, but I made it through. The aesthetics you'll eventually get over.

Good luck with your studies.

Autymnfyres · Dec 9, 2013

*Thanks for the comments. I appreciate the time taken to respond. In the greater scheme of things, of course, organization and convenience on campus aren't the absolute most important, but it grates on me I guess.

The important part is this is the campus I have to work with as its decently close by and that is a qualifying factor, (and I do take at least one course of three or four each semester online). I will speak up if/when appropriate though other than the suggestion box, not sure if there is actually anything to be done.

Hunkering down to focus more on my finals now, and less on the classrooms and facility. Thanks a lot all!