A Review of Drew University

Tucked away in the cozy town of Madison, New Jersey, lies a small wooded campus with less than 1500 undergraduate students. Drew University (AKA the "University in the Forest" is a hidden gem among liberal arts colleges, offering small classes, attentive faculty and a close-knit community feeling. Though built on Methodist principles, freedom of thought and religion is one aspect the university holds in high regard. Students looking for this type of college experience should consider Drew as a viable option.

While a large number of students choose to major in political science or biology, a plethora of possibilitie majors exist to take advantage of. Many departments with fewer majors (frequently less than 10) often have the opportunity to focus more attention on them, giving the students a level of education rarely seen by larger universities. I myself chose Classics (archaeology) as my second major, and was given the chance to study related topics of my choice for credit.

Drew takes particular pride in its new arts building, erected in 2003 and christened the Dorothy Young Arts Center - DoYo for short. It houses the art, music and theatre departments, the latter of which recently named their black box theatre after former university president and governor Thomas H. Kean. The theatre department in particular is one of Drew's strengths, just small enough to maintain an intimate feeling while still having enough students to put on roughly eight productions a year. (Musicals are rare, usually one every other year, so students attracted to musical theatre may have difficulty finding their niche.)

There are various extra-curricular activities and clubs on campus, ranging from environmental activism to three active acapella groups (two gender-specific and one co-ed.) A weekly student-run newspaper, The Acorn, keeps the community abreast of goings-on around campus. The university doesn't have a football team, but it does offer basketball, baseball, softball, tennis, swimming, fencing, equestrian, field hockey, lacrosse and cross country track. Team spirit abounds on campus, and it isn't unusual to see the stands packed for games.

Perhaps one uncommon aspect of Drew is the fact it has no Greek system - there are no fraternities or sororities. Certain academic and community service-oriented chapters do exist, but there are no chapter houses. Instead, students are grouped together as freshmen in the Tolley/Brown or Welsh dorms. An attempt is made to pair up students according to their interests (or major, if the student already knows what he or she wishes to pursue.) Freshmen will nearly always have a double room (or single if they're lucky), while upperclassmen frequently have the option of a triple, quad or even the coveted six-student suite complete with living room. The exceptions to this system are the themed dorm halls students can apply to, such as the Earth House, Womens' Concerns, and the Spirituality House.

Commuters have a slightly easier time at Drew now than they did five years ago, but it's still a challenge to stay connected with the rest of the community. Many events and study groups take place late at night, and the battle is still being fought to allow commuters access to the dorms without a resident to open the door for them. The recently created "C@D Club" (Commuters At Drew) brings commuters together periodically to discuss issues of concern, but there are still hurdles that seem insurmountable.

Drinking is a concern, especially with the freshmen, but the campus police have been taking measures to prevent alcohol poisoning and crack down on parties where drinking is involved. The drug scene is present on every campus across America, and Drew is no different. As it was explained to me when I first visited the campus: "If you're not interested in the drug scene, you won't find it. If you are, you will."

The idea of a small college is not for everyone, but if you think you might want to visit Drew yourself there are tours virtually year-round (just look for the people walking backwards.) Though small, Drew can have a big impact on your life and education if you know what to expect upon entering its freshmen class.