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I'll try not to make this sound like another repetitive "what's morgantown like" thread. I'm a 23 year old undergrad at Robert Morris University in the Pittsburgh area, originally from Wheeling,WV. Within the next year I'll be graduating and moving on to grad school for an M.A. in English (Literature). I understand that this is a very specific and probably not conventional question on this forum, but I figured I'd give it a shot. I've been to Morgantown twice, and been on WVU's campus briefly, but not enough to be familiar with it. Thanks everyone.
My wife just completed her Graduate schooling two years ago from WVU. However, she didn't have to take very many classes in Morgantown for it, she mostly had classes at UC in Charleston, and at the WVU/MU grad school on the hill in South Charleston.
I figured I'd chime in on this one... never posted before, but I did spend 4 years of undergrad in Morgantown. Grew up in Southern, WV (and 3 years in Moundsville), moved to Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky after undergrad, now live and work in Pittsburgh... so that's what I have to compare too.
Morgantown is not your typical WV town. Don't get me wrong, it has all of the nice things that people love about WV, the beauty, kindness of the people, homey feel, etc.; but it also has a lot to offer because of it being THE UNIVERSITY CITY. Great cultural offerings (wine and jazz festival, plays/concerts at the CAC), WVU sports (particularly Football and Besketball), the school has an amazing student Recreation center, the student union wasn't bad when I went there, and it was getting better, there are tons of clubs/organizations to join, cost of living is cheap, plenty to do, public transportation is pretty good, very diverse (large international student population, lots of students from PA, MD, NJ, VA, NY, OH, and of course WV, and all other states), lots of bars and great food, not too far from Baltimore/D.C., even closer to Pittsburgh : )
Some of the down side... traffic and parking, the immaturity that comes with undergrads, pick and choose your housing (because there are some pretty crappy slum lords), the hills (although if you're going to be in grad school, most of your classes will be contained to the downtown campus, which wont require much walking), the weather (but not much different than wheeling).
Overall, I'd compare it a lot to Oakland here in Pittsburgh (though I haven't spent much time in Oakland), and then as you move away from downtown Morgantown, you get into areas that are similar to Squirell Hill and South Side, and even Robinson... it's a nice mix. Whatever lifestyle you're looking for, you can easily find it. There were some good grad bars downtown that kept strict to the underage drinking laws and the atmosphere was more mature.
Hope this helps you evaluate. If there are any specifics you'd like to know, let me know and I'll try to answer them. All the friends I had that were in Grad school loved living there (but most of them went there for undergrad as well).
I figured I'd chime in on this one... never posted before, but I did spend 4 years of undergrad in Morgantown. Grew up in Southern, WV (and 3 years in Moundsville), moved to Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky after undergrad, now live and work in Pittsburgh... so that's what I have to compare too.
Morgantown is not your typical WV town. Don't get me wrong, it has all of the nice things that people love about WV, the beauty, kindness of the people, homey feel, etc.; but it also has a lot to offer because of it being THE UNIVERSITY CITY. Great cultural offerings (wine and jazz festival, plays/concerts at the CAC), WVU sports (particularly Football and Besketball), the school has an amazing student Recreation center, the student union wasn't bad when I went there, and it was getting better, there are tons of clubs/organizations to join, cost of living is cheap, plenty to do, public transportation is pretty good, very diverse (large international student population, lots of students from PA, MD, NJ, VA, NY, OH, and of course WV, and all other states), lots of bars and great food, not too far from Baltimore/D.C., even closer to Pittsburgh : )
Some of the down side... traffic and parking, the immaturity that comes with undergrads, pick and choose your housing (because there are some pretty crappy slum lords), the hills (although if you're going to be in grad school, most of your classes will be contained to the downtown campus, which wont require much walking), the weather (but not much different than wheeling).
Overall, I'd compare it a lot to Oakland here in Pittsburgh (though I haven't spent much time in Oakland), and then as you move away from downtown Morgantown, you get into areas that are similar to Squirell Hill and South Side, and even Robinson... it's a nice mix. Whatever lifestyle you're looking for, you can easily find it. There were some good grad bars downtown that kept strict to the underage drinking laws and the atmosphere was more mature.
Hope this helps you evaluate. If there are any specifics you'd like to know, let me know and I'll try to answer them. All the friends I had that were in Grad school loved living there (but most of them went there for undergrad as well).
Thank you for the terrific response. Since I've spent most of my time over the last few years in Pittsburgh,Huntington,Wheeling,Moundsville,and Eastern Kentucky, I'd say you and I have very similar geographic backgrounds. My largest concerns at this point were ones you addressed in your post; namely the undergrad antics WVU is famous for,housing,job opportunity (I would like to have a decent means of income provided by my bachelor's while I work on my master's)ect. I'm still a year away from starting and am weighing other options elsewhere as well, but WVU is looking like a prime candidate for me to attend post-undergrad.
Thank you for the terrific response. Since I've spent most of my time over the last few years in Pittsburgh,Huntington,Wheeling,Moundsville,and Eastern Kentucky, I'd say you and I have very similar geographic backgrounds. My largest concerns at this point were ones you addressed in your post; namely the undergrad antics WVU is famous for,housing,job opportunity (I would like to have a decent means of income provided by my bachelor's while I work on my master's)ect. I'm still a year away from starting and am weighing other options elsewhere as well, but WVU is looking like a prime candidate for me to attend post-undergrad.
As far as job opportunities for you go, I can't answer to that too well. Obviously there is always the possibility of a GA position which would help with school expenses and possibly provide some additional income on top. If you are certified to teach, you could always sub, which wouldn't pay too bad.
With a bachelors in some sort of English concentration, I would think there are several opportunities. Not sure what a good starting salary is for your profession, but I would think (just guessing) that something in the $25-30K range would be easily achievable, maybe higher. If you landed a position for the university, you could get tuition for grad school covered on top of that.
Also, as for the immature environment that can come with an undergrad population, during the day you wouldn't have to deal with it on campus (aside from some classes you might be teaching), at night, it can get a little annoying if you live right near the downtown campus, but a lot of grad students choose to live in Evansdale or in some of the suburban areas. I know this soudns very stereotypical for West Virginians, but I had several friends who's parents purchased a trailer ($7k-$18k) and they rented a spot in a trailer park ($150-$200/month+gas) and then sold it when they graduated. They saved a TON of money compared to the rest of us renters, and the trailer parks weren't trashy at all. I also knew others who's parents purchased townhouses ($120K+), sold them after 4 years ($180K+). If you start looking early, you'll find a place that will meet your personality and budget (renting or buying). But start looking after Christmas break, the minute owners know who plans to renew a lease.
Just some other things to consider. If you stay at certain locations on Evansdale, then you can take the PRT to the downtown campus very easily and still be fairly close to the stadium for football games and not far from the rec center. Parking isn't too bad downtown after 5/6pm, and it was never a problem on the weekends. Most any residence downtown will be within walking distance to the English department (after a couple of hills). But downtown parking space are hard to come by.
Good luck, and if you have any other questions, just post away... there's plenty of opinion about Motown out there.
I'm living in a trailer myself all through pharmacy school until my wife graduates in '09. It's paid for itself already versus renting. When I sell it next summer, I'll have saved $15k or so over the long run. I quite recommend it. Nice, quiet, close to town. Independence Hill is a nice place if you want to go that route.
Call B.J. Kelley at WVU Temps and see what they will be needing...
She might interview you over the phone...her job is to fill over 5800 jobs at WVU each year...your chances of some perfect tailor-made position is very good....go eer's
her number is 304.293.5700 ext 2293...say 'Yes, maam a few times...she likes that...she is also the director of the program...
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