Chapman University Reviews

"The Psychology department was amazing! The school as a whole is very expensive, and doesn't have very many opportunities for students living off-campus to get involved. The area is nice and close to many of So Cal's popular destinations but the school lacks that comradery that some of the other CA schools have."

"Great small community like campus. Small class sizes so you can network with classmates and professors."

"I enjoyed the small class size, individual attention and on hands lab classes. Studying in the comfortable safe grounds around campus was a treat. The teachers were flexible, helpful and made themselves available. Chapman university provided a great experience!"

"The school offers a lot of scholarship money to those who did well in undergrad and on the LSAT. The school also makes it manageable to keep the scholarship going into the next year. The school's ranking has progressively gone up every year. Partly because the school has one of the best bar passage rates in CA. The faculty is also great, many come from real world experience or from teaching at other top tier schools. The only issue is the name recognition is not quite there yet, making job opportunities a little harder. But if a student buts an effort into networking it seems possible to get a decent starting job after graduation."

"The pro is that I get to network with students,distinguished faculty, and filmmakers of Hollywood. The con is the tuition of going to the graduate program."

"The program has an extremely small cohort and very extensive supervision and support which allows students to receive constant feedback and provides a great learning environment. One of the cons is that the program is on the more expensive side but the cost can be justified by the quality of education."

"The pro of being a film student in Chapman is the great film resources and networking opportunities with faculty, students, alumni, and associates of the college. The con is the expense and fees of the classes."

"My graduate program provides a great amount of film production training. It is a wonderful experience having hands-on learning in the classroom while doing independent filmmaking. I am truly satisfied with working with the distinguished faculty and going to networking events that can help me get easy access to film careers."

"Chapman University is an amazing private university located within just miles of Disneyland, downtown Anaheim, and Angel Stadium. The program is very competitive, advisors are readily available to help, and there are many resources for career support."

"The Professors are extremely approachable and make it evident that they are there to help you learn and grow as a leader."

"I am very positive about my graduate program, especially because the school offers me the opportunity to expand my knowledge of Film Studies with the experience of film production. My fellow students are very talented and ambitious people, which is stimulating and creates and inviting environment to develop my own talents. Unfortunately, it is a pretty expensive school and if I want to fully register for an extra class (not just audit it) I have to pay a lot of extra money. This can discourage students in the Film Studies program to expand their skill-set."

"Chapman University has an excellent teacher education program and graduate school for educational leadership and curriculum studies. Chapman's faculty are caring and provide positive and rigorous environments for students. The one draw back of Chapman university is that it lacks in student diversity."

"Academically Chapman's DPT program is great. It is challenging and I believe it will prepare my for my career. They just moved the Health Science campus to Irvine so there is not that much around the area and the actual campus is still being worked on so some tech aspects are not working properly (like only one side of the building gets wifi)."

"Pros A very good program in the field of disability studies. High academic level. Good teachers. Good atmosphere. Very nice university. The PhD program involves the inquiry of disability as a social construction and investigates new ways of thinking on disability in contemporary society. The program specific courses will enable me to explore disability studies historical context and developments in the American culture and worldwide, to learn new concepts, perceive ethics related to education and disability studies. In some other courses, I will learn to analyze problems, criticize philosophies and theories, to develop new ideas and concepts. Through the inquiry core courses I will learn more about research paradigms, I will acquire research knowledge and skills. Some of the program classes will provide me tools to face responsibilities, challenges, and realities of teaching in the academy life. Through the program curriculum I am exposed to information, content, tools and professionals which will help me to build my knowledge base in order to be able to face academic and research. Cons Very expensive especially for international students. limited financial help for international students."

"Physical therapy is an incredibly rewarding and demanding field of study. Chapman University has state of the art facilities and wonderful professors/professionals to help you learn and succeed. Financially, this program is a huge investment and Chapman University does not offer a ton of financial support outside of offering loans."

"The best part of the program at Chapman is the quality of the professors and their dedication to each student. My teachers are all focused on training myself and my cohort to be the best school psychologists we can be. I love that they limit the class size to 20 and get to know us individually and provide feedback on our work. The only downside to attending Chapman is the added cost of a private university."

"Chapman University School of Law has a beautiful campus, friendly students, and great professors. The school's scholarship system seems to push most students out of eligibility through the use of a strict competitive median application that makes students appear less desirable as job applicants. But overall, the quality of life and educational advancement makes Chapman University Dale E, Fowler School of Law a good choice."

"I remember the Chapman Preview Day from 5 years ago; I was a Senior in high school and still indecisive about which of my colleges I was interested would be my first choice. Once I walked onto the campus, I felt as if Dorothy sent me her ruby slippers and I clicked my heels three times. It instantly felt like home. Since receiving my acceptance letter in 2009, Chapman has always been my first choice, my home. Chapman was in such an ideal location, which as a commuter, is very convenient. I enjoyed being on campus all the time; it is very scenic, combining a little bit of an East coast traditional university style, with a little taste of West coast modern university style. I enjoyed the fountains, the piece of the Berlin Wall, and the Piazza located in the center of campus; it was the place where everyone could find each other, especially when weather was good (which is 95% of the time!). During my time at Chapman, my two favorite places to be were the Leatherby Libraries and the Fish Interfaith Center. The library always had books for me to check out, movies to watch, or resources to help me with my research papers and eventually, my thesis project. There are great individual study rooms and definitely home for us during finals week! I remember our Student and campus life providing cookies during that time! The Fish Interfaith Center was important to me as well because I could celebrate and reconnect with my faith and have a place to meditate and meet new people. Chapman is definitely a photogenic campus, so I wouldn't be surprised if (like me) you caught yourself taking quite a few selfies for your Twitter or Instagram. One of the cool things I remember about Chapman was all of the guest speakers that came to visit on campus. In my four years, I had the privilege of listening to: Albert Bandura, Philip Zimbardo, Elie Wiesel, Mark Andrews, Amber Tamblyn, Rueben Martinez, and several Holocaust survivors who were affiliated with our Holocaust Museum and Memorial on campus. They gave great advice and wisdom for students and I enjoyed learning about their work and life dedications. I also enjoyed going to on campus performing arts performances. I recommend the Holiday Wassail. Such a blast during the holiday season, especially since Chapman recognizes different cultures during that time of year. The Wassail is a great performance and is aired on PBS for those at home to check it out. I have seen other music, theater, and dance productions, which are absolutely stellar! Another event I always participated every year was Homecoming. The football games were exciting, especially the half-time show and the Chili cook off. Some of the greek life groups always had darn good chili and many clubs offered free giveaway items! My family and I always had a good time. This year, I hope to try the 5k run that we have, with all of the proceeds going to the Chapman Scholarship fund. Chapman always offered opportunities for community service, social activism, and club participation. One way to do this was the Chapman Day of Service. It took place during Homecoming Weekend, where students could go to various organizations in Orange County for 4 hours in the day and serve. I remember going to Casa Teresa, which is right in Old Town Orange and helped them organize donated items and learn about the house. Plus I went with a handful of my friends! This really encouraged everyone to get involved on and off campus. Eventually, I was able to find other locations near Chapman such as UCI Medical Center and CHOC Children's, where I could volunteer close to school and not commute very far at all! I loved walking to the Old Towne Orange/Circle area. Within 1 mile of campus, you could find great antique shops, several dining places, and two Starbucks! Pretty lucky if you ask me! In my four and a half years at Chapman I hit almost all the restaurants and antique shops in the Circle! It is also part of the running path for our 5k during Homecoming Weekend and our infamous Undie run. Chapman is also an ideal location, being between Disneyland, the beach, and other Orange County hot spots. I declared as a Psychology major in 2011. I walked in originally as a Biology major, but the courses were not as interesting to me as Psychology. The psychology program is very strong at Chapman. No TA's here! These professors not only teach, but conduct individual research projects, or work in organizations in Orange County. During my three years in Psychology, I met most of the professors and they are very extroverted and passionate about their research. They applied life examples in the classroom and each of them had unique teaching styles. Even in required classes that all majors had to take, they incorporated basic level concepts of their research into the classes. My favorite Psychology courses were: health and well-being, Physiological Psychology, Child Development, Children and Trauma, and my Thesis course. If you're interested, these professors do accept undergraduates to conduct research with them and create their own projects as well. All of the professors were very reputable and I enjoyed having them for my coursework. The other aspect I loved about the coursework at Chapman was the GE program was flexible. You didn't take as many GE's as your major and you could choose most of your GE's. I was able to take some fun GE's and learn so much more than I ever expected! I loved taking Swing Dancing and Eastern Concepts of Health and Healing. Both were far away from my major, but fun and eye opening nevertheless. One of the best things I ever did aside from the classroom and fun stuff was working on campus. I worked with the College of Educational Studies (CES) for all four years and I loved that department! I met awesome faculty and students from different majors, as well as those who participated in the umbrella of studies at CES. I learned so many skills and customer service and it felt like a family. The best part that because I knew many people there, they networked me to my current job that I am holding. The only negatives I really have to say about Chapman is financial aid. While they do have ways of giving scholarships and grants, depending on your situation, amount can vary. I was given a grant every year I attended, but it didn't cover all of my expenses. They are also limited on scholarships once you get past your first year or if you are not entering the Law School. So be prepared to borrow loans... Also, food on campus is limited. I know the dorms are a little different, but on-campus, it can be moderately priced, and there are few selections. They have now a food truck that comes, but not too many restaurants or cafes. Even the circle can get a little pricey, so if you can, have a car (or friend who has a car) if you want other types of food and want to go out, or bring your own food (BYOF). Sometimes, there are free events with free food! Especially if clubs host events or large events such as our Spring Sizzle in February/March. The other negative I do have to say about Chapman is parking, but this is a Catch 22. Yes, between 11 AM-3 PM, even as a commuter, I know that can be a pain. But if you are willing to come early, before the peak time, it would be best. Trust me, after the first week, you will find plenty to do to keep you busy. Not to mention, at night from the Barrera parking structure, you can see the Disneyland Fireworks. I loved seeing them, especially after night classes. Not to get you ready for graduation yet, but definitely one of the best experiences of my life! It was a 3 day event for me where I got to listen to motivational speakers, have a convocation toast, take pictures with my friends, faculty members, and even our President Dr. Doti (whom you will see quite frequently on campus or at large events such as Homecoming), have nice ceremonies, and lots of food! So, if you aren't sure about participating in the commencement ceremonies, I highly recommend it! On graduation day you receive a free license plate frame, baseball cap, sunglasses, bottle of water, commencement program, and other little goodies. They have great opportunities for Alumni after you graduate as well. Overall my experience at Chapman was more than I could ever put into words. Every now and then I do click my heels three times and it still makes me feel like home."

"Everyone will tell you that you don't need a master's degree to work in film and to a point that is very true. My experience has been different since I did not enter the school with a film production background, but rather came in with some freelance type experience from a tangentially related field. This program is a conservatory type school that allows you to focus in the discipline you would like (directing, cinemetography, editing and sound design). Class size is small and access to professors is phenomenal. Some of the structure of the current program is undergoing changes that I feel will benefit the incoming students and will take the focus off of time consuming intro level busy work and start prepping students to deal with larger productions and working together right off the bat. Orange is...a suburb and doesn't have much going for it other than that. The area is nice, everything is pretty safe and pretty bland. BUT LA is just a short ride north and most students migrate to LA by their third year in program to take advantage of the city and the work opportunities. As with any graduate program you will only get out as much as you put into it. Work hard, play hard and get to know as many people as possible so that you can build a network among fellow filmmakers who will be jumping into the real world after school ends."

"Very competitive. Great professors. Individualized attention. Great program."