Christopher Newport University Reviews

"I cannot express this enough, please do not go to this school. Don’t be fooled by the pretty campus. I am currently a student at CNU and just finished up my freshman year and I simply cannot wait to transfer for a couple of reasons: The dorms are great... if your a plp or honors student. If you are in their president’s leadership program or honors program you get the beautiful dorms on campus right next to the library and other buildings. If you don’t know what your going study, you get shoved in slightly less pretty dorms with three or more people. If you don’t know what your major is you get stuck in one of the worst dorms I’ve ever seen with no less than 3 people. Honors and PLP also always get to choose first for housing as well so your always fed the scraps if your just a regular person trying to get a degree. Also dont expect to get to live on-campus unless you are in the Honors/President's Leadership Program because they don't have enough housing for even all of the sophmores sometimes! Choosing classes is a terrible system. They have EXTREMELY limited space. Seniors get to choose first then Juniors etc.. if your PLP or honors you get to choose a day before your piers. I have had to make 2 or 3 schedules only for all the classes to be taken up. You then have to stand in a very long line at the registers office to fight for classes your majoring in. They just refuse to put you in classes you need to take for that semester because they just want to keep the student teacher ratio low and that’s all fine and good but don’t accept that many people into the school if you cannot handle them. Getting books is also terrible. The bookstore has no book, not a single one in store. Although most people do buy them online, a lot of my professors want specific books that you can only get at the CNU bookstore. If you do order, it takes weeks to come because of the orders and half the time the professors don’t even tell you what books to get until the day of the test. The drinking culture is terrible ( which you may or may not like). I’m not a big fan myself. There’s little to no regulation with alcohol. I’ve seen mini fridges stocked with white claw in freshman dorms. There’s parties on Thursday nights and throughout the weekend. My roommate would come back wasted and wreaking of beer. This is especially obvious in Santoro ( the bad dorm). I swear there were cop cars every other night over there due to underaged drinking or smoking or pot which the halls always reek of. There are also a few minor things that just make like annoying: Your advisor your paired up with most likely knows nothing about your major or anything else outside their area of interest. I got paired up with a theater professor and I’m a biology major. Pay close attention to what you need to fulfill your degree because the academic advisors do not always know which classes you should be taking. The registers office only have two people so when you have to change classes, expect to wait an hour There is no diversity. It’s a very Caucasian campus. Parking is terrible if you are commuting from off-campus housing or even have a car There are only two dining halls to choose from, and the one with better food has crappy hours, especially on the weekends Everything is always under construction, there’s boarded off areas everywhere. There is NOTHING to do on the weekend, the campus is always dead and everyone is rather wasted or taking a trip home. I’ve seen students cry after Rush week because of the stress and don’t get me started on what the fraternities do for rush, it’s simply disgusting I know this sounds like a complete attack on the school and yes, I know many friends who do love the school but as someone who is paying for this kind of service, it’s just disappointed. If you want a small college in Virginia on the coast that has a decent party culture, go ahead, I really do hope you enjoy it, but for those who just want to get an education, please don’t waste your time"

"Christopher Newport University is beyond compare. When I stepped foot on that campus back in 2011, I knew it was where I needed to be. I had planned on attending another university, but CNU changed everything for me. First, the faculty at CNU are intensely focused on your success. They are above par in their preparation for class and their dedication to you. Office hours and like chatting with a friend solely bent on your achievements. Second, the campus as a whole is constantly evolving and making itself better. Instead of a university stuck on preserving the past, CNU is dedicated to enriching the lives of every class that comes across the Great Lawn. The atmosphere is friendly, charming, and welcoming. When you walk around, the feel like your belong. Overall, CNU has had a positive impact on my life. I'm very thankful for my years at CNU and will forever hold them in my heart."

"Christopher Newport University is beyond compare. When I stepped foot on that campus back in 2011, I knew it was where I needed to be. I had planned on attending another university, but CNU changed everything for me. First, the faculty at CNU are intensely focused on your success. They are above par in their preparation for class and their dedication to you. Office hours and like chatting with a friend solely bent on your achievements. Second, the campus as a whole is constantly evolving and making itself better. Instead of a university stuck on preserving the past, CNU is dedicated to enriching the lives of every class that comes across the Great Lawn. The atmosphere is friendly, charming, and welcoming. When you walk around, the feel like your belong. Overall, CNU has had a positive impact on my life. I'm very thankful for my years at CNU and will forever hold them in my heart."

"Christopher Newport University was by far an excellent experience. I gained lifelong friends and more memories than I can count. The University is small enough that you are not overwhelmed but big enough to easily find your niche. It is a jewel of Virginia colleges and universities and I highly recommend it. The faculty and staff at Christopher Newport University were always helpful and as a student athlete I was very active in the school community and thoroughly enjoyed my time there."

"I decided to attend Christopher Newport University due to the fact that it was a nearby school and I had been there several times for athletic competitions. When senior year came around I started touring more schools but CNU still remained at the top of my list. I took the time to take a tour (I highly recommend) and after really seeing the campus and its beauty I was sold. My first year I made some of the best friends ever many of whom I still speak with today. The close-knit community was unrivaled and incomparable to anything I had ever experienced before. The small classroom sizes are genuine. You must use this to your advantage as I was able to make connections with many professors many of whom wrote me letters of recommendations later on for professional reasons. The campus continues to expand and Paul Trible (the president) continues to be cognizant of student needs. Of course, there are needs that don't immediately get met change still comes. I will never forget this school glad to have called this place home for 4 years."

"Christopher Newport University is one of the best institutions I could have ever selected for myself. From orientation to graduation, I feel fortunate that I was surrounded by such a supportive community. Among the best parts of CNU is the standard the university holds all its students to. We treat each other with kindness and help one another. The environment is seldom competitive and instead cooperation and collaboration is commonplace. Where academics is concerned, the CNU faculty is of the highest caliber. Each professor I had cared deeply about my education and encouraged me to excel inside and outside of the classroom by pursuing research opportunities and being co-author on various publications. This is a huge feat that most people don't get to achieve until a master's or PhD program. The small class sizes and close relationship with faculty make this possible for many CNU students. During my time at CNU I also had the pleasure of studying abroad. The Study Abroad office works tirelessly to send more students abroad each year. The faculty led programs are semester long for Scotland and Barbados, and the summer faculty led programs have gone all over the world to nearly every continent. Nearing the top of my list of reasons why CNU is an excellent university is the beautiful campus. Most of the building are new or have been newly renovated including the recently built alumni house, the extensions to the Trible library and Regattas dining hall, and soon to be completed Peninsula Fine Arts Center addition to the Ferguson Center for the Arts. Overall, I have had an excellent experience at Christopher Newport and I would highly recommend the university to any person interested."

"My college experience at Christopher Newport University was outstanding. I loved the small class sizes and getting to know the professors. It was nice to be able to walk around campus and always see someone you knew. The facilities and housing are remarkable and the dining halls have amazing food! I had a wonderful experience!"

"CNU was the perfect school for me. I needed a stable environment, and a fairly intimate school, which pretty much defines CNU. The classes were difficult, yet manageable, and the professors were, by and large, more than willing to help and meet with me. Though it is a somewhat newer school, there are a decent number of majors. I can't say it has the MOST opportunities for varied studies, but it has the basics. The facilities are amazing (and extremely new!). I made great friends at CNU that I still regularly talk to by playing on the women's soccer team. If you are an athlete looking to play in college but not wanting the sport to completely take over all of your time, a school like CNU is good for you. There are lots of opportunities to get involved. You can work on campus if you choose. The James River is close by, so people go there and treat it like a beach (though the actual beach is less than an hour away)."

"The campus is beautiful. The professors are quite helpful as well. Small class sizes."

"I believe Christopher Newport is a very safe and beautiful campus that offers students a great space to earn their education. I believe the only issue with Christopher Newport is their large emphasis to pursue professional schools such as law school and medical school because of its competitive nature. I believe this often is a disservice to other students, as their passions are often minimized because the prestige does not compare to higher level fields. Overall it is a great university for students to attend, and I recommend students pursue their passion and continue to question the establishment."

"There are a lot of things about Christopher Newport University I could criticize, and equally as many things to praise. The school is comprised of about 5,000 students, making it possible for professors to work directly with students. The professors are the best thing about this school, they really work one on one with students...if you want to learn, they will do their best to help. Many of the faculty I studied under knew me by my first name, something that is not uncommon at this school. Unfortunately, there is a huge disparity in diversity at Christopher Newport, especially over the past few years. The majority of students there are heterosexual white kids, which does not leave a lot of room for the rest of us. As beautiful as the campus is, there is an air of exclusivity that has skyrocketed since not one, not two, but four dormitory buildings were opened up to be used only by members of Greek life. CNU requires students to live on campus for the first three years of school unless they are local and living with parents. Since the school has been getting bigger every year, it is not a shock to hear that Freshman are assigned with three people to one room, Sophomores are getting crammed into Freshman dorms, and Juniors are getting housed in Sophomore dorms. This problem would be solved if CNU gave Juniors the option to live off campus (which is usually cheaper than living in a dorm), but the rule still stands. In order for the statistics to look good, each department at CNU is required to have a certain number of classes that are capped at 19 students. That way, admissions representatives can brag about small class sizes. I needed one class to be able to finish my Communication degree but it filled up before I had a chance to register, and when I went to the head of the department for an override she said there was nothing she could do because the class I needed was capped at 19. Her suggestion was to stay for another year of school, which I could not afford without going into debt. Thankfully I had another major I could finish - I just accepted a minor in Communication - but I think that academics and student success should be a universitys top priority. I have heard stories from many different students similar to mine, often times students have no choice but to complete a fifth year. Christopher Newport University is very friendly and has a beautiful campus, but I can say it is probably not for everyone."

"As a music theater major, vocal performance minor, and dance minor, it might be expected that my full-time job would be in performing. While that is not the case (I currently work as a paralegal), the liberal arts education I received at CNU greatly prepared me with skills applicable to my daily career activities, allowing me to work my way up to my current position for the past eight years. Additionally, because of my training in the performing arts in the music and theater departments, I have had a myriad of stage experiences since graduation. Participating in public choir concerts and fully-staged musicals while at CNU gave me an appreciation for the degree of professionalism with which to expect out of performing arts companies. I now sing part-time as a professional chorister with the Virginia Opera, where I have found myself well-prepared for the expectations set for me. I am hopeful for future CNU graduates, as they will find themselves ready and able to enter the job market, whether in a traditional career field, the performing arts, or a combination thereof."

"I loved attending CNU for my undergraduate degree. It has not only allowed me to work at a local hospital, but it has prepared me for graduate school. I am currently enrolled in graduate school at Hampton University, where I am pursuing a Masters degree in Medical Science. My goal is to attend medical school and give back to my community by opening up a clinic in the rural and undeserved areas. This has always been a dream of mine and my dedication to the medical field can be shown in my 10 years working in the field at a local emergency room."

"Christopher Newport University was expensive ( I was out of state), and there was no community in the education program unless you went there as an undergraduate. That being said, the graduate environmental program faculty and students were excellent."

"Christopher Newport University was the best decision I had made when I was deciding where to go. The class sizes are small and professors take the time to get to know their students. All of the buildings are new and state of the art with many amazing features. It is an ever building campus, every year a new building is built."

"I loved my time at CNU. I felt the professors I had were interested not only in my success in the classroom but also life after college. I am currently a first year in a cell biology doctoral program and I feel the courses I took and research experience I have had prepared me, more than many of my peers, to be a successful scientist. It was challenging and also a lot of fun. Additionally, while I don't know from personal experience, my friends who were computer science, psychology and Spanish majors would say very similar things."

"College is about making decisions for yourself. It's your career path, it's your future. Remember you can't impress everyone, and if one of your teachers isn't a fan of you, then find one who is and who will properly nurture your career. Make time for yourself in college; it's going to be hard enough but to lose yourself in it would be a travesty. Look at more than one school because one school might be flashy and get your attention but there might be another place for you out there. Enjoy the experience, don't limit yourself to JUST your degree program, and TRAVEL. Use college to travel and explore. Save money. This is all how I felt about CNU, and I learned it the hard way."

"I loved CNU and would definitely recommend their interdisciplinary studies degree to anyone who really wants to attend the school but who wants a major that they do not provide."

"To be honest, CNU thinks very highly of itself ...that isn't, however, all hubris. It is a great bargain as far as the quality of education, and the tagline, "a private school education at a public school price," is accurate. I didn't often feel challenged in my classes, though. I grew up in Fairfax County and my high school classes were far more challenging than any class I took during undergrad. I am very involved in community service and charitable activities, of which the administration and faculty were supportive. I do not have a strong desire to stay super connected to the school or my former classmates."

"I liked that I had a personal relationship with many of my professors, so that I wasn't treated as a number, but a person. I also really liked the community feeling of the school, pretty much everyone knew everyone, and there was always something going on to do."