CUNY Bernard M Baruch College Reviews

"Great college for working professionals. Many people have told me it lacks a typical campus feel, but I think these are first impressions. I was part of many clubs and student organizations and met many people. The opportunities for networking were endless and it's in the city so it was easy to get to work. Professors could always be better, but I would say I got a healthy mix of the good and bad ones. I would add that it seems like it was catered mainly to business students. Many liberal arts students felt there were not enough resources for them, which I would agree with."

"I double majored at CUNY Baruch College in Political Science and Business Communications, which were both in the Weissman School of Arts and Sciences. The biggest weakness of the college in my opinion is that you are not allowed to major across schools. For example, I was prevented from double majoring in Political Science and Marketing because marketing is in the Zicklin School of Business, and politics is in Weissman. In my mind, this is probably due to the fact that Baruch wants to create exclusivity for their business school to make it more prestigious. However, this is to the detriment of students who want to develop themselves professionally and intellectually in a multifaceted wayI was interested in business but also passionate about liberal arts. If I were allowed to double major across the schools, I believe I would stand out post college as a professional candidate and would have a wider array of opportunities available to me. Instead, I chose the most business-like major in Weissman as my second major to diversify my experience. However, after going through that experience I can say that the classes offered for Business Communications are just glorified liberal arts classes; there is not much business-related information you can learn there. I certainly believe you can gain the same skills by taking English classes, for instance, as they also teach you how to be a good communicator, which you can then apply to a corporate environment. My major was just the business specialization of communications, but the communications major overall (including regular comm and graphic comm), in my opinion is a waste of the schools and your money and swindles students into believing they can learn business or professional skills in a classroom. This major teaches you soft skillsit will not make you stand out of the crowd when applying to jobs. You may learn how to write, speak, carry yourself properly if you have a good professor, but all those skills youre already learning as a by product from your other classes (I emphasize English here) as well as on your professional development and job search journey. I would advise to stay away from communications overall and major in something more nuanced that you can call a hard skill. If you look at the job possibilities the communications department offers on their website, theres a reason that it touches literally every industrybecause it will not give you a strong suit in any. In that way, this degree in Business Comm did not help me find an appropriate job after school all because the Zicklin school wants to shame its students for wanting to be multifaceted.Another glaring weakness about the school is the ironic incompetence of the Zicklin School of Business departments. I had friends and acquaintances who were studying in Zicklin and some in Weissman. The difference in accommodation, readiness, friendliness, and proactivity in the two schools is astounding. The accounting and finance departments for example were constantly slow to fulfill students requests; the staff was less than happy to help and unfriendly; and most notably, the professors failed to provide individual help and students felt they were treated like numbers in a system rather than individuals with learning potential. If you are struggling to keep up in a competitive, difficult class, well, tough! I had a particularly horrible experience with an economics professor who was inattentive to his students and sent a substitute to his classroom several times due to certain ills old age brought him. When students got disgruntled and most failed the final, we wanted to address this with the department. However, the professor had tenure, and student complaints were powerless. Instead, the professor ended up curving grades. This was not all helpful to either learning the material or how to be an adult, but this was the case in many difficult classes in which professors would rather curve the grade than do their due diligence to provide extra attention to those who need it. This is absolutely shameful. On the other hand, the Weissman departments I encountered were everything Zicklin wasnt: they usually fulfilled requests swiftly and with ease; they were always happy to help and welcoming; and the professors were well-learned, enthusiastic to share their knowledge, and always available to help! I have formed connections with a few professors which to this day I admit I still have. My department of political science also sent out emails almost daily with internship and job opportunities. They held networking events, invited current and former students to special talks and conferences, and occasionally held departmental social events or parties. This formed a sense of community among the students and between the students and staff and made me feel welcome. My friends experience with the English department at the time was similar; he worked on a thesis paper with an English professor who helped him network with others and to this day, still sends him job opportunities. Ironically, Baruchs status as a business school doesnt hide the fact that their liberal arts staff and departments are more competent and eager to teach and help students. Finally, my experience has shown me that Baruch floods its curriculums with general education classes rather than specialized classes that would otherwise help students narrow down their interests and build their expertise. I suspect this is because finding and paying specialized teachers is not favorable or easy and gen-ed classes are very easy to teach as well as cheaper to provide. For example, I took a higher level politics class, and the professor openly admitted he was not teaching the kind of advanced material this class should offer if he were in another school solely because the students are not prepared. Therefore, we were not getting the kind of quality education we were owed with our money. Of course, I was not offended because I agreed. The politics students were not prepared to jump from introductory government to an advanced class (I wont reveal the name of the class to keep the professors identity anonymous). This deeply saddened me, and I realized this scenario was the status quo in many majors at the school. There were many gaps in curriculums the school just wasnt filling up. If it were up to me, I would have Baruch reallocate some funding to dedicate more resources to specialized courses to prepare students better for graduate school or the workplace.Overall, my Baruch College experience was less than ideal. The irony of this business school is that the liberal arts departments, courses, and professors are more adept to help and teach students. Despite the school funneling funding into the Zicklin business school, some liberal arts departments have great potential but cannot reach it with their students because of the reputation Baruch has as strictly a business school. That is why, despite my wonderful experience as a politics major, I do not recommend majoring in liberal arts at Baruch. I have made friends and met inspiring, intelligent professors, but because Baruch is not a research institution, I do not believe this experience went far. On the other hand, if you go to Baruch for business, be warned that the culture and logistics of the Zicklin school is cut-throat and extremely individualistic. In accounting classes, for instance, only 20% of the class can get an A. If you are struggling, you may be on your own. Baruch College as a whole focuses more on formalities and grades, so if you are an inquisitive student wishing to get a traditional education experience in the end rather than simply a piece of paper that supposedly conveys your worth, maybe reconsider Baruch as your choice."

"Attending Baruch was a challenge. I faced much confusion and the staff seems to never want to help you with anything. You can't even bother calling the office. You actually have to commute to the school to resolve any issues, and even then you still might not get the problem solved. My professors at this school were phenomenal and truly made this experience something I was able to take away from. Going to school in the city had major advances such as your professors coming from Columbia and NYU so you get Ivey League without coming out of pocket for it. Joining clubs are limited because they meet during the day so if you work full-time you won't be able to even take part. This is a commuter school so many of the students just come to class and go home."

"The school provides a quality education at a reasonable price. I was able to graduate with my bachelor's degree debt free which was a major plus. The department itself was great with quality, experienced and well connected faculty. Overall I recommend Baruch College."

"Baruch is a very good school for students are interesting in business. The tuition is pretty cheap. Even I worked part time, with financial aid, I enrolled full time and finish my degree in two years. The coursework were challenge, but it is good for your future career. All students are very smart. Professors are intelligent and kind. Strongly recommend this school!"

"my college is conveniently located and it's a good local school for business."

"Baruch College had some of the best instructors. My favorite, Professor W. Although the courses were challenging, I found most of what I learned useful in the workplace. However, Baruch was not very diverse. During my attendance at Baruch, the African American and Latino populations were very low. I think it would be great to see a more diverse student body in the future. I did like that Baruch had a swiping ID system to be able to enter the building which made the campus feel very safe. You needed your ID every time you entered either the NV building or the 23rd street building. The elevators are normally packed during the evening so to beat the rush you may want to arrive a few minutes earlier to class especially in the 23rd street building. The financial aid office was always helpful. However, I think that Baruch could have better advertised study abroad and how students could finance study abroad through scholarships. Depending on what you major in, (finance and accounting) seemed to have the highest earning potentials. The networking opportunities are great especially for finance and accounting majors. I am satisfied with the degree that I received and I am grateful for some of the professors I've had that taught me things I could apply outside of the classroom. I do hope that the STARR career center improves with placing more students with internships or perhaps mandate an internship as a graduation requirement."

"Great affordable college located in the heart of NYC"

"Excellent faculty and students. Not all programs are created equal, so it's important to research beforehand. We had a lot of guest speakers from the industry and the information was always on the cutting edge. A lot of group projects."

"I thought it was great for the field I was in - Accounting/Taxation. It has a good reputation with employers so it helped to get a degree from there to get in the door with some companies."

"Baruch College, one of the schools of the City University of New York, was a great school to attend. It is a well known school that is famous as a great business school, that being said the culture at the school is a bit underwhelming. The school prides itself on its diversity but its diversity is mirrored by its isolationism by the diverse cultures. They say that one of the biggest complains about Baruch College students is that they do not know how to communicate, which is completely understandable when you see how these business classes are structured. The school is very good and very rigorous, which I guess is a good thing and a bad thing. Recently the school has begun pushing "group work" activities among the Business school, which I believe is a good way to tackle this."

"Baruch College is a hidden gem in the heart of Manhattan. As an alumnist, I have to say, Baruch provided me with all the tools to pursue my dreams. The professors on campus truly care about their students. The campus has a very positive and diverse school climate."

"Great place to learn!! I enjoyed meeting and being exposed to newer methods of teaching/learning. Professors were kind and helpful. As students we are the coolest! The labs always had enough room. And most of the time the person next you is very friendly."

"Baruch College is a great place to go to school. Their facilities are impeccable and they have the best technology to help you succeed. I think their academic advisement and opportunity for tutoring, or academic help were extremely helpful. I think they need better job placements and career services. The area were the school is located is very urban and diverse, easy to commute to and with lots of good commerce around (stores, restaurants). My time here was excellent."

"Baruch College is an institution centered on diversity. This key component to the school's high level of academics is represented in class, clubs, student life, professors, and perspectives. As an English major, I was able to sit in unique classes like African American literature or Prose of Modern Israel, with a plentitude of outlooks represented in each. Professors at Baruch are open minded and respect is mutual between them and students. While Baruch is widely known for its business programs, the same high standard applies to its arts and sciences majors. Through it all, there is one thing that remains clear : the emphasis for an existence in harmonious relations between all."

"The students consist to a large extent of people working full-time, and thus most lectures take place in the evening. This represents a good networking opportunity with professionals who work in public administration and with non-profits. It is a public university and as such, the buildings have "character". Nevertheless, the quality of education is solid, and faculty and administration have a great attitude and will do their best to assist students with whatever problems they might have. The spirit at Baruch College is excellent."

"Baruch is a great school to go and pursue a graduate degree. If attending this school, or other CUNYs, you absolutely have to be on top of the school for everything. Registrar, bursar, all of these offices do not give you a heads up when it comes to dropping your classes or adding on additional payments to your school bill. This is extremely frustrating especially to a a first year student. This is my only issue with the school"

"I think the neighborhood food was the best part of Baruch. Korean BBQ, Indian, Thai... oh, and bubble tea! Everything was mainly focused on business majors, so liberal arts majors were neglected. Otherwise the psychology department probably has some of the best professors in the school. There are club hours on Thursday, so getting a computer in the lab or a seat in the library is difficult during that time is difficult. Otherwise resources available are good, I highly recommend the career center as there are always job postings and the counselors are very good and work well with you."

"Not too much of a course selection. Half the professors so far are pretty good and the other half are pretty bad. Not a lot of resources to help the students. Barely any classes have TA's. Overall, it's an fine college for the location and it's price."

"Amazing school. Amazing professors, very good insights"