Mmm, hrmm, *ahem* *aggressively clears throat* MMM...

Mmm, hrmm, *ahem* *aggressively clears throat* MMMMMM, okay.

Now, shall we begin?

For the record, I attended UNLV for one year, my freshman year of college. I chose UNLV because they had a good program that I wanted to study (that program being Criminal Justice), and there was a very good job opportunity for me as well, with the school. The truth is, the job was more important in my decision-making than the studies. That's not to say the program wasn't good, I did enjoy the few classes I took. I don't have much experience to say this with certainty, but I believe UNLV's criminal justice program is a good one.

I lived on campus, and actually had the opportunity to experience two dorms, as I was moved buildings in the middle of the year after a dispute with my roommate. I don't have any complaints about the dorms. They seemed well-kept, and the maintenance department did a good job of taking care of anything that needed attention. UNLV doesn't believe in community restrooms (their words, not mine), so in any dorm, you get your bathroom, which is nice I suppose. Living on campus, you're required to have a meal plan, which many groan about, but I didn't hate the food. I also understand I'm a pretty simple guy when it comes to the things I eat, so I routinely enjoyed the crispy chicken sandwiches and had no problems. I'd say the healthier options provided some variety, in that you could always make your own salad with all kinds of fixings, and fruit was also always available. The freshness could be dicey at times, so tread carefully around wilted lettuce, but it's fine most of the time.

I had no issues with the amenities provided to me by the university. When I was going through that room-change process, the housing department made it very easy for me. The university had a lot to offer, I felt.

However, when it came to campus life, I was sorely disappointed. Perhaps my expectations were too high, and perhaps my experience is not representative of the true nature of UNLV, but I think it might be.

Life on campus severely lacked a sense of actual community. Not only that, but I believe that UNLV, and perhaps the city of Las Vegas itself attracts a strange crowd of folks, and those folks, I believe, can be divided into two groups: 1. Locals, who have grown up like this and know nothing else, and 2. people who chose UNLV for Las Vegas. After a year in Las Vegas, I felt extremely isolated, and that could be because I was not like any of the people around me, and was not the kind of person to embrace the partying, live free, no rules kinda culture. That being said, I found the community around me in the dorms, and abroad, to express a "closed-door policy," if you will. Which, if you think about the city, makes sense. It's hotter than hell most months out of the year, so everyone keeps their doors shut to keep the AC in. Consequently, it keeps people out. The locals grow up with it, and the out-of-staters seek it out. I believe UNLV attracts the kind of person who desires to live by the saying "what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas," and if you're not about that, the door stays closed.

When I expressed to my friends that I wasn't into drinking and partying, each and everyone one of them stopped being my friend. I was an outcast from that circle, and there was no way I was going to find a more agreeable circle in that desert.

I moved back home and started attending a new university, which I have found to far surpass UNLV in all departments.

Perhaps going to school in Sin City was just not for me, but I will say there are many, many better schools out there than the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Maybe try UNR.