Q is for...

Queens College.

This is the college that granted me both my Bachelor and Masters degrees and provided me with the education I needed to obtain the job I have today. At Queens I felt more challenged and more engaged than ever before - you could say that I found myself there. It's the first school I actually enjoyed - and that relates to both the social life and the coursework. I LOVE Queens College and I'm very proud to say that I went there.

Here is a shot of the plaza between the New Science Facility (NSF - do they still call it that?) and the Rosenthal Library. I wish that the weather conditions had been better the day I took it because on a clear day you can see the Manhattan skyline framed beautifully over fountains. All that blue sky is actually fog or smog and hides the killer view. Trust me - it's very cool.



This is NSF which may look a little familiar to Law & Order afficionados. This building and others on campus have occasionally doubled for the fictional Hudson University on L&O. (not always though - I think they may shoot some episodes at other NYC universities) I love when I recognize my alma mater on one of my favorite shows even if they do use the science department as a stand in for dorms. I suppose they can be forgiven for that since Queens is a commuter school and has no actual dorms.



Appearances on L&O aren't the only connection between Queens and the entertainment world. Betty claims to have gone to Queens on Ugly Betty and Jerry Seinfeld wore a Queens sweatshirt on his show. The difference is that Seinfeld actually went to Queens. He's not the only famous alumni. The names Ray Romano, Carole King, Paul Simon, Marvin Hamlisch, Susan Isaacs may ring a few bells.

Here's the library where I took most of my grad level classes. I didn't study here much though. The books I needed where often off the shelves or missing pages. The shame!

I went to Queens for lot's of reasons - some well thought out and others less so. I loved that the school had a real campus with a quad and a student life that included sororities (go SDT!) and fraternities. I also loved the price which was way more affordable than most other schools. It was quite a shock to my system when I had to take my last 3 grad level classes at another university. I went from paying about $100 per credit to $300 per credit (3 credits per class). Ouch!



As shocking as I found the difference in the cost between Queens and the unnamed school where I took those last 3 classes, it was nothing compared to the difference in the classwork. Noname was way easier and I found myself getting top grades with little effort and feeling like they weren't earned. Queens was rigorous and I worked my ass off for the very first time during my years there. There was no coasting. It's been invaluable and I've never regretted choosing QC.