Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

ungovernablemushroom t1_izlc1kd wrote

I’ve lived in Springfield my entire life and just started attending Drury this semester at 26 years old. As far as being a part of the cultural fabric… it definitely doesn’t have the presence that MSU has. It’s kind of hidden away off of Chestnut with a very small student body. I see sports updates on the local news every so often, but that’s about it.

I never really heard anything negative about Drury until I started going there, and those comments were from current students. Drury is private, and growing up I always thought of it as “the rich kid school” (I come from a family with a very modest income). It is more expensive than MSU, and definitely more expensive than OTC, which I got my transfer degree from because of my financial situation.

When I decided to go back to school, and knew I’d have to take out student loans either way, I decided on Drury because of how small it is. The average class size is 13 which, for me, is really really nice.

Academically I think it’s a pretty good school, at least the Psych program (but the only point of reference I have is OTC, so keep that in mind). The behavioral sciences department head works really hard to find out what grad schools are looking for, and implements that into the curriculum and degree requirements. I really like it there, but as far as integration in the cultural fabric of Springfield… it just doesn’t have the community support and awareness that MSU and OTC have.

21

sgt-stutta t1_izldhhj wrote

Would also add that it's Architecture school and Business school are up there with the same programs at the larger midwest schools.

Like you said, Drury has small class sizes, so you have more 1-to-1 interactions with your instructors. Definitely has it's benefits. The downside of Drury's small size is a smaller pool of programs/majors to choose from, and not all of the programs are as good as the two I listed above. As an example STEM programs were on the weaker side during my time there. Not bad, by any means, but you didn't have access to the expensive lab setups you'd get a large, state school.

11

ungovernablemushroom t1_izli3x1 wrote

Yes I forgot to mention their Architecture and Business school! Thank you for pointing that out. I agree wholeheartedly about the STEM programs

6