I came to Mary Baldwin as a transfer student from a community college. I had the opportunity to go to (and was accepted) well-known and prestigious state schools in Virginia, including Virginia Tech. However, I turned those offers down and their attractive financial aid packages for Mary Baldwin because it was my top choice, and it was the right choice. Mary Baldwin University was a lot of things for me. It prepared me for the real world, it offered me a safe and secure campus that I could call home, and most importantly it gave me a quality education. I had no issue transferring my credits from my community college to MBU, and now I am in graduate school, and again the large and public institution I am currently studying at had no issue taking my credits from MBU. Employers recognize MBU for the quality education that it is and in fact, I was hired right out of college to my new career. At Mary Baldwin University you are a name, not a number. You are supported and cared for, and the professors genuinely care about your performance. MBU is growing every year, and the university welcomed its largest freshman class in history in August 2018. The university saw a record number of prospective students deposit — that number is more than 400 — representing about a 230 percent increase in the number of new students from 2017–18. To me... that sounds like MBU is not only on the right track, but that it is also thriving! I am so proud to have been a squirrel, and I would highly recommend the university to anyone who has a passion for learning and a hunger for self-improvement! MBU isn't just another liberal arts college; it's an experience.

Mary Baldwin was the best choice for me as a student. This school is dedicated to seeing that its students succeed regardless of your background. You are not just a random student they are trying to make money off of; rather, you are immediately paired with an adviser that cares and will take the time to get you were you need to be. Every professor I had was dedicated to seeing that I got the most out of my education and was committed to helping me fulfill my goals. You will not fall through the cracks at this school; they do not promote unhealthy attitudes. One of the best things about Mary Baldwin is it is dedicated to student success and fostering a positive, healthy environment. As for the academics, Mary Baldwin is solid. Sure, they don't offer the amount of classes a larger university would, but they get you the basics and more. You get to know the professors so well, you end up learning more! You get one-on-one time with professors that a larger university wouldn't allow at the undergraduate level. As far as academic reputation, I had multiple friends (and a sister) transfer in and out of Mary Baldwin with the normal amount of frustration that you feel transferring to any university. No one told them that Mary Baldwin was academically inferior. And most importantly, I was accepted to all the graduate programs I applied for and got funding for each. Mary Baldwin made me a competitive applicant. If you want a large school with party opportunities, Mary Baldwin isn't the school for you. And, I will admit, the food and the dorms weren't great. And, as with any school, it had some negative aspects. But they weren't terrible, and they listen to their students. If you want a place that is invested in your development and success, Mary Baldwin is the place. If you want a healthy environment which allows you to develop academically, professionally, and personally, Mary Baldwin is the place for you. It is truly a great school.

I wholeheartedly disagree with the previous reviews. I received an excellent education at MBU, and have since gone on to an internationally-recognized M.A. program. I assure you that MBU is highly reputable, and that the classes truly prepare you to either continue your education or enter the workforce as a competitive applicant. Not to be cliché, but I never felt like a number at MBU-- every single professor I had took the time to get to know me. They were all passionate about their subjects and their students. That said, the student-teacher relationship is a two way street. Students need to be open and communicative. College is, in large part, what you make of it. To the reviewer who said that MBU "clings" to its single-sex history: of course it does, and it should! MBU spent 175 years as a single-sex institution and its history remains an integral part of its identity and ethos. Finally, difficulty transferring credits from an institution is not MBU-specific; colleges have an economic incentive to make you stay as long as they can, and will, to that end, deny you credit transfer unless the two institutions have a pre-established relationship. I admit that the system needs an overhaul to make it more equitable, but the onus is not on MBU alone.

Academics are so poorly rated that when a student realizes they have made a mistake and tries to transfer they learn just how academically inferior the school is. State colleges accept few credits from this school and sometimes recommend retaking others at community college to get a better foundation. The school encourages students to jump into coursework in their major which adds to the difficulty of transferring. Gen Ed credits have a bit better chance of transferring. The town of Staunton is great but students do not integrate into it. There are a couple of coffee shops and a grocery/deli offering free wifi within a block of campus that are devoid of students. The businesses are welcoming so can't be sure why students aren't more engaged. I can assure you it is not the library which is not as well shelved as most public high schools. Likewise the dining facilities are much more of what one would have expected in the 1980s. Professors here seem to be pretending they are at a large state school - not getting to know there students, adhering to rigid and arbitrary rule sets, and unavailability. The school also has an identity crisis. While recently turned coed, it clings to its single-sex history by hosting a program called "Mary Baldwin College for Women" and the "Virginia Womens Institute for Leadership." Every penny we spent at this school was wasted. VA offers in-state students the opportunity to successfully complete two years of community college with guaranteed admission to state schools - this is a far better option.