Should I attend University of Hawaii at Manoa?

[EmmiJ]

I am from Oregon and I am debating on whether to go to the University of Hawaii at Manoa. I am majoring in biology or zoology and I have heard some great things about their programs. I have heard some negative things about Hawaii though... I am an adventerous type and want to leave home. Has anyone attended the University of Hawaii at Manoa and want to give me their two cents or just live in Hawaii and want to give me a pros and cons list? Anything would be greatly appreciated

[HarveyKinko]

The island of hawaii does not take kindly to people who are not locals. You will have to pay a higher tuition because you are not only coming from out of state but you cannot avoid it because you are not hawaiian. I live in Hawaii right now (military) and I don't like the local people and their attitude everything they do revolves around money and their Meth addiction which is a big problem and you probably will not get your car stolen but you will have it broken into. The local people feel as if you owe them something because a long time ago these islands were taken away from them by the US government and so on. Also everything is expensive here and the cost of living is high here but if you get a good job it will pay more than anywhere else my wife is a Registered Nurse and she was making almost $50 an hour with a temp agency but since everything is so expensive the advantage is negligable but living here can be a wonderful experience if you don't let the local people bring you down (or is it if the local people will allow you to since it is "their" island) other than that I do enjoy it and I do here wonderful things about their biology and zoology programs. Also you will have to move all of you things and vehicles which can get expensive.

[jtorimo]

UH is an OK school. I attended since it was very affordable (in state tuition) and I didn't want to spend 10 years of my life paying off student loans. Some negatives are the high cost of living (other than tuition) and to be honest the campus is in need of a lot of repair. It has some very good programs in areas like international business, marine biology, and East Asian Languages. If you wish to study Japanese or Chinese UH is a great place to do it. There are a large amount of foreign students who attend the university, not surprising given its location. This is more common in the graduate programs however. However undergraduate students from foreign countries were also relatively common. I would say in some areas like engineering or business over half of all students in graduate programs were from other countries. Many were from Asia, but I also met many Australians, and Europeans as well. I was exposed to many different cultures while I was there. If you are the adventurous type then would say go for it.Edit: To the poster above I don't know why you think Hawaii is not accepting of non-locals. It is probably the most ethnically diverse state in the country. If anything I've found the people to be MORE accepting of outsiders than many places on the continental U.S.Honolulu actually has a very low crime rate, it's one of the safest big cities to live in.

[LexiS8589]

Of course you should go! My Mom went there and she said it is the BEST college ever. They are real friendly and they have the best professers. My mom is actuallt probably enrolling me there in the next few years.

[boomergal7568]

I have heard others espouse the same stuff that Harvey did above. All I can say is that I moved here from Boston > 30 years ago & have felt very welcomed by locals. Hawaii isn't a perfect place, but it isn't anything like what he depicted. As far as UH goes, both of my kids have gone there. I think it is an all right place, but probably not my top choice for where I would like to send my kids if money were no object. It is a big, state school & so you can expect things like large class size, graduate students teaching survey classes, etc. But given what it is (a large, state school) I think it gives good value for the dollar. Won't be so much so for you, given that you are paying out of state tuition. Also, it is mostly a commuter school, so you won't have quite the same experience dorming that you might at another school.

[akgirl]

I lived in Maui for four years and am planning to move to Oahu to finish school at UH Manoa. I have loved every minute of living in Hawaii. If you are outdoorsy and adventurous there is plenty for you to do. I have found the locals to be warm and welcoming, sure there are a few people who want to give you problems...but that's almost anywhere you live. Everyone makes it sound like such a big problem, but it never has been in my case. I think it has a lot to do with your attitude. It is a very expensive place to live, but you do get paid more. I look at my quality of life in the islands and I say it's worth the higher price tag any day! I'd go for it!

[inka]

I went to both HPU and UH. HPU is a private school and class sizes are much smaller (20 students on average) while my seminars at UH had 200 students in them. UH is ok overall. But definitely not an Ivy League school of course. Also, as a student it is better if you find a roommate and share an apartment because prices are high. I lived in Ala Moana when I was a student and shared a 2-bedroom apartment, which was $550 each. But that was a cheap one and you must be lucky to find a private room in the $500-600 range.Other than that Hawaii is a nice place to be a student. I was hardly ever bored. For more Hawaii info, or to see some pictures, see here: http://www.to-hawaii.com/oahu/beaches/http://www.to-hawaii.com/oahu/attractions/http://www.to-hawaii.com/universities-in-hawaii.phphttp://www.to-hawaii.com/blog/category/oahu-photos/ (click on the headlines)

[HawaiianDee]

yes and no....depends on how much you value your education and life.the education you will get from UH is not as good as that from a mainland school.And the local people are not too friendly to outsiders.The cost of living is extremely expensive, you might have to have 2 jobs to support yourself, school expenses and just living...rent is high...housing is hard to get too...long list...the dorms are all old and really gross (daughter stayed in a couple of them)Best thing is to come for a vacation...then go to school on the mainland.