Academics
University of Nebraska鈥擮maha offers its students 鈥渁 quality education at an affordable price.鈥 Standout academic offerings include 鈥渁 hidden gem鈥 of a business school, 鈥渢he only exclusively dedicated Center for Afghanistan Studies in the nation,鈥 and 鈥渁 huge information technology program.鈥 All disciplines, but especially the business program, are 鈥渇ocused on maximizing the student鈥檚 employability after graduation.鈥 Students here take a cue from hometown hero 鈥淲arren Buffet鈥檚 no-nonsense basics-first business ideology,鈥 meaning that some of the results-oriented 鈥渟tudents here seem less concerned with scholarship and academics, and more concerned with the amount of money they will make when they graduate.鈥 Nontraditional students find a home here. As one junior writes, 鈥渁ll of my professors have been extremely willing to work with me when work and family conflict with my school schedule. My advisor and professors have been almost a cheering squad when I have been so overwhelmed that I am ready to give up on my education to pay the bills.鈥 As teachers, professors are a mixed bag. 鈥淢any of them are actively doing research and being published in their area of study. That provides the students with excellent lessons and lectures based on the professor鈥檚 experience.鈥 Then there are those 鈥渨ho are just bad teachers.鈥 Interestingly enough, 鈥淣ot only are the students well aware of it but so are other teachers. Some professors will [even] sit down with you and suggest who you should take鈥o you can get the most out of the class.鈥 Despite the praise for an advisor quoted above, many other students complain of 鈥減oor advising.鈥 Parking is also a problem, though 鈥渢hey are working on [this] by building parking structures.鈥
Student Body
鈥淭here are two types of students鈥 at UNO. First, you have 鈥渢ypical college-age student ranging from 18鈥22 years old鈥 in addition to the 鈥渕any 鈥榥on traditional鈥 students who are older adults.鈥 Many are 鈥渕iddle-class,鈥 鈥渨hite,鈥 鈥淐hristian鈥 鈥渃onservatives鈥 who come from Omaha itself, and those 鈥渘ot from Omaha still tend to come from around Nebraska or the immediate geographical region like western Iowa.鈥 鈥淭he state of Nebraska as a whole is not diverse. So thankfully UNO is a diverse campus when compared to the state.鈥 That means that 鈥淭here aren鈥檛 a lot of sideways glances going around鈥because] even the 鈥榓typical鈥 students are pretty typical compared to larger cities.鈥 Still, UNO is not completely lacking in variety, as there are 鈥渁 lot of international students to counter this.鈥
Campus Life
From a social perspective, UNO is your 鈥減retty typical midtown city commuter campus college.鈥 鈥淟ots of people are working and going to school full time,鈥 so 鈥渕ost students just care about going to class and getting off campus as quickly as possible,鈥 though there is a growing population of students living on-campus. In an effort to offer a more traditional college experience, the school is 鈥渂uilding several new dorms as part of the new 鈥楥enter Street Campus鈥 project.鈥 But you can expect traditional college pastimes at UNO. For example, 鈥淚f you love sports, Division I hockey games against schools like Michigan and Ohio State in sold-out arenas may suit you. If the size of the crowd doesn鈥檛 matter, the football, soccer, volleyball and basketball teams are consistently top-notch.鈥 So while 鈥淭he campus feel doesn鈥檛 hit you directly in the face, like at many other colleges鈥f you get involved with student organizations or activities, you鈥檒l feel it.鈥 Off-campus, 鈥渢here is a very large bar scene here in Omaha,鈥 and 鈥減artying is big here. The weekends are crazy.鈥 One common, if somewhat unexpected, complaint is that there is 鈥渁 lot of smoking in the open areas.鈥 鈥淲e can鈥檛 get around it,鈥 says a student.
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