火爆社区

Fairfield University is 鈥渞ooted in real-world application鈥� and career development. 鈥淪ervice learning is a big thing,鈥� with one student pointing to work in a computer science class for a local nonprofit鈥檚 website: 鈥淥ur group did everything from the ground up, developing and communicating with the clients.鈥� Some classes let students 鈥済o off campus to engage with the local community, and we bring what we learned back into the class curriculum鈥�. They are always my favorite because they are engaging and get me out of my comfort zone.鈥� One student finds that their 鈥渁cademic experience has been both rigorous and deeply rewarding. My professors challenge me to master complex material while also鈥�offering encouragement that reinforced my confidence and motivation.鈥� Across majors, students name 鈥渢he faculty who care about student success鈥� as one of Fairfield鈥檚 greatest strengths. One student appreciates that professors go out 鈥渙f their way to nourish my passions and help me go further with my academics.鈥� Students also note Fairfield鈥檚 鈥渋ncredible career development services.鈥� The Dolan School of Business 鈥渆xcels at preparing students for life beyond college. Networking events and career preparation activities occur daily,鈥� with some students reporting that they 鈥渉ave jobs lined up once they graduate.鈥� In short, 鈥淔airfield allows for students to explore so many different options and has a great career center to help prepare students for life after graduation.鈥�

Stags are 鈥淔airfield-centric and beach-loving students鈥� who prioritize 鈥渆veryone helping each other.鈥� As Fairfield attracts 鈥渁 large Catholic population and people interested in service who were drawn to a Jesuit school,鈥� students 鈥渧alue serving the community鈥�[and have a] strong sense of compassion, initiative, and commitment to service.鈥� As one student describes it: 鈥淢y peers look to help one another by鈥�participating in class discussions, and supporting peers at club events and sporting events.鈥� As a result, the overall ethos is that of 鈥渙ne big friendly community of people all connected.鈥� Students also share that the student body, 鈥渨hile innovative, warm, and encouraging, is not the most diverse.鈥� According to some undergrads, 鈥渕ost students fall within the same demographic,鈥� of East Coast, 鈥減redominantly white, [and] from middle-upper class backgrounds.鈥� Within the campus community, Stags count on each other to 鈥渓isten and support one another, and help each other along their journey of life.鈥�

Stags, as Fairfield students are playfully known, note that 鈥渢here are so many great student organizations that foster such amazing communities on campus,鈥� which 鈥渕akes Fairfield feel like home.鈥� Students also speak highly of the 鈥渕any facilities,鈥� from the residences to dining areas like Peet鈥檚, where they can 鈥渉ang out with friends, socialize, or get work done together.鈥� The 鈥済reat recreational facility鈥� is also a social hub. 鈥淭here鈥檚 also always a lot of people at the gym, and we have a strong intramural sports program,鈥� which 鈥減rovides the opportunity to meet lots of different people and have fun.鈥� During warmer weather, 鈥渆veryone loves to use the grass spaces to hang out outside, doing work or playing games.鈥� Sunny weather also sees Stags heading 鈥渄own to the beach area to relax with friends.鈥� Just a short walk from campus, the Long Island Sound 鈥渋s a major selling point for the school, creating a large community of beach-house students.鈥� While at the shore, students can be found exercising鈥攚alking, running and paddleboarding are popular鈥攁nd socializing, whether it鈥檚 a casual hang or one of the daytime parties (鈥渄arties鈥�) that students say happen Thursdays through Saturdays. Students also point to the free programming of Fairfield at Night for its 鈥渧ery fun activities and ways to meet people.鈥� Whether it鈥檚 sports, clubs, or beaches, 鈥減eople tend to be active.鈥�

Fairfield grads 鈥渉ave great job placement 鈥� [thanks to academic] programs that are fantastic.鈥� Some of this might be attributed to the university鈥檚 鈥渆asy access to NYC and Stamford,鈥� both of which offer 鈥渋ncredible options for internships and jobs.鈥� But on top of all of that, students can utilize the career development office, which offers events throughout the year that include r茅sum茅 writing workshops, industry spotlights, and employer information sessions. Undergrads can participate in a job shadowing program with alumni to get a taste of professional life. There is also Mock Interview Day, where students have a face-to-face meeting with a professional and receive performance feedback afterward. The center also offers Sophomore Success career development seminars that give second-year students the foundational skills needed in a career search, and the Center鈥檚 Senior Launch series prepares seniors for post-collegiate life, teaching students about budgeting, evaluating job offers, and finding apartments. Students鈥� appreciation extends beyond the career office, though, as 鈥渁ll university offices are extremely helpful and oriented towards student success.鈥� Payscale.com reports that Fairfield alumni earn a median starting salary of $74,300.