Edmond D.
Yelp
It's been exactly 1 year since I left BMCC, but I can give a thorough review.
The school is in a great location, and the overall atmosphere is cosmopolitan. There are many train stations nearby that make it accessible for everyone, whether you live in Queens, Bronx, Brooklyn, or Staten Island. The streets are always crowded and flowing with life. There's a health-store literally directly in front of the campus, with a bookstore above. There is a coffee-store, a sandwich restaurant, and a pizza parlor one block away. There are numerous panhandlers selling cheap batteries, wallets, and headphones on the streets.
You also have a gorgeous park located at the back of school, with a view of the Statue of Liberty and the Hudson River. I recommend taking a stroll down there whenever you have a break in between classes.
The tuition is cheap, at about $2,000 per semester (compared to $3,000 a semester at a senior CUNY college). Thus, you can save money by going here for 2 years and then transferring to a Senior college.
The school offers various facilities, such as computer labs, swimming pools, a library, and a gym. The problem is that the school is over-crowded. To use a computer, for example, you either have to come in early (9:00 AM) or come in late (8:00 PM). If you come in the evenings, then expect to wait in line for a long time; and when you try to print, it gets hectic because many others are trying to print at the same time.
The school has classes available at all times. I once had a class that finished at 10:00 PM, and I once had a class that began at 9:00 AM. I even had Sunday classes (which I do not recommend; the place is a ghost town on the day). No matter what your situation may be, you can create a schedule that works for you. The night classes tend to have older students with families / children / work-life, and the early classes tend to have younger students.
The professors are variegated. I encountered some good ones who truly did their jobs and taught with care and professionalism. On the other hand, I encountered others who habitually ended class 10-15 minutes early after giving a lifeless lecture. Some professors placed rules, such as no cell-phones, that maintained a class-room environment. Others let students sleep, eat food, send text messages, and wear I-pods. Some professors also swore and made offensive jokes during class.
The students are not good people. As the school uses an open-admissions policy, you will encounter people who will tease others, cheat on exams, shout in the hallways, and run around like animals. In my freshman year, I once saw two guys almost get into a fight for some nonsense.
Just do as I did: Come in, mind your business, get an A+ in the class, and leave. Don't try to develop contacts at BMCC.
Overall, BMCC is a decent school to save money and get some easy college credits before transferring to a 4 year institution. It's not much better than any other community college, but it's also not much worse.