Colgate University Top Questions

I love my academic experience. The professors are great and it is really easy to build relationships with them, in fact they encourage it. People are pretty active in class discussions but I am a bit disappointed in a reluctance to engage in academic discussion outside of class by many students. We are smart kids, but not overly intellectual. Being in a Peace and Conflict Studies major is great because the professors are really open. My favorite class has been Weapons and War, which studies the history of weapons and explores more philosophical issues surrounding war like what is injury.

Academics at Colgate is very challenging. Students put in an average of more than 30 hours of work a week, but it is worth it. Classes are interesting and engaging, and professors are friendly and helpful. Class participation is often required in class, even in the larger lectures. There is an environment of learning for its own sake; teachers challenge us to think outside the box and apply our knowledge to a greater worldview. This manifests itself in the required courses at Colgate. We must take a wide variety of courses that range the subjects, with 4 Core classes that challenge us to apply our knowledge to the bigger picture and society at large.

Very Very TOUGH!!!Definitely hard work. Lots of papers in first 2 years.

Professors are for the most part involved with the material, the school, and the students. Classes mostly revolve around discussion. Students even (gasp) talk about interesting class material outside of class.

Professors are what make this school so amazing. They will go way out of their way to help you. The academics are very challenging and demanding, but it is only because the professors really push you to grow and develop in your four years. I am a political science major and I am currently abroad on the Colgate Geneva Switzerland Study Group. An amazing experience. Professor Shain brought a group of 18 of us and we travel around europe visiting different international institutions and seeing amazing European studies! He is an amazing guy and I met a whole new group of kids that I would have other wise never have known. Colgate Study groups are so worth it, but still VERY demanding academically.

It is a good academically challenging school.

Small classes and professors know you by name. Alot of outside class work between groups of students, like projects, presentations, studying, as oppossed to just getting a ton of homework assignments. Great academics that prepare you for the job you want.

Professors know me by name, except for psych class; students study hard as well as play hard when it comes to partying; most classes there is a grade for how often you come to class; chemistry is very difficult.

As a music major and economics minor, I've had the opportunity to see both ends of the academic spectrum. The economics department is popular and competitive, turning students out into successful finance careers. However, I've never had the same professor twice and don't know the vast majority of my many economics classmates. However, the music department is more intimate. Everyone knows each other in all the classes, and I've had the same professor for four classes, who then accompanied my senior recital. Whether you're looking for an intimate, close department, or a very large department with a lot of variety, we have majors fitting both categories.

I love living in a small college community like Colgate because it seems like everything extends beyond the classroom. Obviously, one thing that all students here have in common is that we attend classes at Colgate. I have often introduced myself to people I have classes with in settings other than the classroom, so it is a good conversation starter to talk about class. I often find myself becoming engaged in heated discussions over topics or controversies brought up in classes, or that are subjects in the news. It's funny, just the other day my friends and I were talking about how sometimes we get into very intellectual discussions at odd times, like at the bar at 1 am on Friday night. People here are very smart, and love to debate, and anytime we can, we'll talk about what interests us. I think that classes here are very conducive to fostering our passion for discussing subjects. Most classes are very small - the average is around 19 students per class, though I have had many much smaller courses than this, especially at the upper levels - and discussion based. I have become much more comfortable with speaking in class, as well as giving presentations, while at Colgate. That has really helped me during job interviews. I think the emphasis on student thought during class, as well as other students' interests in discussing issues outside the classroom setting, has really pushed me to explore what I truly believe.