College of Charleston Top Questions

Theres a huge variety of classes here, so that keeps it interesting. Also, since were a liberal arts college you have to take a large variety also, and even though some of us hate math and others language, its good to be sort of forcibly exposed to these things because, for me at least, ive definitely learned to appreciate things that i would have never thought i would (examples? philosophy, arabic, and ballroom dancing). As far as everything else, it really is what you make it. I know tons of people that have intellectual convos out of class, and i know a ton that dont. I know lots of people who study a lot and have are like uncomfortably cool with their profs, and i know a lot who never study and cant even remember all their prof's name without their schedule in front of them. I think its best to take CofC at a nice academic middle ground. I will say this though, ive attended college classes at four different universities, and i have friends with similar backgrounds, and we all agree that cofc overall has more challenging classes than a lot of other universities, take that as you will...

Because the classes are small all the professors know your name and pay close attention to you and your work. The professors are required to have office hours and are always available though office meetings and e-mail. It is a great advantage to have your professors so accessible and willing to help

The honors college has smaller class sizes so that the teacher definately knows their student's names, but most other classes are bigger and unless you make the effort to know your teacher and ask for extra help, he or she may not know your name. But the teachers are awesome for the most part, and you feel comfortable in class. Some teachers make mroe effort than others but most of my professors have made the effort to know me and help me out whenever they can. Students aren't too competitive which is great, allowing more group studying and a less stressful environment. MY physics teachers have been amazing... one being extremely friendly and comical, allowing studetns to actually enjoy coming to class; another teacher taking the effort to take us out to a class diner paid for by the school. Classes can vary from extremely challenging to really easy, and it usually just depends on the professor and how much they care about teaching you.

Because of the smaller class sizes, all of my teachers so far have known my name. They make it so easy to speak with them outside of class and often hold test review sessions. One of my teachers would host an online chatroom the night before a test to answer questions for an hour which was really convenient because I could do it from my dorm room. I study and do homework around 4 hours per night and find that I have many intellectual conversations outside of class. I have been really impressed by my classes and have yet to have a bad one. My favorite thing about one of my classes is that for my interpersonal communications class my teacher met with us at the begining of the year to really get to know us on a personal level to ask us our favorite quotes and most important moments of our life, etc. I really knew her on a personal level as well which gave me a lot of trust in her.

As a political science major, I can say that there is a strong department at C of C. I would recomend that you put in more effort than is required because most teachers are willing to match or excede the work you will. Gen Eds on the other hand are not worth taking at C of C for most students. The other problem is that Charleston is not wordly and will often not lend itself to an ambitious attitude.

I do not have in depth experience of all the various departments and the facility employed in them; but given my experience with the C of C Political Science Department, I would have also chosen a university since I don't get the "increased attention & concern" from the facility. On the contrary, I seen to get more of a headache from them. The best possible professors to get are part-time instructors who have first-hand knowledge of their respective fields. Full-time professors often allow their own personal political views and opinions to cloud their academic judgment; this aspect often puts students in a position of just "dealing with it," since their is little recourse. Yes, you can file a grievance, however this, in my experience, is construed as being trivial in nature. Unlike a 'hard' science or mathematics, political analysis, a better terminology than "science," is an open-ended issue and often debatable. I have written papers that have been given A+ and others that were barely D's, the answer is political science, at this college, is an at risk venture. Honors and academic achievements are often issued on who bows to the professor's beliefs and preconceived political views and not the student's exploration of a particular topic. You will never write a paper that will be given the exact same grade by every professor in the department (this is politics, not quantum physics or biochemistry where there is a more concrete "yes" or "no" answer...its completely open to interpretation...and thus the nebulous grading associated with it).

Classes can be challenging but rarely are they ever impossible depending on the teacher. The professors generally know your name. Figuring out your major requirements are easy, so you don't really need an adviser for your major, I have talked to mine once.

Supreme

Whether or not a professor knows your name does NOT depend on the size of the class. Even though CofC has fairly small class sizes, I've been in classes of 15 and the professor didn't make the effort and I've also been in classes of 45 and the professor knew everyone's name and some funny story about them. I have liked all of the professors I've had in the Psychology Department. I really like that once a year they have a 'meet the professors' event where the professors talk about themselves and their research. It is so nice to have a face with the name when you are signing up for classes. Their web page is also full of great links.

The professors at the College are awesome! Class sizes are small so they all know your name if you participate, and they are more than willing to meet with you during office hours, and if you can't make office hours, they will make accomidations for you. We have a huge, brand new library where you can find hundreds of students each night.