Connecticut College Top Questions

Pretty much all of my professors know my name by the end of the semester, the only times they don't is in a large intro class. My favorite classes have been abnormal psychology and my film classes, because not only do we learn a lot but it's also enjoyable! Students study a lot, though class participation is somewhat uncommon, leaving the teachers on occasion having to force us to talk. As much as I wish we did, I don't think students having intellectual discussions outside of the class, which is annoying. Students in general aren't really competitive, for the most part we do our own thing. I don't spend much time with professors outside of class, unless I'm meeting with them for a project or for help. I do know students who do, though. Conn's academic requirements I actually really like. They keep you on your toes but are not that difficult to complete. I feel like the education is toward learning for it's own sake, though hardcore students can easily prepare for the working world.

Again, I love my professors and my classes. I have found that students here ARE into their studies, but the occasions that I have had to have intellectual conversations with people are few and far between. The math department is small but great. All the professors are so gracious and more than willing to give extra help outside of the classroom. I am also an astronomy minor, and the two classes I have taken so far have been amazing. The astronomy professors make the classes very interesting and I would recommend taking an astronomy class at some point during your college career.

Some of my professors know my name. My favorite class has to be socilogy. my least favorite is biology organisms, she is a terrible teacher. I cant say how often other study, but i study for at elast 3 hours a day. class participation is common in some classes but not all. I havent heard very many intellectual conversations outside of class. Yes conn students are competitive. My most unique class has to be reading and writing poetry. I dont have a major yet. the only time i have spent with a professor outside of class was my advisor. I feel that conn's academic requirements are fair. i feel as though its a mixture of both.

Most of my professors know my name but it really depends on the size of the class. My least favorite class is Spanish 251- it's terrible. I think students are competitive but its internal rather than external; to the best of my knowledge there's not a lot of grade comparison between students. Class participation is common but often monopolized by a few people. There are a lot of academic requirements that can be hard to finish but because it is a liberal arts school it makes sense. I don't spend time with professors outside of class.

name-yes fav-enviro studies study-every day for a couple hours class participation-big intellectual convos-often competitive-not too much that its unhealthy major-ES outside time-not really requirements-annoying but understandable. More classes should meet requirements however. I took a 200 leavel art class I later realized didn't meet the req. job+learning-definitely both

Academics are the best part of Conn. Professors know most of their students' names (all my professors know mine). My favorite class was my French Cinema class (probably due to the awesome professor). We basically watched movies, talked about them, and wrote the occasional paper. Small class size, fun material, good discussion- pretty much the definition of good Conn classes. Least favorite class: Intro to Human Development. Total bull of a subject to begin with, my professor LOVED to hear himself talk for ages, and our assignments were rarely relevant to class. Least favorite experience with a class: a professor (little older than his students with a major ego)had students "plead their cases" to him to get into a class that was full. The point was that whoever best catered to his ego trip got in. People participate in classes most of the time (usually the same people), but intellectual conversations rarely leave the classroom. Students are not that competitive (many kids do just enough to get by). Conn's academics are pretty stimulating, but not that demanding, which is nice.

Most of my professors know my name; the only ones that don't are the classes that are held in a lecture hall (like psych 101) I love psychology so those are usually my favorite classes, but I also really liked my freshman seminar--Spirituality: Foundations and Expressions--because it was such a small class and was a really easy atmosphere to get to know people in My least favorite class is Statistics because I don't feel like the teacher gives a crap about the class or whether or not anyone actually learns anything I went to a really competitive and challenging high school and I feel like Conn is easier and that the students study less here than I did for the past four years, but I'd say most kids are at least moderately serious about their academics Class participation is encouraged and common, but there are a lot of awkward silences in class because no one wants to say anything I think the GenEd requirements for graduation are reasonable; I'm in the second semester of my freshman year and I'm already done with 5 of my 7 requirements The career services are really great so in a way they emphasize getting a job, but it is a liberal arts education so of course there's an emphasis placed on becoming just a well-rounded and educated person I haven't found that a lot of intellectual discussiosn occur outside the classroom even though there are a lot of intelligent kids here

Professors are great- classes are interesting but not always very challenging

Classes are small, and work load is moderate.

Yes, most professors here are great and actually care about you. Least favorite class would have to be either Foundations of Cultural Anthropology or Human Development. Teachers SUCKED. Favorite class is either Golden Oldies with Professor Gordon aka THE MAN or anything with Blanche Boyd aka THE WOMAN. I think most students study a lot. Me? Not so much. Class participation is common. Definitely. Conn students actually have a lot of great talks outside class. I just had a really in depth talk about religion with my friends! Students are super competitive but i think most people here realize that there are just those kids who are going to do shit and get strait As and those kids who will wok their asses off for Bs. Most unique class I've taken would either be my Seminar in Fiction or Gender in Communist and Post-Communist Societies. I don't know much about the English department aside from the students seem to be uber-talented and the professors (at least the ones I've had) are super smart and great teachers. I wish I could hang out with my profs outside of class. Some of them seem really cool but I'm not brave enough to try. Requirements = reasonable I think Conn is mostly learning for learning's sake but at the same time I think they know that you're ultimately here to get a kickass job and they will not only prepare you for that academically but the CELS program will actually help you get one.

Most of my classes have been quite small, and professors generally learn names (although they don't generally seem to care about students, and name-learning seems as much classroom expedient as anything else). On admittedly rare occasions, I have had professors be overtly and offensively rude, condescending, or dismissive of me in the fact of concerted efforts to contribute to class in a substantive: there is a severe lack of debate or exchange of rational ideas on this campus, and the professors often exacerbate the situation. I basically haven't had a full class that was consistently engaging and educational all semester, but some of the meetings of some of my classes have been both of those things. The majority of my classes, however, have been at best insipid and at worst stultifying: in the past two semesters, I have had one class taught by a grad student (How does that happen at a small liberal arts college? Did we really import some woman from Brown to teach here?), one class taught by a newly minted (and consequently narrow-minded) PhD, and a bevy of classes taught with uninspired syllabi, poor class discussions, and busywork assigned as if the professor were God delegating to Noah. Students, as a general rule, do not study, except shortly before finals, though there are exceptions. Class participation then, as you might imagine, is consistently poor: many of the "discussions" I've been in consisted primarily of students blurting out single words or phrases (cogent ideas, argumentative opinions, and heated debate are longed-for fantasies in my world here). Conn students, in my experience, never have intellectual conversations outside of class, to my enormous dismay; even more alarmingly, I have occasionally been called out just for trying to promote such an exchange. The only competition I usually see amongst students is fueled by either athletics or alcohol and often both (though this is, admittedly, a nice atmosphere academically - but mostly when it's accompanied by some common standard of communication). Probably the most unique class I've taken was a seminar examining the philosophy of Socrates and the reactions it has produced throughout modern Western history. But the discussions, especially as we approached the end of the class, were so stilted and unsatisfying that even that didn't hold too much appeal (through no fault of that diamond-in-the-rough professor!). I haven't declared a major yet, because I have yet to take classes in any department that engaged me enough to want to take more. I've repeatedly met with two of my professors outside of class, but those two are two of only four that I have encountered in any capacity on campus that I respect (the third being currently on leave and unavailable, and the fourth being hopelessly unreliable in scheduling). Conn's academic requirements are pathetic: that old axiom "C's get degrees" doesn't seem to be a running joke here, it's practically the mission statement! As far as I can tell, the "education" at Conn might be geared toward getting a job, but it's probably going to be either a crappy or meaningless job, and the goal is NOT learning for its own sake, that's for damn sure.

Professors know my name. Students have intellectual conversations outside of class and take academics very seriously. The most unique class i've taken is Experimental Workshop Dance. My favorite classes are my chemistry classes, but they're tough.

My teachers do know my name, even in the bigger science classes. My favorite class was cell biology! Some students study very hard, some not too much. I don't really think I have found much intellectual discussion outside the classroom, but there are people that want that, you just have to know where to find them. Some students are very competitive, but for the most part, not overly so.

Most professors make the effort to know your name, but some are really absent-minded and don't put the effort in. Of course, there are some classes where there are just too many students for the teacher to know all of our names, but those are few and far between. -- My favorite class this semester (and last semester, actually) is Elementary French. It's pretty small and really laid back, yet we learn a lot about the language. I've had the same classmates and professors for the past two semesters (it's a two-semester class), and we all get along really well. I enjoy all of my classes this semester, so I don't think that I have a least favorite, although The New Testament and Music Theory can get pretty boring sometimes. However, I dreaded going to Linear Algebra last semester...the professor did not do a good job, and I ended up getting frustrated and not doing well. -- Most students study everyday for at least something, but we aren't a campus that is full of students who are glued to the books 24/7. -- Depending on how interesting/engaging a class is, there can be a lot of participation to very little. Most classes fall somewhere in between the two extremes, however. -- I know that I have had multiple intellectual conversations outside of class with all of my friends and my roommate. I'm not sure how common this actually is, but I can't imagine that we are the only students on campus who talk academics outside of class. -- I think everyone here is competitive to some degree, but, in most cases, it so that they can better themselves as students, not just to one up a rival. -- The most unique class, when it comes to subject matter, that I have taken would be my Freshman Year Seminar which was involved crime and detective novels. -- I haven't declared yet, but I am most likely going to be a Theatre major with a concentration in acting. We have a pretty good theatre department here from what I have heard. -- Unfortunately, I do not spend anytime with my professors outside of the classroom setting, although I know students who do. -- I think Conn's requirements are pretty rigorous but not too bad. We definitely get a comprehensive study here of all kinds of different subjects. -- Classes are more geared toward learning, especially at the more basic levels, but we have all kinds of different things, such as CELS and CISLA, that are geared toward getting a job. Also, there are many senior seminars that help with more career-oriented subjects.

I have had an unbelievably positive academic experience here at Conn. I have become close with many professors, and have gotten a chance to either eat or just chat with them outside of class. Professors are great about giving their time, and I really respect the professors I've had for their dedication and brains.

Good variety of classes Most professors are very approachable and willing to help Good prep for jobs

all the professors know my name, my teacher in a 90 student chem class knew my name in the first week

All my professors always know my name! The biggest class I had was 80 people, and the smallest was 5. Usually, I think my classes are around 15 people. People tend to participate in class a lot, and it's expected that you do your reading-- this isn't one of those schools where you go to class and no one has done the reading. If that happens, the professor is usually pretty angry. But there are classes you can slack off in if you know what to take. Most Conn students have a good balance between studying and relaxing, but I've experienced the workaholic lifestyle a bit, when I took an Asian language. While I was taking an intensive language, I learned how not to procrastinate, because if I procrastinated I wouldn't have enough time to do my work. While this made life not so fun, the language class was challenging and the professor extremely dedicated, and I can now speak the language almost fluently. Also, the class got to go to Asia for three weeks over winter break on a T.R.I.P. (Travel, Research, and Immersion Program)! I'm an Anthropology major, which has been very exciting at Conn because of the proximity to the two Connecticut Native American reservations. The Mashantucket Pequot's have the leading Native American museum, and it's about a half-hour drive away from the school. I did an internship there with an archaeologist. I also worked at Mystic Seaport, which is a living history museum of a 19th century whaling town. So there are lots of opportunities. I'm a student at the Holleran Center at Connecticut College, which means I'll be graduating with a certificate in Public Policy and Community Action. We call it PICA (Program in Community Action) for short. Through this program, I've taken special classes, and I was given $3,000 in the summer of my junior year to do an internship with a public policy and community action focus. I've also learned a lot about policy and community organizations through the program, which will help me find a job I want when I graduate. The Conn education is certainly not all about getting a job when you graduate, though! A lot of us end up following alternative career paths when we graduate, and we usually have a significant group of graduates going into programs like Teach for America and the Peace Corps. I will be joining Teach for America when I graduate in May.

All my professors know my name, although they would be hard pressed not to considering our small class sizes. I personally really enjoy the learning atmosphere at this school because it is geared towards learning for its own sake. Knowledge is viewed as a tool, one that can not only aid in personal growth, but communal and global growth as well.

Most of my professors do know my name, and I love the professors here. My favorite classes have been in the english department. I think the amount students study varies a lot through the student body, but students are not competitve. I wish they was more intellectual discussion out of class and that I could spend more time with professors outside of class. I really like Conn's academics.