Emerson College Top Questions

Most of your professors will know your name. Because of the nature of the school, "studying" is more often going to take the form of directing a play or film or creating a marketing strategy. But students work hard. The professors are very acessible. I took a class on Sex Comedy. We studied films like Animal House! Students are extremely competitive. Whether it's more practical or intellectual is kind of up to you - there are both ends of the spectrum. The math, science, and language requirements are slack to nonexistent, but you do have a well-balanced plate of liberal arts, which is nice. A lot of the arts schools I looked at seemed to dispense with that altogether, but I managed to minor in psychology.

Great

Small classes and interesting topics go a ways, but the academics aren't that challanging. Don't expect a "college education" because you'll get an "Emerson College Education". Common themes of study: Media in Culture, Postmodern Art, Gender Politics, Environment Ethics, Emerson and their lack of Diversity. Fostered creative and analytical thinking, but not the best preparation for future, higher education.

The classes are pretty good. Like any school, you have your bad professors and your good professors, and while the bad professors are just terrible, the good professors are amazing! The biggest class I had was MAYBE 70 students, and that was a LECTURE class; most of my classes were about 20 people, tops.

Does anybody go to Emerson to learn? I thought it was just to meet cool people who just happen to be teachers that sort of recommend books by way of assignments... A lot of the courses won't transfer as credits to another institution of either higher or lower learning (ie, Caribbean Imagination.. I mean, come on...)

I'm a grad. student at Emerson now and I wish I would have done my undergraduate work here. My area of study is creative writing and there are so many great writers who teach here that I wish I would have had four more years as an undergrad. to get to know them. I hear people who are in communication and publishing get excellent jobs. I meam, I'm trying to be a writer so it's obviously going to be more difficult. Emerson does have a good reputation all the way around though, and I'm hoping my masters degree will help me land a good teaching job while I try to write.

If you're a theater major, a film major, or a radio major, you're in good shape. If you're anything else, forget about it--you're second tier.

Academics are tough to classify at Emerson. At a creative school, a lot of work done is subjective. It is great place to pool creativity though. It helps to be around other creative people pushing and collecting ideas.

The classes are always relatively small (you'll never be in a huge lecture class or feel like you're lost among the masses). Also, we have a lot of very interesting electives, one of the most popular being Burlesque. Participation, depending on the type of class, is usually high because the students here really like to get involved in what they're learning. Professors are usually very knowledgeable, understanding, and willing to reach out to their students. Of course there are general educations requirements, so not every class you take will be something you're absolutely in love with or will relate to your career, but they're essential and usually not too bad. I suggest looking at ratemyprofessors.com ahead of time always before you sign up for a class, just to get an idea of the course and the professor. Also, ask former students, because we're always willing to give good feedback. The things you learn in your classes are very essential to the skills you need in your specific field and while you get experience from this, it's also very important to supplement this learning with outside work in organizations.

Most professors I know not only by name but by their first name. I even have my film professor's phone number so that we could call him for help outside of class, and I have used that number often while filming. Most professors tend to be a little crazy but that is kind of necessary at this kind of a school. Best film professor is Peter Flynn, get him for any class if you can. Classes are small so you get to know most people in your class and end up participating in some way. The classes that you have to take make you well rounded and then your major classes are geared toward your field and getting a job. However in film, a lot of your vital education about filming is found on set and not in class. Class just serves as a base point, you have to go the extra step.

Emerson professors usually know who you are if for no other reason than the class sizes are small enough to recognize all faces. The classes are challenging in course load, and the professor's responsive to the students needs, but at times, the classes are too flexible. The things that are tolerated in an Emerson classroom might not be accepted at an ivy league. The students seem to be competitive in their discipline, but interdisciplinary studies seem to have students feeling removed and less involved. The academics are so specialized that the percentage of classes that promote "learning for learning's sake" is far less than at other schools, but it does exist in small doses. The job placement rate at Emerson is very high comparatively speaking, and do to the specialization, is very geared towards finding work after graduation.

Classes are small, teachers usually more laid back than typical professors, and i hardly ever got let out of class early. There is a mix of really amazing and really horrific professors. Unfortunately, i had the bad ones in most of my required courses. These professors mostly taught lecture based classes, were unengaging and narrow-minded. My favorite professors have treated the class like we are collogues; giving us details about the industry in which we might attempt to work, and give us tips for what jobs in our field are the least stifling. There is lots of encouragement at this school from professors and staff. The hidden gem at Emerson for me was the writing and academic resource center. Here i got help, not in a shameful way like taking a remedial writing class, but with staff and grad students who are fun and help with ideas, time-management, writers block, and good old editing.

The classes are usually pretty small, which means you get a lot of personal attention from professors. Nobody takes math or science courses (except for the one required class), but almost everyone has some background in their chosen major. Some of the classes are a joke, but you can find really interesting, thought-provoking courses. You just have to know where you're going and where to look. This school is like a four-year internship; everyone wants you to get a job SO BADLY.

The writing, literature, and publishing professors are by far the best i've ever had in three colleges. In my 3 years here I only ever had one professor I didn't like, and most I adored.

Professors are very good about knowing everyone's names and very helpful. My favorite class was Writing for Marketing Communications thus far. Least favorite was probably "Blues, Blacks, and Whites" just because it was too historically uninteresting to me. Class participation for the most part is necessary to receive a good grade, so you have got to be motivated! There are extremely intellectual topics and conversations both inside and outside the classroom. Students are extremely competitive, but that depends on the student, class size, and professor. The most unique class I've taken at Emerson would be Political Thought. Although it was a very difficult course, I did learn a lot...and probably know more than the average person about the foundation of our very laws and government administration system. My major is marketing communications and it is a great major because you learn so much about how everything in any industry is related and connected through social media and networking! Emerson is geared towards both learning for the sake of landing that dream job!

If you're looking for a school to skim through and not be paid any attention, this isn't the one. The largest class I had involved 30 students yet was still lead by "conversation" (as opposed to simple lecture). Emerson professors respect individuality, even when it comes to grades and such. You could take the same class more than once and it would be different each time because the students are so diverse. The professors are passionate, knowledgable and they treat students as both adults and individuals.

Class sizes are fairly small and professors definitely know your name and are always willing to give you extra help if you ask. Students are friendly, quite outspoken and usually competitive.

Mostly easy except for the last two weeks of every semester. Finals and midterms are a joke if your course even has one. Good writing and critical analysis are a must for prettey much everyone. First year theater majors tend to be extremely frustrated. A lot of the classes seem like bullshit. All the classes are very interresting at least.

The classes, other than the seminars, are small and personal. Students are extremely dedicated to classes, mainly because most of them are workshops. Classes at Emerson, especially higher-level ones, are more akin to an apprenticeship. the professors take an active interest in their students, even forwarding them onto job prospects. By the time you leave if you have done your work you will have a portfolio and contacts; Emerson is entirely about getting a job.

Some professors will get to know you by name, and others won't. It really depends on the size of the class and what kind of effort you put into it. Since I've been here, I've had classes as small as 8 people, and as large as 25. My favorite class so far was probably Intro to Studio TV Production with Henry Dane - that guy is great. The thing about teachers at Emerson is that they're all pretty willing to befriend you, you just have to get over the initial professor/student barrier. I'm not talking anything inappropriate here, just that it's ok to have conversations with your teachers about things that aren't exactly class related, and you can kind of adopt a group of mentors who know an awful lot about the fields that you want to enter after graduation. They're really great people. My least favorite class...hmmm. I don't know, probably one of the gen eds. There's a bunch of general education requirements that you spend the first year and a half getting out of the way. Some of them are alright, but a lot of them are just worthless. It depends what you take and what's available when you register.