Emerson College Top Questions

I've been pretty impressed with how challenging the CSD department is (Communication Sciences and Disorders). If you look in the right places, everyone can find a class that challenges them intellectually.

The professors at Emerson vary a lot. Some professors will never know your name and never care, and then there will be some who would give you their job in order to help you. Students are very competitive when it comes to film and writing. Two areas where one's future relies on your talent. But the ability to hold your own in that environment is very apparent in Emerson's students. We are not the kind of kids who back down from a challenge, we fight, even if it is just for dark room time. Emerson's academics are all hands on, which is very beneficial for students. We do not use a lot of text books, but group work is highly encouraged. The school defiantly gears you up for a potential job.

For Film and TV majors, which, let's be honest, is probably most of you, you'll fall into one of two opinions about the Visual/Media Arts department. The first opinion says that the teacher are capable, if boring, the classwork is fine, if boring, and you are learning, if bored while doing so. The second option says that you think your teachers are idiots, the classwork beneath you, and the only things you're learning come from your co-curriculars, like Frames Per Second or The Emerson Channel. Both of these opinions have been known to be true. Again, for film and TV majors, your gen-ed requirements will make you crazy. They will make you crazy because they are irrelevant to anything you want to do with your career. Figure out what the best way is to get credits you can bring to Emerson, either in AP courses or community college classes. Avoid the temptation to "try to get them out of the way" and pack three or four of them in a single semester - your attention span will not last like you hope it will. Journalism majors, if you can tough out taking Newsgathering, you'll be in amazing shape. This is no easy task - at least three of my friends either dropped out or changed their major in response to this class. Should you survive it, however, the rest of your in-major classes are supposedly excellent. Writing, Literature, and Publishing students - Your major basically exists to be taken as a double-major. Figure out what else you can major in before you get here, and I mean that.

Academics at Emerson are incredibly informal. The teachers usually go by their first names and communication is easy and honest. Students at Emerson are usually very focused on their major so any general requirement classes are ignored and not taken seriously. The school doesn't try very hard to make them any more interesting either. The main nightmares are Expository and Research writing, you can get out of Expository with credits from highschool but you've got to take a semester of Research writing unless you're in the honors program. I've hear tons of complaints about research writing, but I think it all depends on the teacher and the class topic, the topics range from Technology (gross) to Travel Writing, which i've heard is great. I'm in the honors program so my classes are very different. My first semester honors class was focused on literary analysis. We read tons of articles by psychoanalysts like Freud and Melanie Klein and also a lot of historical pieces. We read about 6 novels and used to articles to analyze the texts. Ok that sounds really daunting but it wasn't bad at all, in fact from what I heard it was a lot easier than the Expository and Research writing classes as far as the amount of work. Second semester you do the same thing plus a writing class which focuses on a 20 page paper about anything you want which you have all semester to write. I've been really happy with the honors program. I feel like it's a good addition to my acting major, because my brain would have probably shriveled up if i'd just done vocal warmups and yoga poses. The acting teachers are amazing, they are honest and encourage honesty from students. They know what they're talking about, all of the teachers have amazing backgrounds and credentials. Amelia Broome is a goddess, get her if you can. You go through phases with the acting program here, I get burnt out easily on some of the more abstract techniques and it can be hard because you don't feel like you're ever "acting" in class. The good thing about that is all of the acting opportunities outside of class. Their are hundreds and hundreds but you have to take the initiative to find out about them and go to auditions, no one is holding your hand, it's the real world.

Because of the small class size, most professors get to know the students fairly well. I have a lot of professors from over the years who recognize me around town, and make a point to stop and say hello or check up on me. My favorite classes have been those that are based in discussion. Professors encourage students to state their opinions, and almost demand debate. It's a great opportunity to hear all possible sides of an argument, and work on public speaking. The most unique class I've taken would be American Women in Theater: Burlesque. It was a fantastic little Interdisciplinary Studies class I took the second half of my freshman year. Sure I learned about women in theatre, but the best part was the final project: putting on a burlesque show, and/or creating a pin-up calendar. Within my department (Performing Arts) and my major (BFA: Stage Management) there have been many opportunities, as well as a fair share of issues. For example, the larger class sizes in the past few years have made it difficult for students to meet the required three shows for production credits. However, having an adviser that also works as a member of Emerson Stage makes it difficult to track her down to talk about my schedule or any personal issues. As a theatre major, it's very difficult to justify going to the Castle or to LA, as one misses an entire semester of either preproduction or production while away. Because the season spans both semesters, any time spent away from the Boston campus can be detrimental. On the whole, my education at Emerson in my department has been geared towards hands-on learning. The other courses have been for the sake of filling out my requirements, not towards job placement. For Stage Managers, until this year there was only one class specifically geared towards the major: an introductory class freshman year that was open to all majors. This year they added SMII: Practicum, but the course content hasn't been fleshed out yet. The '08 SM class has been the guinea pig test group. Hopefully, there will be more classes added in coming years.

Professors in general range from amazing to okay. A lot of teachers with have really interesting discussions in class, whether they relate to the class or not. There are plenty of opportunities to take good classes, even in general education requirements, and they prepare you well for what you need to know in the future.

Class sizes at Emerson are usually very small--I have only had one or two lecture classes that were larger than 20. The great thing about Emerson's academics is that there are so many extracurricular activities for students to participate in that sometimes give the student more experience than any classroom ever would. Combining the extracurricular experience with the classroom experience is, in my opinion, one of the best ways to learn. The Theater department is a friendly, fun place to be. You'll find people that share the same interests (theater, of course), and you'll find people who disagree with you on most things. People in the theater department can get pretty cliquey, though, if you know what I mean--the stage management majors stick together, the BFA acting majors stick together, etc.

The teachers are usually on first-name basis with the students, and my favorite class involves a lot of discussion with the class as a whole, and the class i like the least is a strict research writing class that is mandatory for all students. I think there are a lot of really intellectual conversations outside of class, but there isn't a very competitive atmosphere. Spending time outside of class with a professor is not commonplace, and to do so would be seen as kind of weird. The academic requirements at Emerson are a little much. I am a creative writing major and yet I have to take a math class, a psychology class, a science, two kinds of history, and more. It seems more like they want you to learn for its own sake. However, if you are in a film or acting major then of course the classes related to that field would help you get a job. Some of the majors offered are just so wide spread that you won't get a lot of "job" help until senior year.

At Emerson, in my experience, students like to have fun, a lot of fun. But they also want that summa cum laude mentioned at graduation so schedules are pretty much packed with a balance of class, homework, and down time for whatever you want to do. If you want to go out and party and have fun than students just plan carefully when they will get everything else done. Also, most of the people I've met are really involved and not in just one organization, usually at least two. It is competitive but it prepares you for the real world. In class professors know who you are after the first week. Of course than this doesn't allow for skipping class like it does at bigger schools. But the relationship you have with your professors, who tend to be really chill in my experience, is worth it and they tend to be really responsive. If you want help and ask for it, they help you. The classes focus on real world skills and getting ready for that dream job you want after graduation. But the general education requirements provide you get some deep thinking in. But when studying in your major every class is pretty informative and you will learn a lot about whatever the course is on.

The academics are challenging but the teachers help a lot. They really seem to care about how you are doing in the class and take the time to help you if you need it. Students work together to get projects done or study for tests, it is really amazing. I needed someone to help me with an in class performance and someone I did not even know volunteered to help me.

Academics are a joke. When students have to teach parts of classes, or teachers are so lazy they have their own STUDENTS put together the final exam, it generally reflects poorly upon their abilities and their work ethic. Classes are also extremely easy. To quote one professor, "There are classes here where you could write your name in the dirt with a stick and get an A."

Emerson is a place where everybody knows your name. The education is like a lot of life-- it is what you make it. You don't want to come to Emerson if you're someone who wants to get away with as little as possible, because a lot of the professors will let you and then you're graduating with a degree that hasn't taught you anything. However, the professors are invested in anyone who shows interest. So you can turn in a half-assed assignment and get by in your classes, but you can also really dedicate yourself to your work and get a ton out of your classes.

The classes are small which gives the professors a good chance to learn who each of their student's are. The General Education courses are the hardest to get through because most of them have nothing to do with your major so you don't really want to be in the class. Most people try to get those out of the way as quickly as they can so that they can focus on their major. Because it is a communication school certain subjects (mainly math and science) are toned down a little bit, but most of the classes are really interesting. Probably the most difficult classes you will have to get through are the Freshmen writing courses and the public speaking class that everyone is required to take. Once you pass those you feel as though you can take on any class, and the truth is you can.

The most unique class I've ever taken at this school is slightly tough, because Emerson offers many uncommon classes. The most unique on is called Love & Eroticism and it is also my favorite class now. The professor is amazing and really knows how to draw in student interest.

All the classes have been really great, the teachers know who you are and really want to help you succeed. Even the teacher of my biggest class, which was a history of media arts lecture of about 50 kids, gladly met with me just to talk about some film stuff and knew who I was. All of my teachers have kept all the projects and papers really interesting, they definitely cater to the students' artistic sides. Even in academic setting there is often the opportunity to make a film or present a skit or whatever. The education is not necessarily geared towards getting a job, but the opportunities offered with clubs, etc. definitely prepare you for the industry, for film at least.

Emerson has very small class sizes, which personally I love. I like being able to email my professor and have them know who I am. I like being able to approach a professor after class and have them ask, "What can I help you with, Rachel?" I'm impressed by the staff here, even the ones who most people can't stand. I have yet to come across an incompetent professor. The courses are also really great. Whenever I go through the course catalog I can't help but "ooh" and "ahh" at all of the interesting classes the school has listed. I haven't gotten so far towards my education to where I'm looking for internships and career opportunities, but it seems to me like Emerson is focused on preparing you for life after your education, so that when you graduate you're not standing out on the street holding your little Liberal Arts diploma going, "Well, shit." As far as competitiveness goes, I don't think I've taken a class that has been challenging past my capabilities, or that has even pushed my capabilities. I don't know if I was just extremely well-prepared in high school, but Emerson hasn't been that stressful to me academic-wise.

Emerson takes pride in its emphasis on the liberal arts. The school is designed for specialized study in the arts, but Emerson makes it clear through their strict academic requirements that they want their students to be well-rounded. Unfortunately, the non-major related classes leave much to be desired. Instead of having normal college requirements such as Western History or Philosophy, Emerson has designated their "liberal arts" courses into different disciplines (U.S Diversity, Cultural Diversity, Interdisciplinary study). Most Emerson students spend their time hoping to fill these vague requirements. And instead of giving a diverse selection of classes, the courses all seem to center around lesser studies. For instance, one of the most popular classes at Emerson is History of Jazz, not because Emerson has a lot of avid students of Jazz history, but because that class fulfills two of the vague disciplines. I have yet to come across a liberal arts course at Emerson that seems worthwhile. Courses such as Fundamentals of Speech Communication (public speaking) and Research Writing seem designed to eat up credits and keep students from learning anything of interest (in the conventional college sense). As for the film courses (I'm a film major), its another situation where requirements keep students from taking anything advanced until the end of their junior year and senior year. Though there are important staple classes such as Film 1 (an introductory 16mm production class), they add up to no more than a semesters worth of work. The average film student at Emerson spends three years of his college experience using equipment that most people learn to use in high school. Part of the issue with the classes is that the school cannot support the inflated student body. With so many film-related majors, its no wonder that Emerson sets up the number of road blocks that they do. However, understanding the problem does not make it any less of a problem.

Classes here tend to be small enough that your professor should know your name, the exceptions to which would be the larger seminars (many of which are taken during freshman year). Academics take a back-seat to professional experience. As an a member of the Honors Program, this has not been as problematic for me as it might have been. It's likely that I'm in the minority at this school, because while I want to gain as much film experience as possible I would also like to pursue a more diverse liberal arts education. Emerson lacks a rich variety of classes outside of the Visual & Media Arts department, which is unfortunate. Do not come here and expect to sit in your room and study for hours on end; rather, you'll sit at a computer and edit film or write a thought-provoking paper.

Feel like because of Emerson's academic reputation I will be able to get a good job after I graduate.

I am really lucky to be at a school that has the least amount of general education requirements. However, I still wish it was a lower number and that the classes that I did have to take were directly related to my major. I had to take an ethics class that was all about literature and philosophy. I wish it had directed towards my major of television. Though a plus at Emerson is that I do not have to take a Math class because I got a waiver. Most people get waivers, so if you do not like Math this is the place for you.