Gettysburg College Top Questions

All of my professors have known me by name. I have been invited over for dinner at a professors house twice for the German department, and once with my freshman calc professor. I simply could never pick a favorite class, as it is prone to change daily. I have found class participation to be ample among other students to create lively debate, but certainly not 100{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c}. It is also dependent on the level of the class. My Upper Level German seminars with 7 people have universal class participation, but my introduction to international relations balanced at around 20{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} participation. I have not found students to be overly competitive with one another, mostly just trying to accomplish their own goals. The curriculum at Gettysburg is terribly confusing at times, and often it seems that most advisers don't understand it either, however, it can be said that the curriculum is geared entirely towards a rounded liberal arts education. It irks me that i will have to take two science courses, but at the same time, if they did not make me, I never would, and that would be the real tragedy. The most unique class I have taken was my freshman seminar "The Zen of Improvisation: Permission to Play in Class." The class focused around learning improvisational theater, with the occasional awkward discussion about how it relates to Zen philosophy. However, most of class time was spent improving, and as a second-term vice-president of the Improv club, I would be lying if I said that that course hadn't affected the course of my life in college.

I have another anecdote for this one. I decided in high school that I was going to study psychology in college, but for years I've had a passion for theatre as well. It was never my intention to do theatre in college - it was just a high school extracurricular. But I signed up for a First-Year Seminar in musical theatre, just for fun. The seminar program is another one of the fantastic things about this school. I won't go into detail, because that's what the website is for. The theatre on campus is called Brua Hall and used to be a chapel. There have been additions to the building, but the Kline stage was built in what I assume was the main part of the chapel, and though I know nothing about architecture, it has more of that picturesque charm. I took one class in the theatre department and have more or less been in that building every day since - I auditioned for plays and got cast in shows, and got to perform in several productions in my first semester of college, and many more since then. One of the great things about a small school is that there are opportunities to dive into programs right away. Now, I have a job in the theatre and am the secretary of the student musical theatre club and have taken several more classes. I've declared a Theatre Minor and am considering upgrading to a major. I'm going to study abroad in Bath, England next semester and take courses on Shakespeare and British dramatic literature. The faculty of the department, as well as the students who were already involved, made that building a second home for me, and turned a passive hobby into an active passion. That, in my opinion, is one of the most important things an education can do for you. We don't sit in lectures and memorize facts, we get on our feet and do or discuss. The goal is not to become walking textbooks, but to grow as people. I absolutely adore that.

Academics are really close and personal here; almost every professor will learn your names, and only the lazy ones won't. Class participation is common, even somewhat in the science-type lectures. Students aren't really that competitive academically. Some students will have intelligent conversations of their own accord, but again, there are a ton of stupid people (but you'd find that anywhere). Some people spend time with their professors outside of class; personally, I'll say hi to mine and even chat with them a bit, but I'm not really looking for quality time. A lot of the academics seem to be geared to learning for its own sake rather than getting a job, but most of that is in your choice of major. If you choose a major that will make you wonder what you'll do with your life after graduation, then you've been here for the learning. Still, everyone seems to do well for themselves. Gettysburg has a lot of weird academic requirements. There's the art requirement, for which you can take intro to theater, drawing, creative writing, various art histories, etc... but as a more science-y person, I hate this requirement. There's also the Science, Technology, and Society requirement, which I still haven't fulfilled cause I don't even know how. There's a lab science requirement, which History majors complain bitterly about. There's a lot of requirements, and you get them done, but you end up hating a bunch of classes in the process. The Psychology department as of right now is fairly understaffed; the required Experimental Methods course for graduation was completely full up this semester before any sophomores could take the class, and they couldn't open up a second section because they didn't have enough staff. I know they're interviewing, but it's been frustrating to take all the classes necessary for graduation. The Spanish department (my second major) is more laid back, but it's more literature focused and less popular, but is really a great department. They do a lot of stuff with the local migrant population, so it's great here if you're into volunteering or social work, etc.

Academics at Gettysburg are challenging but not to the point where they consume your life. Most of my classes are pretty small with no more than 20 students or so. Most of the professors are amiable enough. I wouldn't say that they go out of their way to reach out to the students but if you go to them with a question or a problem then they will help you. I am a Management major which is pretty popular among students. It is kind of seen as one of the easier majors but the department has recently made changes to the curriculum that are making it tougher. For instance, any student that does not get at least a C in the statistics course may not continue in the major.

The most unique class I've taken so far was my FYS in Cryptography. My professor was amazing and so great and I really enjoyed the class. It was a great way to ease into the transition at Gettysburg. As far as the academic requirements I find them to be partially helpful but also fairly restrictive; I know very clearly what I would like to major and minor in, but having to fill core requirements sets me back in those goals. On the other hand, you might end up taking an interesting class you never would have otherwise. However, the lab science requirement has to go - I did enough of that in high school and it won't help me write th next great American novel, trust me!

classes are small and attendance is definiteley taken and mandatory which is kind of annoying but gets you to class. smart kids here, starting to get branier and brainier. not too many intellectual convos outside of class but whatver. students can be competitive but no one really notices. As a liberal arts school your major doesn't really matter that much so do whatevrr interest you and then get a job in whatver field you want after

Class sizes are dependent on the course, but for the most part they are small and personal. All of my professors know my name. They are more likely to get to know you in your small classes, but if you are in a larger class (such as Intro to Bio), it is not hard to approach the professor after class. All of mine have been friendly, and seem to care a lot about the success of their students. Education at Gettysburg is very focused on developing your own personal learning along the guidelines of the liberal arts. We are not trained for jobs, but taught to think for our own.

for the most part they know my name favorite: econ (understand the material)worst: philosophy (boring/load of b/s) study time: depends on the schedule, at least a few hours spent on hw each day class participation is held very high at gburg some intellectual convos are had every once in a while students are competitive in sports, look to help each other in classes cryptography, my freshman seminar major: econ/management double major, a lot less intense than science or math majors, but still requires a lot of variety in classes dont spend time with professors outside of class unless i need help slightly confusing, dont know what each category means its a good combination of the two

Classes are small, and (most) professors want to get to know you on an individual basis. Classes are about learning and applying what you're learning, but post-college plans are not the center of attention. Professors know their field well and really care about them. They are always willing to meet with students to discuss class or anything else. The requirements are a bit annoying and specific, but with good planning they won't take up all of your time.

Professors know your name in pretty much every class - the class sizes are small which is very beneficial to what you get out of the class. My favorite class so far has been my biology class. My professor is very animated and even though it is a lecture students are wide awake. My least favorite has been spanish - there is a rather large language requirement (have to get up to the 200 level) Students talk about academics outside of class but it is not the only topic of convo , social life is also important to many if not all gettysburg students (Where it be through greek life or sports, or clubs) My major is health science or biology and im minoring in art. the art program is not spetacular but they have the basics and i have enjoyed both my 2d class so far and phtography. I would stay GEttysburg is geared toward learning for its own sake. as a liberal arts school students are interested in a wide variety of subjects and the requirements make it so that you take a little bit of every subject. Students enjoy there classes and want to do the work they are assigned. The biggest change iv had from highschool to college is a desire to do the work. The classes are more interesting and i want to learn about the subjects. Yes there is always that annoying paper class that you dont love but for the most part i enjoy doing it more.