Gettysburg College Top Questions

Gettysburg is a great school for people who don't know what they want to do with their lives yet. Unlike a big university, you're not immediately forced to pick a major and go down that career path; you get 2 years to choose a major. Also, class sizes are really small and you have a great opportunity to make personal relationships with professors, which is the best part about the school because there are some really great professors there who are very interested in helping the students do their best work. In most of the classes, if you're willing to work hard, you do well. If you slack off, you won't do well, especially because the professors will definitely notice.

From my first semester at Gettysburg I have felt that the faculty members are incredibly accsessible. Even as an intro student I was given extra time from faculty members in departments outside my major. Academics are rigorous. In my first year I wrote a 25 page research paper. I didn't think I could do something like that at 19 but it was really satisfying afterward and made the rest of my years of paper writing a lot less daunting. The most important thing you learn at Gettysburg is how to learn. It is truly a liberal arts education so it really doesn't matter if you're a classics major or a management major you could end up in a MBA program later on either way. Gettysburg teaches you how to research, to communicate orally, to write well, to think critically and to collobarate with others. It may take liberal arts graduates a little longer to establish themselves in the career of their dreams but when we do I believe there is greater job satisfaction.

I had two majors- Psychology, which is one of the largest departments, and Japanese Studies, which only recently became official. Everyone in the JS department knew each other, but there were a lot of strangers in Psychology. Despite this, the professors were great in both areas-- they all made the effort to really get to know their students and make themselves available if you needed help. Some of the profs might seem intimidating at first, but that's just because they expect a lot out of you. They don't want you to just show up to class and absorb information. Because they're passionate about their field, they want you to appreciate it, too! It makes it difficult to slack, but if you came to college to learn, that's not a big deal. A lot of the professors are hilariously geeky-- if you pay attention, you can catch some really great jokes. Some of the psych profs will invite you over to their house for wine-tasting (like McCall for his Sensation and Perception lab), but most of them I never really got to know outside of class. Japanese was completely different-- we had parties at least once a year with all the students and faculty! The students were all invited to a faculty member's house, where we sat together and ate authentic Japanese food (it's delicious when it's home-made!). Our professors were definitely more than just teachers for us. They became our friends and mentors, and their support has been priceless.

You are definitely a face at Gettysburg and not just a number. Class sizes are relatively small and you have many occasions to get to know professors- you can chat with them after class, arrange to meet one on one with any questions, or you may have the opportunity to do some research with them. It is quite common to participate in classes although some of the basic introductory courses tend to be more typical lectures. You are required to fulfill various requirements toward your liberal arts experience so you will take a variety of courses in many different fields. Get ready to take foreign language classes too, you have to reach the 202 level but you can take a placement test if you have a solid foundation from high school. The nice thing about most programs at Gettysburg is that it is fairly easy to study abroad for at least a semester and still graduate within 4 years.

Academics are pretty standard. You have to work to pass- but you don't have to spend every waking moment in the lib to get by. There are good professors and bad professors. You will find some classes (mainly required classes) where participation isnt that high- but then there are some courses (for your major or what have you) where everyone feels very passionately about the subject. The classes really are great though- and the Professors are very happy to help, most of the time. I had a professor my freshman year that since then has taken me in like a "daughterish" figure. I go to her house for dinner all the time- hang out- have coffee. Its just great how some professors are open enough to even let you into their lives.

Gburg students are very studious and hard working individuals. While partying probably remains the number one priority, students make sure to complete their work and do their best so that they can party. It's definitely beneficial to have an idea of what major you'd like to pursue before your first semester since there's not much time to test out other classes, and so that a stronger relationship could be built with your professors early on. Professors definitely know your names because it's a small school. The classes are extremely focused on the "liberal arts education," but they don't necessarily prepare you for an actual job.

One of the best things of Gettysburg is its academics. Gettysburg students have the benefit of being taught by a highly trained, friendly, and knowledgable faculty. However I must say that I've run into more Gettysburg alums in the faculty than I haven't (which begs the question: Has Gettysburg's curriculum changed from how those alums were taught when they attended Gettysburg, or are they mainly just teaching the way they were taught, thus continuing a Gettysburg education tradition from their professors?). However despite this, I have seen that the majority of students at Gettysburg do not take advantage of these knowledgable professors as much as they could. While professors do hold office hours, they often have to remind the class that they have them, since very few students use them. I also haven't witness many intellectual conversations outside of the classroom. In fact most of the conversations outside of the classroom if anything are degenerative. Students study, but mostly procastinate and wait until the last minute to do anything about homework and projects, spending many all-nighters in the library (which thankfully is open 24 hours during the week). Half of Gettysburg academic requirements seem to be hoops that are designed for students to jump through. While I understand the importance of the benefits of a liberal arts education, the many requirements which Gettysburg requires a student to fufill, almost pushes the limits of whether they can be fit into four academic years of study.

The academics at Gettysburg College are very challenging and push you to give your best in everything. The best part about the academics is that the professors always know your name and always wants to help. A specific example of this is freshman year when I was beginning my Biology degree I was having some troubles with my first college chemistry class. My professor, Dr. Parker, was constantly available for me and did whatever it took to help me understand the topics. To say that he was available every once in awhile is an understatement. He always was willing to take time to teach me and my improved grades was the result. He did not only help me, but after I was finished with his course, the next year I over heard multiple students saying the same thing. Dr. Parker and many other faculty members have their doors open constantly and reply back to emails on a regular basis whenever their students need them.

Classes can be really small depending on type of class and major, but even the biggest classes I've been at would be considered small at a larger university. I think my biggest class at Gettysburg had about 30 students. My smallest had 5. Everything really differs based on majors and minors and I work with smaller departments (music, religion, German) but my experience has been really great. I've learned loads, and faculty are really accomodating and try to help you do whatever it is you want to do. Many students collaborate on research and publications with professors, or are able to do individualized research projects. In my case, the music conservatory faculty have worked with me individually on compositions and have helped me to get compositions performed at larger venues, it's been really exciting. The academic requirements are reasonable yet well-rounded - I learned from the general requirements unrelated to my majors, but was not overwhelmed by classes I was not interested in.

Gettysburg is a liberal-arts school that is centered on learning holistically. The curriculum involves diversity studies, multiple inquiries, interdisciplinary studies, lab sciences, the arts and four semester of foreign language. You will graduate knowing how to write well. The professors are across the board terrific and will always be at the student's disposal for extra help and guidance. It is not unusual to eat meals with a professor or be given their home phone number. Students study a lot: the school recommends 2-3 hours of study for every 1 hour of lecture. Intellectual conversations outside of class vary by department. Philosophy students and political science students (I'm a poli sci and music double major) often have lengthy debates, while Economics students have a simulated stock market. Students are competitive, but mostly self-competitive. Everyone wants to do their best. However, you will find students to be more competitive in classes that are curved.