Gettysburg College Top Questions

Classes at Gettysburg are very small and the professors are very helpful. It's not uncommon for a professor to invite their class to dinner at their house. I've had professor's come to my athletic matches before. at Gettysburg professor's truly care about their student's success. Overall students here are very intelligent and take their academics very seriously, but not obsessively as learning outside the classroom is just as important as learning inside the classroom.

It depends on the area of study, however I have never had a class with more than 30-35 people. The professors are very personable. They make themselves available as resources to students outside of the classroom and it would not be unusual to receive a professor's home phone number on a syllabus. There are always going to be a select few that are harder to get along with, but in my experience the large majority are very accomodating.

Challenging, but the professors are very helpful and sincerely concerned about you. Most of the professors prefer that you call them by their first name and they make you feel very comfortable around them.

The professors are amazing. For the most part, they really take an interest in what you have to say and will not hesitate to help if you approach them (or they come to you). It is not unusual to see students and faculty interacting with eachother across campus. Also, all professors are generally highly experienced in their field and remain active in pursuing research (often collaborating with students). Depending on what courses you take (I'm not going to lie, but the sciences are generally more time consuming in terms of classroom time and involve more requirements than most humanties departments. That being said, many people double major in humanties, and adopting a double major in the sciences is relatively easy because basic courses tend to overlap), work load in terms of reading and writing tends to pretty heavy, but usually not overburdening if you manage your time correctly and depending on what extent you are involved in extracurriculars. Field experience is definetly encouraged, and most departments have methods courses. Some majors are more difficult than others, but I think it mostly depends on how much you want to get out of your education depends on how much you put into, regardless of your field of study.

Many of my friends at other schools think I have an easy workload because I only take 4 classes a semester. Unfortunately, I work my butt off and don't have it as easy as they think. Students have to work hard here to get good grades. We have many more tests than bigger schools so there is always work to be done. Although the workload is heavy, I feel as though I learn a lot each semester and the information stays with me. Every class I have taken here so far has left a lasting impression on me. One of the benefits of attending a small liberal arts school is the chance to become a more well rounded person. Although my major is in the sciences, I have gained valuable knowledge from other departments. Not only do students learn from professors, but students learn from each other. Your roommate might have different major than you and encourage you to branch out into a different department you might have never considered. There are so many students attending Gettysburg from all over the country with many different backgrounds.

yes, they do. my favorite class so far has been chesapeake ES because the professor is exceptionaly nice. least favorite is sociology 209, because the professor is not very nice. students study on a need-be basis, but i think a good amount. class participation depends entirely on the class. yes they do?!, we're normal after all. students are competitive based on their personalities not as a general behavior. most unique class was my freshman seminar, it was awful. my major is sociology and i don't know alot about the department, but i have not really enjoyed the professors i have had so far. i have made an effort when i think it's necessary. i think gettysburg's requirements are a little dumb, it's easy to get around some and some should not exist. i think it is geared to both, which is how it should be.

The academics at Gettysburg are very good. The class size is small enough that the teachers (usually) know your name and make themselves available to help students. I really enjoyed my developmental psychology class and english classes, but not the math and science classes that I am forced to take because of the liberal arts requirements. Most people on campus are pretty serious about their academics, even when they seem like they are not.

Professors know my name and come support me at my games! They get very involved in their students extra curricular activities.

It's inevitable that every professor at Gettysburg thinks you're only taking one class - theirs. And they assign work appropriately. This is why on any given day, if you happen to take a trip to the library, you will see at least 25 different people that you know. Sorority girls love to hang out in the library, but everyone knows all they do there is socialize. So if you REALLY want to get work done, you need to find your own favorite spot in an academic building -- most are open 24 hours a day anyway. Once a student finds their own personal study-spot, they'll pretty much defend it with their lives. Never knowingly take another student's study-spot. Trust me. Most professors take the time to really get to know their students. They usually announce at the first day of class that their favorite part of the job is talking with students outside of class, so you should be sure to stop in often. Most of them mean this. There are some, however, who are either very concerned with their own reasearch, or just have bad people skills. I can think of one professor in the Biology department in particular who is extremely intelligent, and always subtly lets you know just how stupid you really are. I don't ask him for help anymore -- I'd rather fail on my own than be talked down to and still fail. (His class is absurdly hard, by the way.) Fortunately, this is much more the exception rather than the rule. The well-rounded curriculum is completely infuriating. Although it's completely valid that every student who attends a liberal arts school should leave with knowledge of just more than their particular subject area, that doesn't make me any less bitter about being a science major and having to take non-science courses. I mean, my major has about as many requirements as the school allows, and I don't know how I'm expected to schedule other classes on top of that. I thought college was a time where you were allowed to discover what you're good at and stick to it. There's a reason I'm not a history major, so just let me take my sciences and leave me alone. That said, as bitter as I may be about the graduation requirements, I do feel they're important and necessary. I'm still allowed to be upset about them, though.

YES! Professors know your name! How could they not when your biggest class consists of about 20 kids at most? I took a class one semester that only had 5 students in it including myself. My favorite class, by far, was my senior seminar with English professor Suzanne Flynn. She was terrific! I had taken 3 different classes with her. She was extremely knowledgeable in her field, friendly, outgoing, and took genuine interest in her students. She even invited my seminar to her house at the end of the year to celebrate finals being over!