Gettysburg College Top Questions

This school claims to be inclusive and respectful of diversity but yet the student body is seemingly 95{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} upper class white students with extremely wealthy parents. I've repeatedly heard students say, "Its ok if I don't do well. My daddy has pull around here." The Greek life on campus is the central component of this school. The alcohol is running every night from Wednesday to Sunday. Fraternities are loud and disrespectful, especially towards women. I've seen students going to a 'white trash party'. They dress up and mock people who are not of their social sphere, yet the administration and staff proclaims that this school is tolerant and inclusive. Hazing is 'prohibited', yet every sport has it. In its favor, this school offers great academics, if you are not put off by its elitism and exclusionary lifestyle or their hypocritical attitude. It is a smaller campus in a decent sized town. The library is at the heart of the campus, with dorm buildings and academic halls surrounding it. The mascot is the Bullets and sports are a rather big thing.

When I tell people I go to Gettysburg, they always assume that I'm rich because I go to an expensive school. I'm not, but the stereotype is that everyone who goes there is wealthy.

Gettysburg is a bubble. You meet more people from different groups and clicks and sports and activities and majors than you would at other schools because the school is small. Sometimes you'll feel like you're in high school with more responsibility, different people, and equal drama. The school is not haunted, and there will be ghost tours going through campus. Resist the urge to make fun of those people in front of their faces - I know, it's hard. Take advantage of the mini-microfridge in your room and get creative - Servo will not be so convenient and appetizing after a while. Also - if you are a big football fan, sorry the team isn't that great and doesn't have the enthusiasm of PSU but Lacrosse players are looked at as "Gods" (Choose to view them how you like).

Gettysburg is a beautiful college. The scenery and the small town close by make it a nice college area. It is a small school but everything is spread out to make it not all piled on top of each other. The town has a few nice restaurants and LD's (the Lincoln Diner, a college favorite because it is open 24 hours and has decent pricing) and if you are into it, the battlefields are gorgeous and provide a good break from campus but still can be informative. While on campus, many people spend a lot of time in their dorms, friends dorms, outside if the weather is nice, in an academic building (which are unlocked nearly 24 hours), the library (which is open 24 hours and provides students with free hot chocolate and tea after midnight), or other buildings such as the CUB (College Union Building which features the junction, ballroom, the bookstore, and dining services-Bullet hole and a special area which changes every year). If you are ever walking across campus and you don't see someone wearing some type of clothing saying Gettysburg College, then it must be summer! Gettysburg students are very proud of their school and you can see it when you walk around campus. Whether it is a sticker displayed in the window of a car, a student wearing some type of Gettysburg clothing, or the numerous laptops you see displaying the Gettysburg College logo, you will find students happily displaying their college. One experience I will always remember is the kindness displayed by students and administration upon visiting campus and arriving for the first time freshman year. On move in day, you pull up to your dorm with a car full of stuff and upperclassmen volunteer to help you take all of your belongings out of your car and to your room! Then for the next few days you do some ice breakers and fun activites with your orientation group, a group of students from your floor, in a great way to meet them; the best activity being Field Day, where your whole dorm building competes against the other freshman dorms in numerous field activites to try to become the top dorm! It is a great experience having you interact with your fellow dorm-mates and just have some fun before classes start. Professors in the first few days of classes take some time to get to help transition you from high school to college, and make sure that you are making out okay.

The big picture of Gettysburg is: two degrees of separation. If you're looking for a school where you can be anonymous, this is not it. If there's someone on campus you don't know, it's likely that you are friends with someone they're friends with. This, combined with the fact that nearly everyone lives on campus, can make you feel like you live in the Gettysburg College bubble sometimes. You can get a reputation here, good or bad or whatever. Also don't come here if you want sports and school spirit--it's a DIII school. However, this small school, close knit atmosphere is just the thing for some people, myself included. There is greek life, so there's certainly some division, but I was an independent and had lots of friends in fraternities and sororities. At a school this size (currently around 2600) you really do start to feel like a big giant family, because you all know each other. It sounds really cheesy and I know if I were a potential student reading this, I might be rolling my eyes, but I just graduated a month ago and moved 1200 miles away and I miss it SO MUCH. I want to go back home to the burg!

Gettysburg is just the right size for me. With 2600 students, I can walk through campus and spot several friends, but if I am in a mood where I need to spend some time alone or away from friends, I am able to do so. The size also allows for small class sizes and personal attention from the professor. Every professor I've had here has known my name by the end of the first week. The thing I love most about Gettysburg College is how easily I was able to sign up for activities and get involved. I didn't sing or dance before I came to college, and now I am involved in two singing ensembles and I dance 4-5 hours per week. I was also able to get involved in my academic area (Biochemistry) as a Lab Teaching Assisntant. I can help other students understand the material while gaining valuable experience helping others and learning more about a lab setting. The only thing I would change about Gettysburg is the lack of public transportation. Although the schools provide shuttles to and from airports and parking is available for sophomores through seniors, I find myself without a car and without a ride to the Wal-Mart on occasion. I have several friends with cars who are willing to drive me, but I'd really like to see a free shuttle service to local places as well as the closest airports and bus terminals.

I think the size of gettysburg is perfect. I spend a lot of my time at servo, the dining hall on campus. It is a huge social area, and people sit there for hours eating meals. I also spend a lot of my time in the library. When I actually need to get work done I know to go to one of the upper levels, but if I have a small assignment and want to be distracted the first floor is quite a social area. There is so much school pride on campus. It's amazing to be around. I was a transfer from a school that had NO school spirit, no one went to the sports games, and no one really raved about it. I feel like everyone at gettysburg is just as much in love with the school as I am. The stands at every game are PACKED full of friends cheering and socializing. Its such a supportive environment. There isnt any other school that I would rather spend the next two years at.

Gettysburg College is THE best thing that has ever happened to me, and I couldn't imagine being happier anywhere else. I mean, there's no such thing as a perfect campus, and Gettysburg certainly isn't right for everyone, but I have loved every second of being there. It's such a beautiful campus, and even if you (like me) are NOT a history person, it's still cool to go through Pennsylvania Hall and know that it was used as a hospital in the battle (although the reenactors can take some getting used to). The town really isn't any kind of a college town, simply because it's so established with it's own identity already. Some people would rather have a good old college town, but I prefer it this way (although the teens and younger people that live in the town of Gettysburg can be kind of sketchy). It's really small, so it's very easy to get around town by just walking, and you really don't NEED to have a car. The college is also the perfect size for me; I feel like I can and do make a difference there and can stand out, but I still see and meet new people every day. 2600 is actually smaller than my high school! The college staff, like the people who work in the dining center and all the campus life offices, are the sweetest, kindest, most polite people I have ever met. The omelet lady will remember exactly what your order is every day after meeting you ONCE, and they throw events and theme parties all the time. I can just tell that it's always their goal to make my day better, and it works! The food isn't always awesome, and Servo is the only real cafeteria-style dining center on campus, but it's usually pretty good (I love the General Tsou's chicken). Freshman orientation was by far the most fun I've ever had. Four days of meeting new people, bonding with your hallmates, and being as crazy as you want. Springfest was also an awesome four days, when the school brought in a bunch of musicians and set up a kind of carnival on Stine Lake (which is no longer a lake, but a wonderful grassy quad). A lot of people are starting to complain about how much tuition has spiked lately and wondering exactly where all that money is going, but the school is planning on building a new athletic center, a parking garage, and a new music building. I have never doubted that it's in our best interest.

I often feel like I am in a bubble when I'm in Gettysburg because it is very small and there are only so many things you can do over the weekends which become routine and boring. Most students drink or go to frats. The college hosts some concerts and movie nights on weekends but I don't think that a lot of students go to them. Washington DC and Baltimore are not far from Gettysburg and are fun places to go over the weekend but you need a car. The college has yet to provide transportation to cities on the weekends-I think they are working on it though. However I do not regret choosing Gettysburg and I feel that its small size has been beneficial to me academically. The small class sizes help you to build a relationship with your professors and receive individual attention. All of the professors that I've had were more than willing to help me outside of class. The best thing about Gettysburg is probably the campus which is very pretty (especially in the spring) or the food. There are many choices at Servo, the main dining center, the sandwiches at the Bullet Hole are amazing, and the cookies melt in your mouth. I always miss the food over the summer..Oh and another great thing is the study abroad program. About 50{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of students study abroad during their time at Gettysburg. I went to Florence for a semester which was an eye opening experience and also a great way to get off of campus and travel.

Gettysburg isn't a widely known school. It's pretty small and it isn't particularly diverse. It's actually somewhat monochromatic. That said, anyone who attends Gettysburg will find a place to fit and people like them, even if they aren't part of the majority crowd. And the size is nice, making for small classes and individualized attention, in the classroom and out of it. Sports aren't huge at Gettysburg. Our soccer and lacrosse teams are very good, but the main sports, (football and basketball) are mediocre, depending on the year. If you're looking for Penn State-sized tail-gate parties, Gettysburg probably isn't the place for you. Greek life is a big part of campus life, seeing as there isn't a whole lot to do within the city of Gettysburg and there's no school transportation to big cities. The school and the student-run Campus Activities Board do a good job of planning events throughout the year, so almost every weekend there is something going on on campus. So if Greek life isn't for you, there is still plenty to do to keep busy.