Gettysburg College Top Questions

When I tell people that I go to Gettysburg College they immediately associate it with two things: being a good school and being in the middle of no where. They are right about the first part, it being a good school but they are wrong about the second. Although our campus is surrounded by battlefields and farms I wouldnt say it's in the middle of no where. Their are plenty of things to do in Gettysburg. You can shop as much as you want since their is an outlet mall no more than 5 minutes away. Also their are several big cities that are easy to commute to such as Baltimore, Washington D.C., Harrisburg, and Philadelphia.

I love the size of the college. Most of my classes are small (less than 20)- except for introductory courses, which have about 40 students. Professors are approachable and very friendly, but also professional. Don't expect to find much to do in the town of Gettysburg- we are surrounded by the national military park! It is a very good idea to get involved in some activities which will keep you busy on campus or which will bring you to other places. Like students at other small colleges, we complain about a lack in course selection, courses filling up fast, a lack of fans going to our football games, and the lack of diversity.

Gettysburg is a litttle small. You can usually recognize about half the people on campus just by being in the same classes and whatnot. I think the smallness also limits many of the options for extracurriculars. I feel like it's pretty much sports or Greek life and if you don't want to play sports at the varsity level we don't have club teams for those sports because we don'thave enough people in the school. The dorms are reasonably nice and the food is good. The townies dislike college students in general. The most unusal thing about Gettysburg is probably the civil war element and the ghost tours that actually run through campus. People usually know at least the town of Gettysburg when I tell them I go here even though some of them will think it is in VA. I think the most frequent student complaints is just that gettysburg is such a small town that there is not a lot to do besides what is offered on campus.

The best thing about Gettysburg is the community and support that you receive from the faculty and staff as well as the students. The school size was not that big and professors remembered your face as well as your name. When I tell people I go to Gettysburg they are shocked because it is a very prestigious school. Gettysburg has a town but it is not a "college town." The only thing that I wish there was more of, is school pride there's not enough.

Gburg is the perfect size, it's not too big but it's really not that small. There were tons of people I had never even met at graduation, and you're not "pegged" into a certain category or group unless you make yourself really obvious to the entire student body. I was always proud to say I went to Gettysburg, it has a great reputation in the area. I spent most of my time running on the cross-country and track teams, the battlefields were incredible places to train.

Gettysburg is a small, liberal arts college that offers great professor-student interaction and small class sizes. The sacrifice, I suppose, is that the campus is not located in a typical college town, so there are not a lot of activities to be involved in within the surrounding area. The college tries to compensate for this by offering a variety of clubs and activities on campus, and there are also many social groups to join. One aspect of Gettysburg that sold me was the off-campus studies program whereby students can study in a myriad of affiliated countries and pay the same expenses as attending Gettysburg. With that being said, however, Gettysburg's tuition and selectivity are increasing, making it difficult for low-income and underprivileged students to afford the college and ultimately adding to its stereotypical image as a predominantly caucasian prep school.

The best thing about Gettysburg is it's size. It's easy to walk to class and to find someone you know. Rarely do I walk to class without exchanging a greeting to someone either in one of my classes or from my dorm. There is not really much to do in the town unless you are a huge civil war buff and even that gets old quick. There are always activities on campus whether it's a basketball or soccer game, midnight madness, movies hosted by Cab or even Frat parties. The college realizes the lack of action in the community and they try to provide the students with things to do on campus. The faculty are very helpful and encourage students to stop by their offices even to discuss their personal life. Many professors give out their cell phone numbers and realize that students do have other commitments sometimes aside from class. When the sun comes out so do the students. Any time of the year, when there is a nice day you wont be able to walk through campus without the chance of getting caught in a game of frisbee, catch, bocce ball, golf, lacross, etc. And when it's hot, you might even mistake Gettysburg College for the beach with amount students trying to catch a good tan.

Gettysburg is an amazing place for a college. There is history all around and lots of activities to do both on and off campus. Although many people think that Gettysburg is in Virginia, South Central PA is a great location because it is close to cities like Washington DC, Baltimore, and Philadelphia. The general perception of Gettysburg is that of a rigirous academic institution with a great reputataion. Our President just resigned from her position so the college is in the middle of a search for a new President.

I think the best thing about Gettysburg is its faculty. The small class sizes allow for the type of atmosphere where students and professors are on a first-name basis (without it feeling totally awkward), and where conversations outside of the classroom are about not only course material, but broader issues that relate to, as one of my professors calls it, "the grand scheme of things." Gettysburg is just the right size for me, but I can certainly see how it might be way too claustrophobic for some people. It's not the kind of campus where you expect to only pass people you've never seen before when walking to class -- you get to know faces, and even though you don't know all the names, you sort of have that common bond of Gettysburgianship. (Yes, that's a made-up word.) I hate to keep going back to the J.Crew catalog stereotype, but if kids aren't wearing J.Crew, they're wearing their orange and blue. School spirit is very much alive in that sense, although the football stands are oftentimes sparsely filled on Saturday mornings for home games.

School is in interime president stage, so people may be scared off. Do not be worried, the college will not change. It is an excellent institution, one in the top 50 liberal arts schools recognized by the Princeton Review each year. I am a management (business) major, and would recommend against this college if serious about going into a business career. However, I had a fucking blast and don't regret one thing in the four years I attended at the school. It will have a special place in my heart forever.