Gettysburg College Top Questions

I love the closeness of the college. To me the size is just right because i love knowing people while walking around campus. My favorite thing about Gettysburg is that students are actively encouraged to become involved. Unlike at large scools where students usually have to pick one or two activities to become involved in, at Gettysburg student can really do it all. As a tourguide I get the question "what would you change - or what's your least favorite thing about the college?" my honest answer is that the sidewalks are positioned at awkward angles. Honestly that is the only thing i would change - and i feel like if that's my biggest problem, then i don't really have any problems at all.

I really like the college environment at Gettysburg. The student body is big enough to pass people you have never seen and at the same time always see a friendly face. Currently, all students are allowed to have cars on campus, and the parking situation can be very inconvenient at times. However, classes are all within walking distance and chances are your roommate will have a car anyway. There are plenty of activities on campus; I enjoy participating in athletics and greek life, as do all of my friends. Historically interaction between the townpeople and students has been non-existent. However, Gettysburg students are without a doubt proud to be "Gettysburg students." They are very supportive of the athletic program as well as charity fundraisers and schoolwide events.

Beautiful campus......a little windy! Great restaurants in town, but not much in the way of shopping. Fun weekends and Servo (the caf) is delicious!

The town of Gettysburg is relatively isolated and rural, but the national park, historic character, and abundance of on campus activities make living here a complete joy. I often refer to the campus as my 'home' and I feel this word truly depicts the close-knit community at Gettysburg. When I was looking at schools, one of my objectives in comparing colleges was campus size - the small-school atmosphere is definetly pervasive at Gettysburg. There is a succinct separation between the college and the town at large. In being a tourist town, Gettysburg definetly caters more to the millions of vacationers who flood in every year (mostly during the summer, so don't worry about hordes of tourists during the school year) moreso than the 2600 or so students at the college. Despite this, Gettysburg College is incredibly active in community service in Adam's County, PA as well as Washington DC. The reactions I get in saying I attend Gettysburg are positive and people are genuinely interested. I think that name-recognition of the town and battler does help a lot, but it supplements insteads of supercedes the reputation of the college in regards to academics. The best advice I have concerning attending Gettysburg is to get involved. I decided to participate in athletics (xc and track) which really helped me in cementing great relationships early on and transitioning into my freshmen year.

When I tell people attend Gettysburg College the response is usually "Ah, what a good school. My ...... goes there". It seems as if everyone knows someone that attends this school. The only response that I don't appreciate is when people ask me if the school is in Virginia. The academic reputation has lead me to a great summer internship. I live three hours away and the past three summers a Gettysburg College student has worked in the same office. The site director knows we are willing to work hard and have a good educational background. The fact that the school is small really makes for a better learning environment. As a Health Science major, I am glad I have a personal relationship with all the professors in my department. It is much easier taking a tough workload when the professors know you on a personal level and are willing to work with you outside of the classroom. I have never had a professor who was out to fail anyone. The professors are here to help us succeed and provide all the necessary attention to help the students.

I love playing sports at Gettysburg and being able to balance academics and athletics. I would make transportation to and from school easier. It's slightly too small, but it is what it can be. They either have not heard of it or keep their opinions to themselves. my room, the pool, or the cafeteria. what college town? the administration is frustrating, trying to do too much and not accomplishing anything. the firing of president will (not controversial, but a big deal). some school pride, not overwhelming. there isn't anything unusual. i'm only a freshman! there aren't enough places to eat and the meal plans/housing stink.

Personally, I'm very happy at Gettysburg. The school is challenging academically and takes a lot of pride in its awsome athletics. The school is fairly small, about 2600 students, but it's nice to walk around campus and see lots of people you know and to get the personal attention in the classroom. The campus is beautiful and the people here are very nice. The town is pretty disconnected from the rest of campus, but it's close enough to walk into.

The size, you know a lot of the campus but you can always meet someone new. Very good food, but it is expensive. People see Gettysburg as a very intelligent school.

The first thing most people say when I tell them I go to Gettysburg is, "Virginia? That must be a long drive." Although they're entirely wrong when it comes to the actual location of Gettysburg, in spirit, they're pretty much right. The town of Gettysburg is, well ... hickish. Aside from the tourist-filled circle, there's the 24 hour Walmart, a "Used Kars" store, and farm after farm after farm. There's almost nothing to do on campus, which helps greek life thrive. You certainly don't need to be a part of greek life to have something to do, but it helps. The word "school pride" doesn't really apply to Gettysburg in the way that you would would normally think. Usually, school pride extends to almost all areas -- The students are diehard fans of the sports, the party scene, the professors, the attractiveness of their student body, the quality of their dining hall -- everything. And these students will defend their school to the end. At Gettysburg, it's like students pick and chose what they will be proud of, and I'm totally ok with that. Our football team isn't that great, but students will attend games for lack of something better to do on a Saturday afternoon. Anyone who has been to a lacrosse game knows we have a great team, but that knowledge belongs to a select few. Every department has their "pride and joy" professor, so when a student is a member of that department, they'll follow said professor to the ends of the earth. We have a remarkable number of diverse clubs at Gettysburg, and as a result, students tend to only be members of clubs they are passionate about. Of course, the more upper-class background of many of our student has produced a lot of picky eaters, so although our dining hall is one of the best, it doesn't really get the rave reviews it deserves. Is there anything unusual about Gettysburg? What ISN'T unusual about Gettysburg? One of the buildings on campus is rated as one of the top 10 most haunted builings in the nation, our dining hall is named "Servo" because the company that used to provide food for us was named "Servo Nation" -- I'm not sure why they went out of business, but I think it was due to poor quality, ghost tours come through campus on a regular basis, we have a weekend where for some reason, Safety and Security doesn't care who is blatantly inebriated (I have no problem with that) ... I could go on, but I won't.

Gettysburg was the perfect fit for me. There truly is a college out there for everyone, and Gettysburg was the one for me. If you are looking for an outgoing, active student body, Gettysburg is the place for you! That was the one thing that impressed me the most about G'burg. Everyone on campus is friendly, happy, outgoing, and involved. The one thing I will remember about my college search experience and Gettysburg is the fact that admissions counselors really take the time to get to know the applicants as PEOPLE and not numbers and resumes. When I went to their Get Acquainted Day for accepted high school seniors, the counselor I had interviewed with a year before still remembered who I was and the conversation we had had. It was great to feel like they already knew me! I could tell that they were genuinely interested in me and my future at Gettysburg.

Gettysburg is amazing. I would say that officially the best aspect of Gettysburg is the faculty. I have not had a professor that was not amazing in my first three semesters. I feel that all of these professors could be teaching on any level that they want, and have chosen a small liberal arts college for the personalized teaching and the intimate classroom environment. The town of Gettysburg, while beautiful, is a little ridiculous at times. You need to drive to get to a grocery store, fast food, or a wal-mart, because of borough ordinances requiring them to locate outside of town. This can be something of a hassle, but everyone should know someone with a car. There is nothing to do in the town of gettysburg itself, so entertainment on the weekend is what you make of it.

I'll tell you the story of why I decided to come here. It seems an appropriate way to address the question. I applied to Gettysburg on a whim. I was really intimidated by the college selection process and applied to a handful of schools without looking at them very carefully. I was accepted into Penn State University Park in November of my senior year, and was essentially decided that I was going to go there. It seemed a safe choice. Gettysburg, however, kept sending me nice things in the mail - handwritten postcards, books about programs that looked really interesting, and congratulatory letters from just about anyone who was in charge of anything. And a very nice scholarship, too. I didn't realize when I applied just how small this school was, and how much it meant to be accepted here. Honestly, I didn't really care - I received my acceptance letter in the mail one day after school, opened the packet, said to myself "That's nice" and went about my day. It was only as decision day approached that I thought it might be worth taking a serious look at Gettysburg. It seemed like an opportunity that I would regret not taking advantage of. So I visited the campus for the first time about one week before I needed to officially decide where I was going to college. I drove down with my family on Get Acquainted Day, the open house for accepted students. The weather was hideous - rainy, cloudy, and cold. But even as we were stuck in a traffic jam downtown, I was looking out the window and admiring the picturesque buildings in the little town square. Gettysburg has so much history, and the town is peppered with antique shops and coffee houses and little restaurants, as well as somewhat tacky tourist shops. The town is very endearing. When we got to the campus, it was more of the same - towering brick buildings and big green fields and basically everything that I thought college should be. Everyone was so excited to welcome visitors. Their enthusiasm was overwhelming. Every person I met that day, and every encounter that I had, convinced me - in the span of one short day - that this was where I needed to be. Even in the ugly weather, the campus was charming, and everyone was so friendly and warm. The tuition is staggering, yes. I decided that if I didn't absolutely love it here, I would look into transferring out. But after about one full day of being in Gettysburg, after move-in, I knew that I would never want to leave. The opportunities here are amazing. I've made some of the best friends. And I've learned so much in just two years - the professors and classes are absolutely incredible.

Gettysburg is a small town in the middle of nowhere. There is one bar in town, so if you're looking to go out you basically go to frats. There are a bunch of events that the school puts on, or student groups put on, but party-wise, you have frats. The nearest city is Harrisburg, 45 minutes away, then Baltimore, a bit over an hour, so basically there is nothing nearby either. If you're looking for something to really give you a lot of activities on the weekends, then either don't go here or go looking for your own activities. Again, with the right people you're guaranteed a good time.

One thing I'd definitely change is forcing freshmen to get the USA meal plan; it's far too expensive for those of us who aren't varsity lacrosse players and it limits our options far too much. I'm 19 years old, I think I can make my own decisions about when, where and what I eat. I wish the school was a bit bigger, however, sometimes it's really nice to be part of a small, close-knit community. Having a small campus makes it easier to get everywhere, but having a small student body means everyone knows everyone elses' business.

Gettysburg is a perfect sized school although at times can feel a little small. There is no college town so the fraternity houses are the only social outlets. greek system is huge here anyone who is anyone is in a frat or sorority they dominate the social scene and the classroom. I spend most of my time on campus either in my frat house or outside. when its cold im in the cub (campus union buildiung) Not much school pride no one cares about the sports here and alot of the athletes think they're hot shit. Gettysburg is unusual because everyone eventually falls into the mold and conforms to the normal student. we dont like different wierdo kids.

My favorite thing about Gettysburg is the campus. Everything is so close by, I do not have to walk far to get to the library or to the dining hall, Servo. Everything is right there. If I had to change one aspect about Gettysburg, it would be the amount of access to daily needs such as toiletries. The Commons, a cafe, sells some- but there is not much choice if you are in desperate need of an item or of a selection. We could upgrade the amount of food options as well. Most of my time is spent in my dorm. I am not a library person, but that does not mean I don't appreciate it being right there. Everyone has their favorite spot on campus to study or hang out. I do not think Gettysburg is a college town at all. It is better than some towns, but all it has to offer are a couple cute cafes and restaurants. If you need groceries or personal items, you need a car. The Dean of Students was actually one of my professors and she is active and well-liked on campus. I have not heard much about the President, so I can't really offer an opinion on her. From what I have heard, she is hard to get in touch with. We have a good amount of school pride, there could be more outcomes at athletic events but I believe we have more turn-out then a lot of other D3 schools in our conference.

best thing: small campus, everything is close by change: get off of class when sidewalks are sheets of ice size: perfect size for me reaction: they view gettysburg as a proficient school and seem approving time spent: dorms hanging out with people what college town? administration: attempt to know everybody, lacking in some areas controversy: abortion protest outside of the cafeteria school pride: decent amount nothing too unusual winning intramural basketball championship internet is too slow

Gettysburg is the perfect size where you see people you know in classes and the dining hall but there are enough people so that you don't see the guy you hooked up with last week everywhere you go. Definitely not a college town...most of the partying, socializing, and everything else happens of campus.

The best part about gettysburg is the sense of community. The school works really hard to have a good program set up when first years arrive on campus to get them to get to know one another. The first couple of days orientation can be awkward but the school does a great job keeping everyone busy and excited about the year to come. The whole campus has a very friendly vibe. People are constantly holding doors for one another and saying hi / giving a friendly smile. The school is on the smaller side which i think is a huge benefit. When you meet people out or in class you have the chance to run into them again - unlike a big school where you might now. The majority of students stay on campus - greek life is where its at socially. There is a town with in walking distance with a couple of good restaurants and civil war shops - nice in good weather to just take a walk and get off campus but there is not too much going on there. Outlets are just a 20 min car ride away tho and so are movie theaters. As a freshman i have had no problem staying on campus the whole time - there is awlays tons to do! (but bringing a car is an option) I have had some of the best classes and teachers at my short time here and am looking foward to the next three years. The teachers are all very open to meeting with students after school and most email as a way of constant contact. Many of them are often good at keeping up to date grades on our online website which is very helpful. There are many ways to get help in classes you are stuggeling in too - the school provides writing centers, math help, language help etc. i attended the math help or calc aid often during my first semester and found it very beneficial. Food is alright but can get tiresome after awhile - meal plans can be changed after freshman year adding a little more of an option but not much. The biggest complaint would probably be the gym but they have plans to build a new one in a few years.

Gettysburg is not a large college but I was looking for smaller so it is perfect for what I wanted. It is not too small either so many people feel comfortable here. It is not that well known from what I have gathered but there are certainly people from different areas. There are not that many international students and one thing I miss is a lot of diversity. Gettysburg itself is small with not that much to do but there are places to eat and movie theaters as well as outlets and shopping areas. It is not far from Harrisburg and Baltimore and there are other schools like Shippensburg that are not too far away and people sometimes go to for other events. Greek life on campus is big because there is not much else around. Plenty of people are involved in other things though if frats are not your scene. The Attic, the on campus club, holds different parties and events most weekends to offer students something different. Gettysburg is not a suitcase school so most everyone remains on campus on the weekends.