Saint Joseph’s University Top Questions

As far as difficulty, it really depends on your class and professors. I have had an excellent experience with the Sociology department. All of my professors have great accolades and their classes are not only unique but enthralling. My favorite classes included Marriage and the Family, Juvenile Justice and Organized Crime. I have gotten to know my advisor well inside and outside of class and she has helped me in the process of applying to law school.

All of my professors know my name and are extremely reachable after class through their office hours. They have always helped me whenever I have needed assistance. Class participation and discussions are very common and I have had no professor thus far that I have strongly disliked. The amount of studying varies with each student's ambition level. Students are not that competitive and are more about socializing than academics. My major is Elementary/Special Education, and the department is great. I know that when I graduate, I will be extremely prepared to enter into the classroom, especially because we get the opportunity to go into Philadelphia schools one day a week and observe a teacher and their class. The academic requirements are hefty, but worth it. The education is geared toward both learning and getting a job.

I think some majors (science etc) are much harder than other courses but it all depends on your professors.

Teachers absolutely know everyone's names. Class sizes allow for better teacher-student interaction and relationship. Business courses are very well taught. Professors come from high places in the field and can relate material to real world. Students study a decent amount. Courses are not rigorous. Saint Joseph's is definitely geared towards landing their students a job.

The courses are interesting and challenging most of the time. However, isn't that what college is for- to learn? The professors are so intelligent and always willing to help whenever you need it.

Here at SJU, the professors actually get to know who you are. If you are having trouble in a class they are more than willing to help you and get you where you need to be. Class participation is very common, in most classes people are not afraid to speak their mind and speaking out is encouraged.

The education department is amazing, but the secretary of the office is so mean. Every education class that i've taken so far has been awesome.

I love being in small classes in which the professors actually get to know you as a person, rather than just a student. I have found that professors are very generous as a whole with their time (office hours) to meet and help you with anything.

Professors are extremely accessible at St. Joe's. Every professor has known my name and been available even outside of their office hours for any issue I had. As an English major, my classes were very small. The maximum students I ever had in a class in my major was around 25, and that was in a Shakespeare class that was a requirement. St. Joe's students run the gamut of competive/non-competive, and intellectual/slacker. I was somewhat discouraged by what I see as a lack of preperation for college, and a lack of competent writing skills in many of my peers; however, my opinion may be skewed because I am an English major with a minor in Secondary Education. My favorite class was African American Literature, which had a service learning component. As a Jesuit school, St. Joe's prides itself in continuing the Jesuit tradition of service. Jesuits teach to the whole person in the hopes that their students becomes people who live for and with others. While I learned about African American Literature in the classroom, I also had the opportunity to spend time teaching in a 7th grade African American Literature classroom in a local, inner-city, school, Our Mother of Sorrows. It was an eye-opening experience for me, and one that I wouldn't give up for anything. It was extremely rewarding to see students (all African American) learning and growing in the classroom. I was sad to leave at the end of the semester, and some of my friends who could still volunteer there. Many students complain about the fact that St. Joe's has a set of GERs that includes 3 Philsophy classes and 3 Theology classes; however, this policy is something that comes from the Jesuit tradition that St. Joe's wants to hold on to. While I think, like many students, that 3 of each is overkill, I hope that St. Joe's does not lose this tradition all together, because it comes directly from St. Ignatius, the founder of the Jesuit order. Also, I loved taking a class on Jesuit Theology and learning more about St. Ignatius in my junior year. I am not Catholic, but I found this course enlightening and extremely interesting. Much of St. Joe's teaching in very much geared toward getting a job. Even in the English department there is a strong push towards figuring out what you want to do beyond graduation. Most of my friends have had internships many times throughout our years at St. Joe's. In the business school, especially, the outlook is very much toward job placement.

The classes are very small, and its possible for all teachers to get to know your name. Some teachers just don't care, and others make it a priority to connect with students. Almost all teachers are readily available during office hours, and if you ask for help, they will really take the time to help you through any struggles. Because of the Jesuit/Liberal Arts curriculum, some of the classes do seem like they are just education for the sake of education, but it really gives you a great background to be a well-rounded person. Classes in your major are much more career-oriented, and teachers are always looking to help people in their career goals. The English Department does require some extra classes that don't directly coinside with my career goals, but they important things I feel I should know in order to graduate with an English Degree (i.e. Shakespeare and Literature Classes). Some students are really intrested in Academics, and others are just trying to float by.