Truman State University Top Questions

The music faculty are on the whole great. Outside the music department I have not had loads of expierance, but, many of the expierances that I have had have been throughly dissapointed.

I love the small class sizes and the fact that if you attend class, your professor will know your name. I'm a huge fan of our Agriculture Department, even though most students don't even know we have one! All the professors are so happy to help out with whatever you need, and they're always available! I've had professors give out their home and cell phone numbers in class to make sure we can reach them if we have trouble with anything.

For the first time ever, I have had to work hard. In high school I didn't have to put much effort forth to get top grades. At Truman I have been forced to not only work hard, but to really learn what it means to study. I have also learned how to fail in a way. I've always received top grades, barely breaking a sweat for better than a 4.0, and at Truman I've struggled to maintain a B average. That's hard to swallow, but a good lesson to learn in anycase.

Speaking of studying, that's mostly all I do. The classes are hard. The professors work you to death, but most outsiders know about this and they respect us. The nursing department actually gave us the nickname "Harvard of the Midwest". I don't know how accurate this is considering how cheap we are, but academics are definetely number one at Truman. My major is a great example of this. I'm an interdisciplinary major. This means that I study one thing throught the eyes of many different disciplines. My interdisciplinary major is Leadership Theory. It is based on the theory that leaders are born, not made. Its purpose is to help me to suceed in law school (the next step towards me becoming a great leader). It is divided up into three parts: problem solving, knowledge, and human relations. I take classes in Justice Systems, Communication, Political Science, Psychology, and many more. I love it. I think it makes me a well-rounded scholar!

I love the professors here. Most of the professors in my major have taken the time to learn my name, and over the years have developed a fairly close relationship. This is great, considering most of the professors I have had, I have had more than once (not simply by choice I might add.) I have never, ever had a grad student teach a class. You can't say that if you attend a major state school. Students are always studying, everywhere. Class participation is common, but not usually required. However most professors take notice if you are skipping class on a regular basis. My only complaint about Truman academics...well make that my only two complaints. The biggest complaint I have has to do with Truman's "modes of inquiry." The modes are basically required classes that you have to take to graduated. Most of them...you guessed it, are bullshit. I am studying to be a physician, and I see little need (as well as every medical school I have ever talked to) for me to take calculus or 3 semesters of a foreign language. I know that may come off as being a little closed minded; that I may find English as the only important language. That is NOT THE CASE. Most people who attend this school have higher ambitions than just a Bachelors degree, and would like to finish their undergrad as soon as they possibly can.

Academics are very strong at Truman and the success rate is rather high. The professors will help you succeed as long as you do your part. Plus, the admission to grad school is very very high from TSU.

Truman students are competitive, have intellectual conversations inside and outside the classroom and are very challenged by their professors. Don't come to Truman looking for a cake-walk.

There are very good caring professors, all out to help you and they all know their students names', encourage you to drop by their offices, etc.

The thing I love about Truman is that it's perfect in size. You get to know your classmates and your teachers fairly well and I can tell you that the majority of my professors knew my name. As a psychology major I think my favorite classes were the ones based around children (Behavior Modification, Child Development, Attachment Theory). I feel like I learned the most in those classes and carry that information with me still. Having said that, I will say I worked my butt off all 4 years of college. Some students are competitive, but unless you want to share your grades, generally they are only for your eyes to see. The psychology department is one of the largest on campus. It's hard to get into classes as a freshman and sometimes even as a sophomore. But some professors are flexible and will let you override the capacity so you can take the classes you need.

classes are relatively small at Truman and most, if not all, of the professors I've had at Truman still know my name. Many Truman students spend most of their week studying then making up for their stressful week on the weekends (binge drinking, perhaps?). I've had many favorite classes, particularly anything with Roberta Donahue or and of the HES faculty (they are amazing!). I've held many intellectual conversations with students outside of class ranging from politics, religion, pop psychology, the environment, health behaviors, etc. I have been invited to Java Co and yoga classes by some of my professors and I've also baby sat for many of them. Some of the LSP courses at Truman seem ridiculous- you could attain these requirements at a community college, but they are necessary. Many students are lucky if they get to graduate on time; some are on the super senior track. Truman is both geared towards getting students the jobs they want/need, getting into grad school, etc. It is also geared towards making a well rounded, intellectual individual as well.