Truman State University Top Questions

Academics at Truman are very challenging. There really isn't an easy class to take here that wouldn't challenge intellectually in some way. Students are extremely competitive about every aspect of their college career here. With that, the professors do know your name and form relationships with you throughout your college experience.

You definitely learn your stuff if you try. I'm not a fan of the liberal arts so much, but it is helpful in everyday life discussions. Truman is competitive and you are required to My favorite class was Military Science 100 & 101. Its amazing and you dont have to be ROTC to take it! The Schoolof Accountancy & Business is rough, but holds prestige as well. Professors are easy to meet with outside class, or the most part, and many are willing and happy to help if you have any questions. Education at Truman is about learning and discovering, getting a job is what becomes of the learning...:)

I think Truman is really, really underrated. People who go to other colleges don't understand how challenging Truman is. And really, it's a great deal. It's so much cheaper than most other places, and you get a lot of bang for your buck. I don't think I could get this good of an education for so cheap anywhere else. Personally, I don't spend time with my professors outside of class, but I know there are people who do. Professors, in my experience make themselves very accessible to students. In the Art Department, the professors doors are almost always open, and it's very easy to just pop in with a quick question. There's also certainly a lot of intellectual conversation outside of class. I hear conversations all the time about current events, policies, literature...and that's all in the students' spare time. The most important thing Truman does is prepare its students for their careers. As a VisCom major, I can say that classes in my major are geared specifically for jobs in illustration, graphic design, commercial art, etc. In fact, the professors have said "treat this project as though I'm a client." It's very job-oriented, but at the same time there are classes (GenEd classes, for example) where you just learn for the sake of learning.

For the most part the classes are relatively small. I'd say in my major an average class size is 25-35 students. This is comparable to my highschool experience. Almost every professor I've had knew my name. You have to make the effort to get to know them too though! Most of them have their doctorates too. I'd say that the focus of education depends on your major. Example: Business majors focus on getting students jobs... Philosophy majors focus on learning and growing. Truman will definitely stress the importance of Liberal Arts... at first I was convinced it was superior, but now I'm not so sure. Our country is in recession and right now a particular job skill or focus doesn't seem so bad. My favorite classes are my Communication classes. My least favorite are my Business classes. I'm a Comm major, Business minor. Comm is awesome because everyone participates and the classes are primarily discussion based. My Business classes do not participate and I get the vibe that everyone is cramming and dumping to ensure they make it to the next frat party. Whatev...different priorities I guess. That is my perception, so I could be wrong.

I would say that most of my professors know my name. In mandatory classes and lectures where there are a lot of people in a class then those professors might only know your name if you take the time to talk to them, participate in class, or ask for help. But most professors take the time to get to know the students especially if its a professor in you major classes. Truman students do study a lot. The library is always busy no matter what time of day. Class participation is common. Depending on the classes you don't have to participate unless you want to but you get more out of it if you do. Truman students are know to be really smart and this is not just in the classroom. I know many students that integrate what they learn in class into their conversation with their friends. The most unique class I've take would be Human Sexuality. We learned about everything from female circumcision to sex positions. I am a health science major. It is divided up into 4 sections. My section is Health Administration. So I have to pick up a business minor. Depending on what section you go into determines what kind of electives you have to take. PRE-MED has to take a lot of science classes, I have to take a lot of business classes, others take more psychology classes. The electives are interesting too. Like I said I took human sexuality, I also took a Substance Abuse Prevention class where I learned all about drugs. Truman is a difficult school to get into. However, once you get in, as long as you keep on top of things and do your work, its easy to get good grades. Students who go to Truman are in good shape for getting jobs since the school is looked at so highly. One things that truman does offer that not many other schools offer in undergraduate research. The majority of Truman students have done some type of undergraduate research before they graduate.

the core classes are a great part of truman. (liberal studies program, LSP). i have learned a lot, and have had a great experience in most of my classes. participation in class is common (mostly towards the end of the semester), and that adds a lot to the experience.

All of my professors learn my name. The class sizes are so small that we can have in depth meaningful conversations. My favorite class was called music and political protest. The assignments were mostly us giving our opinions and supporting them. I left class almost every day feeling enlightened about something. I could almost not concentrate in other classes because I was still thinking about that class. My least favorite class was chemistry. I tried to like it but I just had no interest in it. I have to take it though because of my major (biology). That is the only problem I have with the major. All of the other requirements I am okay with. I think if a student wants to prepare for a certain job then Truman prepares one for that. But if you aren't sure what to do after school then Truman provides a great education for learning's sake.

Marty Jayne is the best teacher Truman has. He cares about his students and is in his office 12 hours a day where almost every other teacher might be in there a couple hours a day.

Most importantly, I will say that the professors do know everyone in the classroom by first and last name. The teachers are great and create a good atmosphere to hear them lecture and tell you what to teach yourself.

Almost all professors know my name. Unlike other schools, you can ask questions without feeling weird since there are so few students in classes. Professors are great, they are very nice and you will have at least one that will help you with your future. There are not very many free electives that are fun to take or interesting. It's just not a big enough school for that.