Washington and Lee University Top Questions

Class participation is required to pass most classes. People are randomly called upon in class and if the class is not a lecture class, discussions most normally do not include input from the professor. Be prepared to speak up and learn to think on your feet. Geology has been great for me. It's a lot of hands on/outdoors activity and the department is so excited for its majors. They have picnics, cookie/soda days, and personally know all students in the major.

The academics are excellent. Lots of personal attention, difficult classes, but do well here and you'll be able to get pretty much any job you want or into a top grad school.

It's hard. But the professors are always there if you need help. Every class is taught by a professor, and it allows a bit more freedom in the classroom, because you're on an almost equal footing. My only regret is that I don't go for help as often as I should with professors.

The academics are hard, but doable...if you get in here, you can handle it. Professors are great. They know your name and are always available for help; I go to all my professors' office hours for help whenever I need it and they're great about help. People do study really hard. Normally, you'll stay on the hill until around midnight if you're doing work, but you go out just as hard the next night. During exam week, the library is like a social scene...everyone's in there working hard. Students want to do well, but we're all always willing to help each other with anything.

The academics here are rigorous but rewarding, and provide the students with a lot of flexibility for what they want to study. I am a neuroscience major who is also on the premed track, but I also plan on getting a concentration in African-American studies, and I feel like that epitomizes the opportunities that the University allows. The professors are incredibly friendly and you know them as people, not just doctors and distant researchers. Also, because of the small size of the University, many students will assist professors in their research, and oftentimes if the professors do publish their findings, the undergraduate students will be listed as coauthors, which is an amazing opportunity for an undergraduate student.

The student to professor ration at W&L is about 10-1, so professors almost always know your name. They care a lot about your success and are always willing to make time for you. My favorite classes have been those in my majors - politics and studio art. I have especially enjoyed my drawing classes and international politics classes. I would say students study about 20-25 hours during a none exam week. Class participation is very common at W&L. Because of the small class sizes and the emphasis on seminar-style classes, students are often expected to speak up as part of their final grade. There is certainly intellectual conversation outside of class - not an obnoxious amount, but the students here are extremely intelligent. Students are relatively competitive. I would say we are more competitive with ourselves then with our classmates. The most unique class I have taken was Islam and Politics last semester. It was a seminar elective class that focused on the resolution of politics and religion as one of the most important foreign policy issues today. As I said, my majors are politics and studio art. Most people would think that they are two very different subject, but I am finding interesting ways in which the two complement each other and interact. I am enjoying them both very much. Every professor at W&L is available for office hours or time outside of class to meet with students. I have often taken advantage of this time to talk with teachers and further discuss topics in class. I don't mind W&L general education requirements, but I do wish they were a few fewer, especially in science/math! However, the GEs do allow students to get a taste each discipline at W&L.

students are very hard workers and takee their work very seriously. the professors are absolutely fabulous, and i don't believe that any other school has professors who are as available and willing to help. because classes are so small, professors make time for everyone and pay close attention in making sure each student can and will succeed. they really couldn't be better.

There is a great relationship between students and professors. Professors are always easy to meet with and you actually get a chance to know them. My most interesting class was a recent macro econ class. I got to know my professor well and he was definitely one of the smartest teachers I've had. He taught us practical economics and offered different perspectives to our nation's economics than is mainly depicted in the media. Classes are small and comfortable. Students are competitive, and there is very little grade inflation. Professors will do as much as they can to help you out - they don't want students to fail. Many of the major departments are like big families, and students get to know their advisers and professors very well. Education is great.

A high point is the experience in the classroom. The teachers, especially in the humanities, really want you to learn, and this is evident in their curriculum and their office hours. They are very available. The sciences are also helpful and engaging, but the classes tend to be bigger, probably due to essential classes for the MCAT, etc. Although I'm an English major (and a freshman), I'm researching this summer with a biology professor, which is a really unique experience. I am taking an anthropology class with 5 kids, and it's really engaging and interesting. Obviously, with such intimate class sizes, participation is key. In every class I'm taking, it's at least 25{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the grade. This makes you do your homework, and it forces you to think critically. The English department is very conducive to students who want to double-major, or who are going pre-med or pre-dent, etc. They want you to receive a well-rounded education that will benefit you in the future.

I love my classes. I love my professors. W&L has exceeded my expectations in offering challenging yet extremely engaging classes which I have applied myself to 100{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c}. I am very motivated by the interesting professors and classes offered. My main problem is the FDR (required core classes) which prevent me from taking the endless list of classes that interest me. Why should I be wasting my time with a math requirement when I'd rather be enjoying a class discussion and studying one of the highly fascinating humanities courses offered?

Classes are intense, interesting, and intimate. Last semester, i had two classes in which there were fewer than 10 people, and my largest class all year has 35 people in it. All of my professors have learned my name within a week or so of class, and I still talk to them frequently on campus. Students at w&; follow the philosophy of "work hard, play hard" and definately do their work alongside of the partying. getting into w&l is difficult, and even athletes have rigorous standards to meet. It's really refreshing, really to be able to hang out with friends or go to a party and have a conversation about the Decameron, Dante, John Locke, or gender perceptions in early modern europe. Its a fun atmosphere for learning, and i get to use material from previous classes to my advantage in future classes, where the teachers are as excited as I am to get more information. My department (Medieval and Renaissance studies) is really exciting, since it's made up of teachers from several departments who have one common passion, which really is a passion for them. They're a wonderful group who love to talk about their feild and love to discuss new ideas with students, both in class and out.

competitive / difficult / geared towards job - school of commerce / geared towards learning - all liberal arts majors. Great academic setting

The academics here are amazing. The professors generally know your name by the second day of class and honestly care about the students and their success in life. My favorite class was Chem 111 with Dr. U, he embodies the best of this university's quality of instructors. My least favorite class was one taken with a visiting professor in the english department, I have never had a class that wasnt good taught by a full time professor here. Class participation is very common, its kind of hard to sit as an observer when class size is 10 or 15 students. It is encouraged and often your grade depends on the discussions you have outside of class time with the professors, who keep regular office hours but are available most times they are not teaching class. Academic discussions often occur outside of class between students and often it is pretty funny hearing at a big party drunk people discussing philosophy, science, or some other intelligent thing. Students are very competitive with each other but that never stops them from helping each other when needed. Its a healthy sort of competition where no one wants anyone to loose but wants their classmates to succeed so that if they are the best they are the best of the best. Washington and Lee's academic requirements are rigorous but fair and the gen ed credits ensure you experience a wide variety of knowledge during your college years. Overall learning here is geared towards learning for its own sake which is generally followed by getting a good job.

All the professors take a great deal of pride in their students. I have not met one that does not help his/her students. I absolutely love the academic atmosphere. It's also extremely difficult to make good grades though. Once you get here, you still have to work.

Although I could state so above, I am also a Classics major, in addition to the Physics major. My professors in both fields of study are friendly, approachable, yet also demanding of our work, setting standards achieveable, but challenging -- as I have come to expect from all fields in which I have studied at this school. Even during classes which I did not enjoy because of the subject, I still appreciated my professors' dedication and enthusiasm for their teaching matter. In addition to studying physics and classics, I work for the physics department, which allows me to spend time with the professors in a more relaxed environment. They are incredibly personable, and while outside the classroom far more casual, they still maintain professionalism in the classroom. The academic requirements are wide-ranged, forcing students to study matters that might be outside their major focus. These requirements caused me to take an ancient philosophy class, which contributed towards my decision to add classics to my major declaration. The general education requirements gear the school towards learning for its own sake, but not exclusively and certainly not extremely. The career center is an influential presence on campus.

All my professors know my name and they believe me when I give them an excuse for being late/ not there/ turning something in late. We take the honor code very seriously, so they can trust us to tell them the truth.

Students do study a lot, and W&L is a hard school; we do not just party all the time. Most of the students that go here are smart, so work ethic ultimately separates A students from B students. There are the geniuses that never have to work, but the majority of students work hard and fairly often. Some majors are harder than others and all majors very in the type of work required, so choose wisely something you will enjoy and also plays to your strengths as a student.

very good.

difficult and challenging. lots of opportunities-to study abroad, independent studies, etc. general requirements include classes in many different areas-literature, science, math, art, etc. quite extensive, but are changing and becoming easier. students are competitive but fair spring term allows students to take interesting, focused courses for six weeks.

Great class size, lots of work, helpful professors, amazing opportunities to learn in any liberal arts field. Not the best school for engeneers or those seeking hands on skills.