Washington and Lee University Top Questions

The classes are so small that professors get to know you and love you. They are always free for a chat, and take pride in helping you succeed. Many professors come here because they love the energy of interacting meaningfully with students, instead of focusing on research. Students work very hard, but are not really competitive. A 'live and let live' mentality reigns as far as school work goes, because curves don't come into the conversation very often. There are many classes that one can take just because they are interesting (the literature classes, spring term courses, quirky things like Japanese literature where you learn how to pour tea, and psychoactive drugs) and many practical courses, especially in the school of commerce, that are geared toward getting a job.

There is a huge dedication to academics here. Students are competitive, studying hard. Class sizes are very small, my largest class was of 20 students. My smallest class had ten. Professors all know your name and often times professors will invite you for dinner to their house or one of my friends even had a sleep-over at one of his professor's homes. The professors are all incredibly knowledgeable and dedicated to their work and their students. Some professors on campus are legends from whom everyone should take at least one class. Many students double major: I have a unique interdisciplinary major in Medieval and Renaissance Studies and in French. My major is the main reason I came here and while W&L doesn't have the best Medieval Studies program in the country, the school is prestigious and rigorous enough that I should be sufficiently prepared for graduate studies. The academic requirements are demanding--to receive credit for most AP classes, a student must receive a 5 on the exam-- but they are similar to those requirements of other universities.

The academics of W&L are very good. Professors know thier students by name. Most of the classes are very small, with the exception of some basics science classes. But even these classes are small when compared to other schools.

Students study all the time Class participation: usually forced Competition: becomes strong junior year in pre-med and journalism esp. Spanish major: 2 native speakers who are teachers, the rest of the teachers speak Spanish as a second language, the major doesn't provide much practical information and focusses on LITERATURE, which most people refuse to study Conversation: Most students here are pleasantly surprised to have intelligent conversations...when they occur. Help: Professors are very easy to access and are usually willing to go to great lengths to help.

Professors here are amazing. I know all of my Psychology professors personally and I feel comfortable asking them for help with anything I need. The best thing about attending a small school is the individualized attention you get. I know every brochure says this, but WnL forces you to be active in the classroom. The professor expect everyone to contribute to the discussion. Most people do participate because the discussions are interesting. Last term I had an English class titled Literary Approaches to Poverty and normally I dislike English classes, but this one kept my interest. In one discussion we compared the treatment of the poor, insane, and prisoners in Victorian England. It was an eye-opener to see the similiarity of treatment.

Academics are really strong especially because there is a very small student-teacher ratio. there are three terms so you get the chance to get into more classes that are challenging and demanding, but fascinating.

The academic life is something special. The classes are all very small (my largest so far has had about 25 students), and the professors are very personable. I have managed to develop relationships with several professors, even having dinner with a few of them. I have taken several German classes so far, and it is by no means uncommon for one of my German professors to arrange for a get-together outside of the class, such as a class dinner of the showing of a film. My favorite class so far has been Professor Connor's Shakespeare class. We did not simply read plays, but in fact we went to two Shakespearean performances and actually performed a few scenes from Hamlet at the end of the semester.

Academics here are excellent. Profs definitely know my name - even if I haven't taken their classes! The classes are interesting and well-taught. Class participation is pretty common. Student attendance at lectures outside of class is pretty high, even for lectures that aren't required or in the student's field. I chat with profs for fun occasionally, and some of my friends spend hours hanging out in their profs' offices. However, the workload is pretty intense. I don't know about other departments, but W&L's science dept is much more demanding than at state schools. As a result, the average student who gets into medical school nationwide has a 3.8 GPA, but the average W&L student has a 3.6. So, it's good that grad schools recognize our abilities, but it's tough to spend so much time studying. Students are competitive, but they also help each other. It helps that we don't have grade curves. There are a lot of resources through which students help each other, such as the Writing Center and peer tutors. I'd say the focus is on learning for its own sake (hence the whole "liberal arts" thing) but also geared toward getting a job. All the profs keep their eyes out for job or summer opportunities, and Career Services is also really helpful. One of my favorite classes was Cardiovascular Diseases - it blended biology and physics and was really in-depth. I also loved Shakespeare and Marlowe, and Introduction to Poverty. I've had two fabulous summer opportunities while here. The summer after sophomore year, I had a Shepherd Poverty Program internship at a health education center in rural Arkansas. The idea was to learn about rural poverty while gaining experience in my future career field. I never would have chosen AR, but I had an incredible time. I met so many wonderful people and learned a lot about poverty and communities. The following summer, I did research in a biology lab. I got to do everything - not just washing glassware or euthanizing rats like an undergrad at a big school.

Academics are rigorous, and definitely geared toward learning for its own sake. I happen to love the journalism department -- I find the curriculum entertaining and occasionally exciting. All my professors know my name, and I've stopped by the majority of their offices at some point or another just to chat. Academics aren't all about finding a job -- that's what Career Services are for. With the honor system, we often have take-home tests and quizzes, and our final examines are self-scheduled and unproctored.

The professors seem frustrated a lot of the time. They're excellent teachers, but most of their students don't want a really rigorous academic life. They want to go to class, coast through with B's and A's, then go get drunk. The upside of this is that if you're even remotely academically driven, you'll stand out in a good way. The downside is that all the talk about really good classrooms and lively academic debates on the lawn and that kind of thing are complete lies. Don't go to this school expecting to sit around reading great philosophers and debating them with you friends.