Webster University Top Questions

GREAT academics. webster is pretty small, so that means you get smaller classes. while this might sound scary to some people (like me), it actually works out in your favor. when your classes only have about 12 kids in them (and that's a bigger sized class), you get more individual attention. also, the professors know you. they don't have to waste time covering things that the class doesn't need to cover. they can tailor the course to fit what we as the students need. and i also feel like students here enjoy what they're doing. they are interested in their area of study, so they put the extra work into to make their project/portfolio/performance good.

As a freshman I am discovering much more about my academic potential. In high school I was mildly interested in what was going on. But here academics take a front row in my life. Not because I know I have to, but because I actually want to. I am genuinely interested in what I am learning, and while I am learning my classes strive to challenge and excite my interests.

Academics here are quite strong. Our strongest schools are the fine arts, communications, and business schools but because we are a liberal arts college, we have tons of other majors available and it's nice to be able to have that freedom to dabble in other things if you need to.

The classes here are very small. I've even taken classes with only 6 people in them. With that being the case, it's very easy to get to know your professor. Many will even help you out with things outside the classroom. Some students talk intellectually outside the classroom, but it really varies by subject and what you're interested in. My favorite class that I've taken was my freshmen seminar. The seminar subjects range from things like "60's Through Film," "Image is Everything," "Seinfeld," and the seminar that I took: "Urban Issues." All the seminars had the aim of helping students to transition into college through a class that focused on writing and presenting while using a fun subject. My seminar took place at the downtown campus location. We met once a week for 3 hours and always left the classroom to explore some part of St Louis. I loved it. I learned so much about the challenges large cities face with ever expanding suburbs and found out about all sorts of cool St Louis landmarks and hangouts.

Okay. So I mentioned the small classes on the "Big Picture" part, but I just wanna reemphasize....average class size=16 at Webster. No classes bigger than 25. I had classes in high school that were bigger! Probably one of the coolest classes I've taken so far is Poetry with David Clewell, who promptly became Missouri's 2nd Poet Laureate after the class ended for the semester! The class was held in Pearson House, which is the super-old white brick house built in the early 20th century by the guy who invented TUMS (H. Sam Priest, yes, he was from St. Lou...represent!!!) for his daughter. 15 of us crammed into this little room with a big oval table in the middle that used to be the kitchen! The setting was so intimate and engaging! And Clewell's voice is like what I imagine a wise oak tree would sound like if given the gift of speech--calm, soothing, interjected/interrupted at moments because something brilliant has trickled its way down from the mind to the mouth mid-sentence and it completely depicts the concept that he's describing perfectly so my feeble brain can understand it, and with the small portion that's not concentrating it's hardest on every word coming from his mouth, its commanding my hand to scribble notes furiously so as not to lose this quiet moment of revelation and beauty in this old kitchen, crammed with 14 other students and 1 future Poet Laureate of Missouri (though I suppose in a deeper sense he's always been, huh? There just needed to pass some of this illusion we call time before the title would come...) ANYWAY...yeah, I guess you could say there's some intellectual live on campus LOL...at least for those who seek it. In the classroom, out of the classroom, there's as much as you want or don't want. I tend to seek out those willing to have deeper philosophical, yet simultaneously and perpetually mordant and sarcastic conversations. Any time I don't spend talking (which is actually probably quite a bit) I'm buried in a book, movie, notebook or guitar...literally...I burrow down deep and do not return until some deep unveiling has beset my mind, or else I get tired or frustrated lol. You see, I'm a firm believe that knowledge is within us all, and simply needs to be elicited from inside by some external factor, whether it be a professor, a book, or a journal/notes...usually some combination. So I take it on myself to learn up on my courses outside of class, a lot of times even outside of the curriculum, because this is MY education darnit! I'm not paying to learn the bare minimum and scrape by, earn a bachelor's of arts and hold a steady desk job in a cubicle for the rest of my life...no, I'm going to change the world!...if that happens to come about from in a cubicle then so be it, the Lord is not without humor or irony I think. lol. Ah, again I digress. I think my point is that just as in life, your education is what you make of it...it's just really nice when your college or institution makes it super-easy for you to access the resources and tools you need to learn what you need, in order to succeed at whatever you want to do, whether it be changing the world or just playing guitar in your room for the rest of your life (which yes, is a possibility I'm considering.) And Webster does that and more. Our library is stocked with the insanest books that you didn't even know existed. We have 24/7 computer labs/printing stations. We have professors who teach excellent curriculum, but will answer questions outside of class, and are genuinely invested in your success.

The professors here are actual professors. We do not have TA's or anything like that here. I am in the School of Communications and we have some of the best professors. On the first day of my class my professors not only had me an outline of the semester but a resume of their professional work. It is comforting and exciting to know that I am being taught by professionals that know the business. I normally do spend time with some of my professors outside of class. Most of our professors are advisors of our organizations on campus. Not only will I see them in a classroom setting but when I'm at a meeting with an organization they are there too. I love Webster academics because we are required to have general education classes. Not only do I have to take courses required for my major, Webster allows me to take a wide variety of topics.

Classes are super small here and I really love it. All of my professors have gone by their first name and most give their home and cell numbers besides just emails. The largest class I've had is 25 students and the smallest I've had is 8. While I can only really speak for Interactive Digital Media majors, I've felt my classes for the most part have pretty professional and because nearly all of my teachers used to work in or still work in the field they're teaching, I'm finding they've been super helpful in making contacts for some hopeful jobs.