Augustana College Top Questions

I consider coming to Augustana one of the best choices I have made in my life thus far! From the moment I set foot on campus, I felt like I was at home. For example, within two days of being on campus for freshmen orientation, I was invited over to my advisor's house for pizza and to hang out with a small group of my fellow first-year students. After planting my feet here, I have taken off running and never looked back. Now a junior, I am amazed at how much Augie has given me in three short years and how much I have personally accomplished in this short amount of time. The best thing about Augie is that I can be very involved in campus life and still do well academically. I will explain more about the academics and student body in the paragraphs below :)

As a senior, Augustana to me is a home. The best thing about it is that the faculty members truly respect and have positive rapport with students. They don't treat us like their kids, but they do care about us. It makes coming to school more than sitting in a classroom for an hour or so, because you have developed a relationship with your professors. While this isn't true for every single professor and every single student--how could it be?!--it definitely is a common theme I've found. I consider my professors to be people I can trust and go to if I need something school or non-school related. I think that Augustana's size lends itself to building these types of relationships. I do not know everyone in my senior class, and I certainly do not know all of the professors, not even all of the professors in the Communications department, but I know enough people to feel connected in a community. What's nice is that the size affords people to be in multiple groups and activities and interact, while it also lets you meet new people throughout each school year. If I had to sum up my entire view of Augustana in one sentence it would be: Augustana has taught me how to live in a community. Yes, it has also taught me about several important subjects, but more than that, it has prepared me to enter into a community as an involved person. The professors, the classes themselves, and the other students are constantly challenging me to get to get involved, learn about new problems, and find ways to address them. I think this is the true value of an education, and Augustana prepares you to take on those leadership positions in creative, stimulating ways.

Augustana is a great place to attend college. I was deciding between Georgia Tech and Augustana and chose Augustana for a variety of reasons. The first of which is the natural beauty of the campus. Set on the rolling hills of the Mississippi River Valley, the scenery is amazing, no matter the season. The size of the student body (2,500) was also a large factor. Coming from a high school with an enrollment of 1,400, Augustana was still very comfortable in size. It is just large enough that you can get lost in the crowd if you choose, or you can get to know a good portion of your class. Given the size of Augustana, there are many more opportunities for individualized instruction. Professors are always available to talk about that paper that is coming up in a few days or to just talk about life. Often inviting students into their homes for times of fellowship and socialization, your professors really enjoy teaching their classes and seeing their students succeed, both in and outside of the classroom.