Emerson College Top Questions

Most of the classes are small enough that your professors will know you by name, even if you don't talk a lot. For most of the general education classes, the professors aren't going to be older than you by much (grad school students), so since they're young, they try to make the classes fun and interesting. Not to say that the older professors don't make things interesting... The classes at Emerson are very atypical, in that they are very geared towards the arts and your major (this could be trouble if you ever plan to transfer out, which one hopes you wouldn't). Emerson is very devoted to gearing its students toward getting jobs or internships, so while math and science classes are required general education courses, it's easy to get those waivered. They want you to focus on your major instead of worrying too much about silly math and science (I say "silly" because like most Emerson kids, I hate math and science). Don't quote me on this, but Emerson supposedly has the highest job placement in the entire country. People hire Emerson kids because they know what they're doing.

Emerson has an unofficial motto: "Emerson College: where classes get in the way of education." Some students bemoan their classes, since they'd rather be getting firsthand experience (and do) through student organizations. As at any school, Emerson kids have to work through a series of general education requirements, but they're more relaxed than at other liberal arts colleges. Most kids arrive at Emerson knowing precisely the major they want, so the curriculum is tailored to suit those majors from the start. A film major, for example, will have some "gen eds," but also be immersed in film history classes and introductory media production classes during their very first year. And anything you don't learn immediately in production classes, for example, you pick up quickly by assisting on club film shoots and upperclassmen's productions, which you can then translate to production classes. The fun really starts when you're focusing solely on your department's classes, and the opportunities for learning are immense. Classes are generally small (about 16-24 students), and the professors know their stuff. Some professors are a little disorganized, but only if they're juggling their own creative projects on the side; all of them have loads to share about their field, regardless.

Emerson students are extremely competitive with one another, but in a productive way. Because most of us are in Marketing or Theatre or Writing, we tend to have a huge range of ideas and everyone is extremely passionate about their beliefs. Most of my classes have group projects, and the competitiveness is a great way to get used to how businesses run in the actual working environment.

Academics at Emerson are different from most other American colleges in that you don't have to worry about taking a certain number of math credits, a certain number of science credits, a language, etc etc. Unless you did REALLY badly on your SATs, you don't have to take any of those at all. You get started on your major requirements freshman year! The downside of that is that if you decide you want to switch majors, it's hard to do so. There are some required classes but these are tailored to the fact that Emerson is a communications college - for example, one class is public speaking. Education at Emerson is geared towards preparing you for the field. Most people know exactly what they want to do and are using an Emerson education to help them get there. Class sizes tend to be pretty small. Lecture classes are slightly larger but the biggest lecture class I've been in had about 40 students. My major is journalism, and my professors mostly have experience in the field. For example, my Journalism Law & Ethics professor only teaches that one class at Emerson and the rest of the time she is a practicing lawyer. Some classes are set up as discussion classes - there are debate classes and public speaking classes, for example - while others are purely lecture classes. Students don't really talk about class outside of class but there are exceptions. The workload is significant but generally pretty steady and paced. I don't get too stressed and it's a lot better than the college I transferred from.

The academics are awesome. I loath the gen-eds, but that's because I'm just not interested in them. My favorite classes (this semester) are improvisation, and acting. The cause me to challenge my self to new heights as a performer, as well as others in the class. We talk about these classes all the time outside of class. Indeed, there is a certain level of competition, but that is to be expected in the arts. There is a definite push for students to get jobs outside of school, especially the actors. Which is great, because you don't usually see this.

After a semester or two at Emerson, you'll be more than glad to discuss silly mundane things. At Emerson, all discussions are intellectual. Its impossible to escape film critics, political analysis, and 'poets.' Class is intellectual, your friends are intellectual, and eventually, you'll be one too. At first its delightful-- you'll feel quite college-y. By the end, your brain will explode. Marketing majors are bloodthirsty. They're competitive to the millionth degree and will stop at nothing until they're the CEO of Disney. They'll work till 3 in the morning to finish a group project and suck up to the professor like it guarantees entrance to heaven. Shameless self-promotion seems to be a common theme among Emerson students. The basic required classes are quite simple and easy. Professors seem to make sure everyone gets an A. After that, there's not quite so much hand-holding. Classes required for your major, especially the higher level classes are a little more difficult and involved. Emerson makes great use of technology. In most classes they at least introduce technology that is used in the field. The technology is always available for our use. By the time I graduate from Emerson, I feel I'll be at least competent at my job.

Classes are small. Loud-mouths get all the attention. Like anywhere else. Workshops are great and suck. Every class gets repetitive after a while because all the assignments are routine. Most classes are discussion based. Emerson students THINK they are talking about really intellectual things but most of the time they are showing off and lying. They name-drop like crazy but you can tell they don't really know wtf they are talking about. There are a few hidden gems of intelligent people. WLP is the writing dept and it is pretty good. Don't expect amazing writers. The majority of people were probably told in high school they were awesome and still think so except that they aren't. There are, again, a few gems of great writers. Huge egos in every major, though. Scary. I feel like the gen ed's are incredibly easy and a joke. The major classes are pretty specialized. They should offer more options in the majors though. WLP majors end up repeating classes which is fine but repetitive.

I must say, as much stupid scenester drama that there is at Emerson- it is a great Academic school. Most professors have real-life experience, they have written, published, or designed books and magazines. I've had a current playwright, a former editor of Boston Magazine, a prize winning poet, a science fiction author-in-residence... just tons of real writing experience. Some professors really care about you, they offer themselves after-class, and have meetings with students to make sure they're really getting everything. And some teachers just don't care- it's their job, they go in, teach, leave, and don't talk to you ever again. For the most part, the teachers have real passion about their field, and you can tell. Class participation is extremely common- Emersonians love to hear themselves talk, and love to state the obvious. This is especially prevalent in Ethics, Philosophy, and Literature classes. They often take these conversations outside class, to the local Starbucks. Not because they are sincerely passionate about the subject, but because they are hoping that someone will hear them name-drop Proust and either ask them out because they're so deep, or offer them a job so they won't be homeless when they graduate. One thing I'd change- Emerson makes it super-easy to get out of having to take any math, science, or foreign language requirements. I didn't have to take any of those classes because I either scored well on my SAT, or took four years of them in high school. Because of this, many Emersonians lack basic quantitative reasoning skills, and can't do basic math. The education at Emerson is definitely NOT geared towards getting a job- it leans more towards the "enlightening" a young mind side of things. Everyone knows that writing, film, and theater aren't very practical studies, and it will be tough to break into these fields post-graduation. There's even a Facebook group called "I'm going to Emerson so I can be homeless when I graduate."

in the classes i've been, there isn't an extensive amount of participation. professors usually have to pry students to participate. I don't feel students have a lot of intellectual interaction outside of class unless its required. students aren't really competitive but they do care about grades.

Math is almost non-existent. It is a very artsy school, so the curriculum isn't the hardest out there. When it comes to theater, the students are VERY competitive. Emerson Stage is sooooo competitive. Other shows are easier to get into.

Emerson is different from other schools in that it is a very professionally driven school. From day 1, students are trying to learn everything that they can to get a leg up over everyone else, and it can be very competitive, but it is still a great environment and school where you will have a lot of fun, not only outside of class but in it as well. Almost all of my professors know my name, which is impressive considering some of those classes had 50 or 60 students in them. Class discussions happen very frequently in some classes, and rarely in other classes, that mostly depends on the professor and the curriculum for the class. Emerson's requirements tend to be very lenient, most people can waive out of their math and language requirements, and it is pretty easy to waive out of most of the other requirements as well since you can get credit with a score of 3 on any AP test. The other required classes tend to be interesting and helpful in your specific major. Emerson's classes are all geared towards getting out and getting a job just like everything else done at Emerson. There are programs designed to teach networking skills, classes geared towards making a show in a real world environment, and even classes on how to manage people and take a leadership role.

Sophomore year, I was walking to the Tufte building when I saw my African Civ. professor from freshman year. He smiled to me and said hello, which was not only great because I used to have a crush on him along with half the people in that class (girls and boys), but also because he could remember my face a year later. The same professor's class was also one of the most eye-opening classes I've ever taken, and even though it's the only C I've gotten at Emerson so far, it was still a great class.

A lot of people come to Emerson because of its unique sense of self. It is definitely for the independent minded individual. It is good to know what you want to do before coming here because it is very career focused. It is not a good school to come to if you plan on declaring "undecided" as your major. The classes are small and personalized and for the most part are challenging to the above average student. It is a very liberal arts based curriculum and many of the teachers are fairly alternative themselves, but all highly competent from my experience. Also, the job placement rates for Emerson are very high and I've heard the career services department is very good.

Hit or miss with Professors. General Education requirements are just as engaging as any other liberal arts school, with occasional extra flair because the professor is a real industry success. You can benefit from a lot of hands on experience and learning at this school however, more so than at others.

My largest class this year was 90 people and my teacher knew everyone's name. My friends go to schools where they can be in 40 person classes and the teachers don't seem to care who you are. I was struggling in my 90 person class and went to meet with the professor and he immediately knew my name, where I was struggling, and my recent test evaluations. The classes here are really different though. Don't expect much testing and that kind of thing in your major classes, instead they seemed to be focused around projects whether it's making a movie for a production class or doing your final project for research writing. That's the other thing, writing. This is a communications school and you will see a lot of papers. However the work has never been overly difficult. Instead, it just takes alot of time. For instance, in one class you may see that you have to take a final test that you will spend maybe an hour or two studying for and half an hour completing it and still get an A as opposed to another class where it may take 4 hours to shoot footage, 3 hours to edit it, 2 hours to prepare it etc. and you still might not even get an A. This school is 100{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} committed to preparing it's students for the real world in whatever field you might be interested in through internships, real life production training classes, and your gen eds.

Emerson has really good major programs with relatively small class sizes, where tutor do know your name. unlike larger campuses where you become a face in the crowd. the actual in class work is not as helpful as the extracurriculars where you get real hands on experience.

Emerson has awesome hands on clsses. The people teaching you are real people in the businesses that you are learning about. Papers and projects are huge here, where as tests don't come around that often. Students here are really outspoken and often find themselves talking about crazy topics in and outside of the class...very controversial. Emerson doesn't make you take many gen eds, they get you into your major freshmen year which is awesome. Alot of the majors intermingle, with marketing students working with the film and audio kids to help them promote their movies or television shows. The musical theater and acting kids are kind of in their own community, as well as communication disorder majors kind of blend in.

The academics are generally not too demanding. Students mostly learn about their majors from participating in outside the classroom projects.

In the academic aspect, Emerson has a student - profesor relationship since classes are relatiely small. My biggest class is 30 people. I like all of my classes cause we are all friends and help each other out. I feel Emerson has a very good curriculum in communications and the profesors are very well prepared and know what they are teaching about and always willing to help the student

I am in the library every night but other friends have minimal homework. The students are very intellectual and we all have stimulating conversations. Emerson's G.E's are also amazing and its easy to get out of math!

The classes are pretty much always small; lectures are no larger than eighty students, I'd imagine, and the rest are mainly from fifteen to forty students. You get to dive right into your major freshman year and you can get a lot of hands on experience in your first semester: all you have to do is go out there and try it. Professors are very helpful and give you detailed project critiques. I know personally I've learned a lot about how to research and write essays just from being in the Honors Program this year. Emerson makes sure that the students are well rounded and know how to present themselves orally and on paper.

Very specific and hands on. emerson is great when it comes to concentrations

I felt that I learned so much my last semester as a senior than I did my two years here. I wish that every semester was like this past semester. I know a lot of professors who have outside friendships with students here and continue to help them after graduation.

Once you get past your stupid core ed shit, its not bad. Your major classes are going to be intense but really awesome and informative, and the stupid bullshit ones are treated as such, which is nice when you have some real work to get done.

there are no academics. but there are lots of opportunities outside of classes.

Academics are fairly easy. They don't often, in my experience, require a ton of work outside of the classroom. However, despite the feeling that you're not doing any work, you do get noticeably smarter. I experienced this most in terms of my articulation. The most unique class I have taken is Science and Psychology of Survival, where we examine what happens to the mind/body in near death situations. Essentially everything at Emerson is geared towards what happens after graduation, and producing work and connections to be able to get a job right after we leave here.

Essays... what essays? Emerson generally doesn't require a lot of intensive term papers. Instead, expect to spend your time on a film shoot, or working on a stage show.

HA HA HA. RATEMYPROFESSORS. USE IT. And talk to upperclassmen. The academics are great if you do your research and find the best classes and teachers.

Professors know my name. The amount that students study really just depends on the student, but a lot of academics at Emerson relate to people's majors. So if there's a conception that we don't study, it's really just because we're working on a film or a play that's half our grade. Students are definitely competitive artistically, but I like that edge. There are complaints that the academic requirements aren't too stringent, but I think it's nice of Emerson to acknowledge that we probably suck at math and science. Personally, I've had great experiences with the gen ed requirements, with those teachers often being more competent than my film teachers because something like science or literature is easier to find a competent professor for. I've taken courses as diverse as American Sign Language, Abnormal Psychology, Acting, Post-WWII Literature, Post-WWII art, and more, many of these just for fun. I have found them all to be pretty rewarding. Certain departments, like history and science, are definitely lacking however, but sometimes you can fill that craving through things like film history, interdisciplinary classes, or psychology. This isn't a class I've taken, but I had some friends in a history of burlesque class where they got to take pole-dancing classes. The classes are fairly career-oriented, but it's pretty easy to take classes outside of your major just for fun and education.

There are a lot of workshop-style and discussion-based classes, so the quality of hte class can really depend on who you're taking it with. I've had mostly good experiences with my professors, and once you get past the entry-level required classes, the class size is small enough that you really get to know the professor and the class size. The nice thing is that the usually other students really get into the class, so you could start a conversation during a discussion and carry it on outside of class, unlike the school I transferred from, where once you leave the classroom you also leave your brain.

Classes at Emerson have been pretty good. Class load of four classes a semester is, I think, the best choice. Worst classes so far have been Discovering Journalism and Contemporary Ethics - both have wonderful, helpful teachers but who fail to cover the correct subject matter at hand and tend to go off on tangents, and frankly it's hard to stay awake (But Donna Halper is absolutely awesome, as is Tom Cooper, they just need to wake us up!) I feel like being a freshman sucks cuz the few required courses you need are all shoved in at first, and I'll be honest, at least in the Journalism department, the required beginners Journalism courses (JR101, JR102) are pretty much a joke.

Yes, the professors knew my name. My favorite classes were workshops, since I got to show off and get some feedback on what I've been doing. I guess some students are competitive, but I never really noticed. Yes, Emerson students have intellectual conversations outside of class. I think one of the most interesting classes I took was Novel Into Film. Essentially, you read novels, watch films and compare the original to the adaptation. The WLP dept. is ok. Bill Knott is the shit and some of the other profs are ok, but by and large they seemed like dorks and I was a bit unimpressed with some of their writing, but that's a matter of personal aesthetics. Never spent time with profs out of class. Requirements are easy to fulfill. I don't know if Emerson is geared toward getting jobs- many people needed to do internships to complete their major, but I was studying poetry, so I wasn't really going to get a job anyway.

All the classes are small at Emerson so if you're even a shy student (like I was) all of the professors still know you by name. My favorite class at Emerson was my 200 level Writing Class with Jill McDonough. It was my first creative class at Emerson, my first semester there, so I was scared out of my mind. Jill was calm, relaxed, energetic, extremely outgoing, kind of offensive, constantly swearing and funny as hell. We all spent every day "workshopping" (praising and criticizing each other's works) laughing our asses off. I have never liked the workshopping process, but this introductory class made me more at ease my first semester. I felt close to just about everyone in my class because of it. My least favorite class was Shakespearean Comedy with Henry Dewitt. I love Shakespeare and had always wanted to take this class, so I was very disappointed. Henry picks favorites and picks on you if you're not one of them. He made me re-write just about every paper because he didn't like my "style" even though he claimed I was the one in need of tutoring (when in every other class I had at least a B+). People are always studying at Emerson. The library is always packed with students who live off-campus who don't want to waste a T Ride home, who would rather get work done. In class participation is a must. Every class has at least one egotistical guy who answers every comment personally. Like I said before, if you are pretentious, Emerson is the place for you! There are many people who have intellectual conversations outside of class. It's almost a contest; it's like everyone is fighting to be the more knowledgeable speaker even if you are talking about McDonald's french fries. It gets kind of old fast. Students are extremely competitive! It's an arts school! The most unique class I ever took was my "Novel Into Film" class took with Richard Chetwynd. That guy is the man! If you go to the castle you HAVE to take a class with him. He is an old hippie who is extremely offensive & humorous. I will never forget such comments as "Taking a Dew Bath" & "Phillip the Parasite" for as long as I live. Emerson's academic requirements are either really easy or really precise depending on what your major is, and if you want a BFA or BA. BA's are usually very easy with a lot of variety in the classes you take. BFA's have many requirements and are often stressful to get all of the classes done in time. Emerson is definitely about learning for it's own sake. I have graduated and I definitely had a lot of trouble getting my first job. Emerson does not have any class on computer office basics, math is only required if you bombed the SATs, Foreign language is never required of transfer students, and history/science can easily be a joke class. If you go to Emerson, you have to want a job like in Theatre, Film etc. or your degree is absolutely useless. My Major was Writing Literature and Publishing or WLP for short. It's better than majoring in just english because you have to write creatively, read important literature, and learn about the publishing process all together. You are more prepared for a real world writing/design career than you are to be an English teacher, like at a lot of colleges. I never liked my major because I always felt that the egotistical kids would destroy your artwork, just to make themselves look better. During workshops, you rarely felt like all of the comments were about bettering your piece

All of your professors know your name. Your classes are super small, which is great, unless you like to sleep in class. Emerson kids are generally pretty smart and don't really study very often. However, if you take a Mike Brown class, you better prepare to work your ass off. In general, this school will prepare you for a career, but like all things in life, it's also about how much you put into it yourself.

Classes are small. Professors know you, you can talk in classes. Your largest class will be with 45 kids. Average is about 15-20 though. They are not that hard, but what you learn is necessary. You will learn the most about your major and your career through the co-curriculars.

I actually find that I enjoy academics at Emerson. I'm consistently provided with challenges in the courses I have taken. Some of the professors are idiots, but that's common pretty much everywhere.

The classes are small enough so that the professors get to know you. I love my Forbidden Knowledge; I've never been so challenged to think critically in my life! My professors are nice, down to earth, and easily accessible. Emerson's requirements are fair and manageable. I have an awesome department; I'm majoring in Studio Television Production, and I belong to the Department of Visual and Media Arts. We get e-mails all the time about workshops, screenings, job offerings, internships, reel reviews, etc.

All of my professors know my name this semester, and it's really rare to find a "lecture" type class at Emerson, although I had one last semester. My favorite class I've taken thus far was my theater appreciation class, which had a lot of improv and student performance so you really got to know every student individually. My professor was great, too. My least favorite class so far was my Religion in Eastern Cultures class, but mostly because of the professor who was very hard to understand (because of her accent and because she often went off on tangents about really philosophical and abstract points) and because it was 8:30 AM on Monday, Wednesday & Friday which is a hard time to learn about religion and philosophy. I feel that students study really often, even my pothead suitemate studies for her tests. Class participation is really common, sometimes it feels like people don't shut up in class. Intellectual conversations are really common; once I talked about religion and life with some friends while we were completely drunk. Students here are pretty competitive, especially the theater students, and it seems to come from a kind of arrogance that everyone here possesses from being that "smart" or that "different" kid in high school. The most unique class I've taken is my honors class, which combines literature, poetry, theory and all kinds of creative pieces for a really all-encompassing education. My major is writing, literature & publishing, and I'm really focusing on the "publishing" part of it. We focus a lot on writing/ poetry workshops and discussion classes as opposed to lecture-type classes. I've never spent time with professors outside of class, but I could definitely picture myself doing so. Emerson's academic requirements are pretty extensive, you need to take a lot of core classes, especially in the honors program, but they take almost all APs so it's easy to place out of them. The education is definitely geared towards a "rounded" education in the first year or two, but after that, it's pretty much focused on your major & internships and getting a job afterwards.

The most important factor of Emerson classes is the class size. The "lecture" size classes are perhaps fifty students maximum and even then there is still a great emphasis on student participation and discussion. Most of my classes are small, around twenty people, which provides for great professor-student relationships. Each class depends greatly on student involvement and, since Emerson as a whole focuses on communication, I have felt that my confidence in participating in class had grown leaps and bounds since arriving here. Professors encourage communication with them outside of class but beside the occasional email correspondence I have yet to develop a close relationship with any of my professors. This could be because I have not found one I particularly click with yet (although I have liked almost all of my professors) but who knows. Generally I feel like the professors are all knowledgeable in the topic they are teaching and provide an interesting point of view to bring to the discussion. Of course I have sat through many a boring class but for the most part they are interesting and often times find myself continuing the discussion outside of the classroom with my peers or even friends from home. Classes have challenged my way of thinking and seeing the world.

All of my professors know my name here at Emerson, and I wouldn't want it any other way. With so many networking opportunities post-graduation, its good to have a basis of professional mentors one can call up for a reference. My favorite classes have all been related to my major - they stimulate my interests and motivate me to discover more about my chosen field of study. Even my required classes are interesting - sociology about tattooing and piercing, a service-based humanities class focusing on the prison system and homelessness, and a history class that involves a trip to a stripping class. The marketing communications department is always offering guest speakers and workshops to help its students build contacts and develop a presence within the major. The education here is definitely geared toward working post-graduation, and most students do get work. If a student is lazy and unmotivated and does not take advantage of our opportunities, they will have a harder time.

Classes are fun, but some professors take their subject way too seriously. For example, I have found that the general education (history, science, music, lit, etc.) professors feel as though everyone should be majoring in their subject. Clearly no one comes to Emerson to take history courses, but I feel like the gen ed professors think that we do. However, sometimes I do feel bad for them because most of them are brilliant and could actually be teaching their subject at a "real" college. While I do not know many people here that whole-heartedly enjoy their gen eds, I do know people that absolutely love their major-focused courses. Well, with exciting courses like the TV Sitcom, who could blame them?

this all depends on the class. For example, last semester (my first semester!), I was in a class of 75 or 80 students. Coming from a high school class of 12 students, this was CRAZY overwhelming. Of course the professor couldnt make a personal connection with each of us, and I soon found myself struggling in that class. I made a point to go up to the professor after class, introduce myself, and make sure he knew who I was and where i was coming from. I need to be more than just a name on a paper. Like I said, this mostly depends on the size of the class. I would say about 3/4 of my classes so far have been very personal and student-oriented. for the most part, the professors I've had have really made an effort to get to know me. I rarely ever spend time with them outside of class, unless I need something verified or I have a question. Academic requirements are fair, not too stressful. Emerson is DEFINITELY gearing students towards careers after college. Alot. They teach us about the work force and the opportunities of today, they tell us about the realities of getting work in our certai field, they teach you skills specific to an actual CAREER in that field. its VERY career-oriented.

In general professors at Emerson are very knowledgeable and genuinely care about your education. Every time I have gone to a professor for outside help they have been more than understanding and are always willing to provide one on one assistance. Class participation is usually very common, however many students believe that only their opinions are the right ones and become competitive when it comes to intellectual discussions. Currently my favorite course is Theater into Film, where we examine adaptations of theater productions into films and how to look at these works from different standpoints. The most unique class I've taken at Emerson is undoubtedly Love and Eroticism-- the title says it all. It's an interdisciplinary course about the way we view love and eroticism in Western culture. Some required readings were The Philosophy of Sex and The New Psychology of Love. Emerson requires a wide variety of courses in addition to courses within your major. The downside is that you're only allowed to take a limited number of departmental courses at a time, but the upside is that you can choose from a number of options a course that you're truly interested in. One of Emerson's greatest attributes is also one of it's weaknesses. The school is phenomenal for getting students jobs after graduation, especially within the film industry. Emerson has fantastic connections with well known studios, theaters, newspapers, and so on. This also means that courses are less about education itself and more about how to land that perfect internship.

classes for writing majors and liberal arts classes are not challenging at all. i feel like i get increasingly stupid for each moment i spend in those classes. film majors and theatre majors are inspired and challenged though. it's all geared toward getting a job. not learning to acquire knowledge.

Some professors know me and others don't. The class sizes are really small, which makes the entire situation really personal and awesome. I love classes that take a subject that is unusual and make it relevant, like my History of Burlesque class. Most people at Emerson are very intelligent and can be competitive, but most people know that with their majors, it is unlikely that they will ever get their "big break".

Almost all of my classes have been small enough for the teacher to learn my name. That's a really great thing about Emerson. Even in my lecture classes, which are never more than 50 students, I feel like a contributing member of the class. There are some really cool classes: I took Exoticism my first semester and was enthralled, I'm taking an amazing Research Writing class currently, and I highly reccomend getting into Intro to Visual Studies (with Cher Knight, she's fantastic). Professors often encourage their students to go on little field trips... my psych teacher told us she would love to meet us for coffee, and my exoticism teacher invited us every month to go look at open galleries with her. They're always accessible and easy to talk to, and easy to communicate with through email. Class participation is incredibly common. Students here want to be heard, and they want good grades. I don't feel a competitive atmosphere in my department (Writing Literature, and Publishing). Emerson can be described as limited, which really bothers me. It's great to be here if you're absolutely positive about what you want to do, but it's hard to be here if you're unsure. It's difficult pursue any kind of Spanish Study (which is strange because this is a communications school), it's hard to study outside of your major, and the Study Abroad programs only go to two places (L.A. and The Castle).

Classes at Emerson are great. Professors are diverse and well learned in thier field. My favorite classes are my theatre classes, but that is just because its my major. Academic classes have very liberal arts focuses in them and are well worth your time. Emerson's attendance policy is 3 absences and then for every other absence your grade drops 10 points, so that kind of sucks. The most unique class I have taken was one on world cultures and idenitities; our broad topics and our professor made this class quite interesting. Everything you do at Emerson is geared towards working in your field in the real world and this is obvious in the classroom.

I started out this school year Undeclared. I wasn't sure what I wanted, and Emerson is a terrible school if you don't know what you want. All the classes are extremely specialized, and you can't even get into many classes unless you have a declared major. I was deciding between marketing and writing, so I had to go to my academic adviser and beg him to put me in some classes so I could try these and figure out which one I wanted. If I hadn't asked him, I wouldn't have been able to try any of these majors. In conclusion, if you don't have a specific major in mind and know EXACTLY what you want to do with your life (who does?), do not go to school here. They're mean to those that aren't declared.

Professors most definitely know our names. It would not bode well for them if they didn’t considering our class sizes are typically comprised of 15 students. I have spent a great deal of time with some of my professors discussing ideas I have for papers or projects and getting feedback from them. My favorite class is definitely my Newsgathering class. My professor is currently a copy editor for the Boston Globe, and he sends us on assignments that push us outside of our limits. I’ve noticed a trend of procrastinators here, but students do study. Class participation is not just common, but it is the norm. Typically, the classes I don’t like are the ones that are lecture-based, but those are far and few between. Emerson students are innately competitive—between other people and themselves. My most unique class thus far is Love and Eroticism because it covers philosophy, religion, mythology, and various cultures. I’m majoring in Print Journalism, and there are a plethora of resources, teachers, courses, and clubs related to my major. Emerson is unique because it gears students towards getting a job and appreciating learning for its own sake. There is a balance between the two. While professors guide students, there is definitely a sense that students have the freedom to try their own pursuits and explore their options.

All of my professors know my name, the classes are so small and tend to be based on conversations so everyone has a voice. My favorite class is American Women Writers. We read all contemporary authors and discuss their work thoroughly through critical analysis. I honestly don't have a least favorite class. I picked my classes carefully, discussed it with my academic adviser and made sure to sign up for all of my classes as soon as I could. Students study a lot--usually late at night. Between the hours of 9 p.m. and 2 a.m. everyone is focused on studying. Class participation is not only common, it is necessary. Everyone is welcoming to others opinions so it is easy to express yourself freely. Intellectual conversations do not stop in the classroom. Even on Friday and Saturday nights at parties it is not uncommon to find yourself in an intense conversation about the war or the economy. Students are very competitive. It's cut-throat in the major classes. This encourages people to study harder, work better and improve themselves. The most unique class I've taken is Local Action/Global Change. It was focused on improving first the Boston community and then taking the changes we'd come to conclusions on and project them globally. My major is Print Journalism and my minors are Political Science and Publishing. My department is very involved. The professors are in the field as editors and writers and anchors. It is extremely easy to contact professors outside of the classroom, whether it be through e-mail or office hours. They're always more than willing to give you their time. Emerson's academic requirements are unique. Everyone must take an interdisciplinary course, a speech communication course, an ethics course, and a science society course. They are all based on improving communications. Emerson's education is geared towards learning the skills necessary for your hopeful career, while basing much of it on communication.