Lawrence University Top Questions

There are a few dud professors here or there and it's easy to get assigned them as advisors or take classes with them early on - in some departments, it's hard to avoid. But Lawrence has some real gems - if you can get around the other guys, which can take awhile, you can find some pretty amazing teachers.

I believe the worst thing about Lawrence (although it's hard to think of anything negative about Lawrence) is that it feels as though there are certain majors that do more work than others. For example, it feels as though the science majors put in many, many hours studying, writing papers and doing research compared to the conservatory students.

The worst thing is also one of the best things - how small the entire program is. This can often lead to favoritism amoung faculty and to EVERYONE knowing your personal and social life. It's hard to keep things quiet and to yourself and those you hold dear.

The worst thing about Lawrence is the weather in the winter. I was very surprised how cold my first winter here was. Because we are in Wisconsin, they are very well prepared for the snow and the cold, so we pretty much never have days off due to weather. There was a whole week my Freshman year when the windchill was between -20 and -35 degrees. Luckily, the campus is small enough that even though it gets cold, you're almost never more than a 5 minute walk from your destination.

There is a culture among the students of overwork and pressure to achieve. Many students refuse to allow themselves the rest and space they need to stay emotionally and psychologically healthy; although there is relatively little academic competition, there is a sense of competition related to how many things one can be involved in without burning out. There are high stress levels, possibly disproportionate to the actual work load levels, although these are high. In the conservatory, there is a great deal of pressure related to practice and performance expectations.

The worst thing about Lawrence is the winter. It gets really cold, and that can be depressing. Spring and fall are GREAT though.

The worst thing at my school is the "checking out" that many students seem to do on the weekends. Once Friday comes along, they are not at school for the learning, and then on Sunday they check back in and don't give their 100% effort.

The lack of support for the very large number of students suffering from depression.

I think the worst thing about Lawrence University is the lack of communication between the administration and the faculty. Lawrence recently had a new president take office and, while she is doing a great job as a fundraiser, communication between the faculty and the administration is weaker than it should be. This gap affects the variety and the strength of incoming freshmen and therefore the dynamic of the student population both in and out of the classroom.

The worst thing about Lawrence is the divide between students on campus, namely the divide between Athletes and Conies, people who are musicaly inclined. Also the perception that Lawrence is a school for only band and chior members, this perception is very pervellent in the Fox Valley Area.

administation

The size and few choices of classes.

the infelxability in schedualing classes when you are interested in more than one academic area. example, psychology and biology and chemistry. Also getting all the GER completed, im having a horrible time with my forgine langugae requiremnt becuase i cant get into the classes i wanted and lawrence would nto recognize ASL as a langauge.