Roanoke College Top Questions

What are the academics like at your school?

Bailey

Professors expect a lot of you but are friendly. They will work with students and point them in the direction of quality help when needed. When they notice a student is accelerated they will point it out and try to help the student flourish further. I have loved all my Roanoke professors and enjoyed my classes so far.

Alex

Academic life at Roanoke is no walk in the park, but three are plenty of resources for students who are struggling in a particular course. Professors are always willing to meet with students during and outside of class and office hours to ensure their success. Students and professors get to know each other on a first name basis and many professors provide students with their home and cell phone numbers at the beginning of the course. The Good-Pasfield Center for Learning and Teaching is also a great Academic Resource. They offer peer tutoring in every subject imaginable, as well as set up study groups. The most unique thing about Academic life at Roanoke is the new "Intellectual Inquiry" curriculum. In the Fall of 2009, Roanoke began implementing a new core curriculum that focuses on "real-world problems through the lens of liberal arts... and vice versa." While at one time, a political science major might find themselves sitting in a Calculus class thinking, "the only reason I need this class is because its required to graduate", the new curriculum affords them the ability to fulfill this same requirement with a class designed to teach Mathematical Reasoning through voting methods and political participation, something that will help them far beyond graduation. One final thing to mention about Academics at Roanoke is the May Intensive Learning Term. As a requirement for graduation, all Roanoke students take a three week course that delves deeply into one specific area of study. Courses are offered on-campus in addition to domestic and international travel courses. For me personally, a May Term abroad is the perfect way to get a dose of the Study Abroad experience without having to commit to a whole semester or year.

Chris

It's tough. Very difficult curriculum but you are definitely getting a lot out of it. Roanoke was named one of the top 16 schools (along with MIT and Yale) in which it is most difficult to get an A in. We take academics very seriously here. I spend a lot of late nights in the library but it always pays off.