Academics at Sarah Lawrence are what I wish academics could be like everywhere. The largest class I've ever been in was probably around 20 people. Though they can get a little larger, they rarely ever do. Lectures are taught in relatively small traditional-style lecture halls and seminars are taught at a round table. In the spring, many professors hold their classes outside on one of the many scenic lawn areas on campus. Professors know you and address you by first name, and you know them and address them by first name as well. You take three 5 credit courses per semester (unless you're a music, theater or language third, in which case you take a little more), so there's a lot of time to study and be involved in campus activities and organizations. Most students study often, and as the semester comes closer to the end, the library is open 24/7 to accommodate long papers being written by students campus-wide. There isn't really any competition because our grades, though they are recorded, are not given to us unless we request them. Instead, students get written evaluations from their professors, so consequently by the end of a class you know what you need to improve on, what you have improved on, and other things that a simple letter grade just cannot tell you. I feel that this aspect of my education is among the most helpful, because I am guaranteed feedback, and thus, I always learn from my classes, and they continue to impact me after I've completed them.
A really unique characteristic of Sarah Lawrence is the conversations that one can overhear in the dining hall and other student-populated places. Often you can hear philosophical debates, discussions on politics, science or literature, as well as, discussions on pop culture, theater, music and more. Intellectual discussions are absolutely not restricted to the classroom and more often than not spill over into casual conversations.
One of my favorite and most valuable academic experiences has to be the poetry class I took my first semester called "The 60s", taught by well-respected poet Jeff McDaniel. We went through material ranging from Amiri Baraka to Sylvia Plath to Frank O'Hara to Gwendolyn Brooks. My writing improved more over the course of that semester than it has in all the years I have been writing.
I think learning is more than emphasis of Sarah Lawrence education, and because of that, students are adequately prepared for the professional world by graduation. Education here stresses understanding, rather than simply spitting the information back. This is an important part of my experience because the information that I acquire in each of my classes is retained long after I acquired it.