St Lawrence University Top Questions

What are the academics like at your school?

Natasha

Here at St. Lawrence I have had a great academic experience. My professors all know my names and they are always willing to meet with me. Class participation occurs constantly and students are very competitive within classes. Discussions take place out of class and I think the academic requirements are challenging but effective. My favorite class thus far was my FYP, "Having an Impact." A majority of our students enter the workforce after graduation.

Max

Students at SLU know how to study. Students at SLU also know how to play. There is a very strong work hard play hard attitude at St. Lawrence. With so many opportunities to go outside and play, I work hard all week so that I can unplug on the weekends and go hiking, climbing or paddling. Classes at SLU are awesome and the professors really facilitate that. The classes are all very small which makes discussion and class participation mandatory. If you sit in the back and don't talk, you will not succeed so you better learn to share your thoughts with others! The most unique class I have taken at SLU was a class titled 'Neanderthals'. Unfortunately they do not offer it any more. We would read papers and articles discussing early humans and our class final was learning how to make ancient knives out of stones with which we butchered a sheep and then cooked it for dinner. WILD!! My favorite class I have taken was called "Ecology of Lakes and Rivers". It was a field based class doing all sorts of sampling of lakes and rivers in St. Lawrence county. We got to learn lots of very valuable skills, many of which I have been able to apply during internships. The class also pushed me towards a career as I now want to get involved with Fishery Management and stream and lake ecology.

Christine

The academics are really great here. The class sizes are really small, usually around 20 students, which is fantastic because it enables you to develop real and personal connections with your professors. They make a point to learn your names and develop their relationships with their students and you never feel like just a face in the crowd of a big lecture hall. Students are encouraged to participate in classroom discussions and usually do. The academics are rigorous, and you need to study and work hard to do well, but it is very manageable. SLU offers a wide variety of classes that include all the basics as well as some really interesting ones like cross-cultural healing or dinosaurs!

Paige

The professors are incredible...I went to their houses numerous times for dinner and study sessions. The administration is open for input and the president held open hours every week. Students are eager to be involved in the classroom. Studying abroad was a huge part of my experience at St. Lawrence, and the administration makes it really easy for students of any major to go abroad.

Beth

One of the best part about attending St. Lawrence University is the classroom setting. Our student-teacher ratio is 11:1 and our average class size is 16. Professors not only know your name, but typically they know something about you and are always willing to know more. The doors to the professors' offices are almost always open and overall, the professors are very approachable and are easy to connect with outside of class. In addition, professors experiment with different ways of teaching rather than just doing lecture-based classes. Many students with different majors experience creative classes and for the most part, love the topics that they study and who they study them with. Because the classes are so small, typically a lot of classes will involve a participation-based part of your overall grade, which helps to facilitate conversations and discussions in and out of the classroom. The academic requirements help to help you realize what you are passionate about, what you may or may not agree with and, in my opinion, help you to find your potential and learn more about yourself.