Washington and Lee University Top Questions

Classes are intense, interesting, and intimate. Last semester, i had two classes in which there were fewer than 10 people, and my largest class all year has 35 people in it. All of my professors have learned my name within a week or so of class, and I still talk to them frequently on campus. Students at w&; follow the philosophy of "work hard, play hard" and definately do their work alongside of the partying. getting into w&l is difficult, and even athletes have rigorous standards to meet. It's really refreshing, really to be able to hang out with friends or go to a party and have a conversation about the Decameron, Dante, John Locke, or gender perceptions in early modern europe. Its a fun atmosphere for learning, and i get to use material from previous classes to my advantage in future classes, where the teachers are as excited as I am to get more information. My department (Medieval and Renaissance studies) is really exciting, since it's made up of teachers from several departments who have one common passion, which really is a passion for them. They're a wonderful group who love to talk about their feild and love to discuss new ideas with students, both in class and out.

competitive / difficult / geared towards job - school of commerce / geared towards learning - all liberal arts majors. Great academic setting

The academics here are amazing. The professors generally know your name by the second day of class and honestly care about the students and their success in life. My favorite class was Chem 111 with Dr. U, he embodies the best of this university's quality of instructors. My least favorite class was one taken with a visiting professor in the english department, I have never had a class that wasnt good taught by a full time professor here. Class participation is very common, its kind of hard to sit as an observer when class size is 10 or 15 students. It is encouraged and often your grade depends on the discussions you have outside of class time with the professors, who keep regular office hours but are available most times they are not teaching class. Academic discussions often occur outside of class between students and often it is pretty funny hearing at a big party drunk people discussing philosophy, science, or some other intelligent thing. Students are very competitive with each other but that never stops them from helping each other when needed. Its a healthy sort of competition where no one wants anyone to loose but wants their classmates to succeed so that if they are the best they are the best of the best. Washington and Lee's academic requirements are rigorous but fair and the gen ed credits ensure you experience a wide variety of knowledge during your college years. Overall learning here is geared towards learning for its own sake which is generally followed by getting a good job.

All the professors take a great deal of pride in their students. I have not met one that does not help his/her students. I absolutely love the academic atmosphere. It's also extremely difficult to make good grades though. Once you get here, you still have to work.

Although I could state so above, I am also a Classics major, in addition to the Physics major. My professors in both fields of study are friendly, approachable, yet also demanding of our work, setting standards achieveable, but challenging -- as I have come to expect from all fields in which I have studied at this school. Even during classes which I did not enjoy because of the subject, I still appreciated my professors' dedication and enthusiasm for their teaching matter. In addition to studying physics and classics, I work for the physics department, which allows me to spend time with the professors in a more relaxed environment. They are incredibly personable, and while outside the classroom far more casual, they still maintain professionalism in the classroom. The academic requirements are wide-ranged, forcing students to study matters that might be outside their major focus. These requirements caused me to take an ancient philosophy class, which contributed towards my decision to add classics to my major declaration. The general education requirements gear the school towards learning for its own sake, but not exclusively and certainly not extremely. The career center is an influential presence on campus.

All my professors know my name and they believe me when I give them an excuse for being late/ not there/ turning something in late. We take the honor code very seriously, so they can trust us to tell them the truth.

Students do study a lot, and W&L is a hard school; we do not just party all the time. Most of the students that go here are smart, so work ethic ultimately separates A students from B students. There are the geniuses that never have to work, but the majority of students work hard and fairly often. Some majors are harder than others and all majors very in the type of work required, so choose wisely something you will enjoy and also plays to your strengths as a student.

very good.

difficult and challenging. lots of opportunities-to study abroad, independent studies, etc. general requirements include classes in many different areas-literature, science, math, art, etc. quite extensive, but are changing and becoming easier. students are competitive but fair spring term allows students to take interesting, focused courses for six weeks.

Great class size, lots of work, helpful professors, amazing opportunities to learn in any liberal arts field. Not the best school for engeneers or those seeking hands on skills.

The classes are so small that professors get to know you and love you. They are always free for a chat, and take pride in helping you succeed. Many professors come here because they love the energy of interacting meaningfully with students, instead of focusing on research. Students work very hard, but are not really competitive. A 'live and let live' mentality reigns as far as school work goes, because curves don't come into the conversation very often. There are many classes that one can take just because they are interesting (the literature classes, spring term courses, quirky things like Japanese literature where you learn how to pour tea, and psychoactive drugs) and many practical courses, especially in the school of commerce, that are geared toward getting a job.

There is a huge dedication to academics here. Students are competitive, studying hard. Class sizes are very small, my largest class was of 20 students. My smallest class had ten. Professors all know your name and often times professors will invite you for dinner to their house or one of my friends even had a sleep-over at one of his professor's homes. The professors are all incredibly knowledgeable and dedicated to their work and their students. Some professors on campus are legends from whom everyone should take at least one class. Many students double major: I have a unique interdisciplinary major in Medieval and Renaissance Studies and in French. My major is the main reason I came here and while W&L doesn't have the best Medieval Studies program in the country, the school is prestigious and rigorous enough that I should be sufficiently prepared for graduate studies. The academic requirements are demanding--to receive credit for most AP classes, a student must receive a 5 on the exam-- but they are similar to those requirements of other universities.

The academics of W&L are very good. Professors know thier students by name. Most of the classes are very small, with the exception of some basics science classes. But even these classes are small when compared to other schools.

Students study all the time Class participation: usually forced Competition: becomes strong junior year in pre-med and journalism esp. Spanish major: 2 native speakers who are teachers, the rest of the teachers speak Spanish as a second language, the major doesn't provide much practical information and focusses on LITERATURE, which most people refuse to study Conversation: Most students here are pleasantly surprised to have intelligent conversations...when they occur. Help: Professors are very easy to access and are usually willing to go to great lengths to help.

Professors here are amazing. I know all of my Psychology professors personally and I feel comfortable asking them for help with anything I need. The best thing about attending a small school is the individualized attention you get. I know every brochure says this, but WnL forces you to be active in the classroom. The professor expect everyone to contribute to the discussion. Most people do participate because the discussions are interesting. Last term I had an English class titled Literary Approaches to Poverty and normally I dislike English classes, but this one kept my interest. In one discussion we compared the treatment of the poor, insane, and prisoners in Victorian England. It was an eye-opener to see the similiarity of treatment.

Academics are really strong especially because there is a very small student-teacher ratio. there are three terms so you get the chance to get into more classes that are challenging and demanding, but fascinating.

The academic life is something special. The classes are all very small (my largest so far has had about 25 students), and the professors are very personable. I have managed to develop relationships with several professors, even having dinner with a few of them. I have taken several German classes so far, and it is by no means uncommon for one of my German professors to arrange for a get-together outside of the class, such as a class dinner of the showing of a film. My favorite class so far has been Professor Connor's Shakespeare class. We did not simply read plays, but in fact we went to two Shakespearean performances and actually performed a few scenes from Hamlet at the end of the semester.

Academics here are excellent. Profs definitely know my name - even if I haven't taken their classes! The classes are interesting and well-taught. Class participation is pretty common. Student attendance at lectures outside of class is pretty high, even for lectures that aren't required or in the student's field. I chat with profs for fun occasionally, and some of my friends spend hours hanging out in their profs' offices. However, the workload is pretty intense. I don't know about other departments, but W&L's science dept is much more demanding than at state schools. As a result, the average student who gets into medical school nationwide has a 3.8 GPA, but the average W&L student has a 3.6. So, it's good that grad schools recognize our abilities, but it's tough to spend so much time studying. Students are competitive, but they also help each other. It helps that we don't have grade curves. There are a lot of resources through which students help each other, such as the Writing Center and peer tutors. I'd say the focus is on learning for its own sake (hence the whole "liberal arts" thing) but also geared toward getting a job. All the profs keep their eyes out for job or summer opportunities, and Career Services is also really helpful. One of my favorite classes was Cardiovascular Diseases - it blended biology and physics and was really in-depth. I also loved Shakespeare and Marlowe, and Introduction to Poverty. I've had two fabulous summer opportunities while here. The summer after sophomore year, I had a Shepherd Poverty Program internship at a health education center in rural Arkansas. The idea was to learn about rural poverty while gaining experience in my future career field. I never would have chosen AR, but I had an incredible time. I met so many wonderful people and learned a lot about poverty and communities. The following summer, I did research in a biology lab. I got to do everything - not just washing glassware or euthanizing rats like an undergrad at a big school.

Academics are rigorous, and definitely geared toward learning for its own sake. I happen to love the journalism department -- I find the curriculum entertaining and occasionally exciting. All my professors know my name, and I've stopped by the majority of their offices at some point or another just to chat. Academics aren't all about finding a job -- that's what Career Services are for. With the honor system, we often have take-home tests and quizzes, and our final examines are self-scheduled and unproctored.

The professors seem frustrated a lot of the time. They're excellent teachers, but most of their students don't want a really rigorous academic life. They want to go to class, coast through with B's and A's, then go get drunk. The upside of this is that if you're even remotely academically driven, you'll stand out in a good way. The downside is that all the talk about really good classrooms and lively academic debates on the lawn and that kind of thing are complete lies. Don't go to this school expecting to sit around reading great philosophers and debating them with you friends.

The classes here are uniformly challenging. My experience has been mostly in the Music and Computer Science departments (my majors), but every professor I've taken has had high expectations. Especially in the shorter Spring Term, you can expect at least as much time in homework as class time. Class participation/discussion is generally good. Students are polite, and make reasoned arguments. There are often academic discussions outside of class, and a general feeling of being around a bunch of persons who enjoy learning.

The professors are by far the best thing about Washington and Lee! They almost always know all the students names by the end of the first week or two, even in the few science classes with more than 90 students. Some students study all the time but most seem to get by with a few hours a day and have plenty of time for other things. Class participation is usually really encourage, if not required, but that all depends on what class it is. The student don't tend to be competitive, in my experience everyone tends to keep most of their grades to themselves unless they are asked an everyone is usually really supportive about helping each other with difficult concepts. I am close to a lot of my professors in a professional manor and will actually be taking care of the children of one of them this summer. They are all very open and willing to be both your mentor and your professor while still being respectful of the relationship.

Academics are the top selling point of this University. Don't let social life at W&L get in your way of excelling academically. It is possible to do both; however, it is a very very very delicate balance.

I can't say that professors are always exceptionally qualified. Many definitely are. The sciences, the art history department, politics, economics, etc. But in the art and journalism departments, for example, no professor's resume will blow you away. At first, I thought "uh oh" because it seems like a very small department with unremarkable professors. But then you realize that your experience will be very different than a big-name school with big-name professors. And in my opinion, it has been better. My professors and I are dear friends, and you are a big fish in a little pond. By my sophomore year, I had anchored for the W&L local news station and been editor-in-chief of two campus publications. You don't have to wait till senior year to get out of the lecture hall -- from day one, your professors guide you as you dive in to work with your hands in real-world situations. Comparing the education I've received with those of my friends, I am so pleased with the broad development and depth of study that I've never seen evidence of anywhere else. I wouldn't trade it for the world. I feel like I'm a more well-rounded person AND extraordinarily prepared for my career path.

Academics here at Washington and Lee are different from many large institutions that hold classes of 80 to sometimes 100 +. My biggest class this year was about 25 in a math class and the smallest was about 14 in a spanish class. The professors are very concentrated in making sure that our experiences here at W&L as a student are of a high caliber, challenging and at the same time enjoyable.

The academics at Washington and Lee are absoultely top-notch. The professors are prepared, engaging, and genuinly interested in forming a relationship with students. The faculty is accessible, welcoming, and always willing to go the extra mile for you. The English Department is exceptional. The classes are very demanding and the grading is harsh to say the least, but you do become a better writer than you ever thought possible. And if you're willing to sell your soul to Leyburn Library, the English department at W&L will give you the kind of liberal arts education most schools can only dream to.

After going to a small and academically challanging highschool, I was looking forward to, well, slacking off in college. The rumor was that the hardest part of college was getting in. I was SHOCKED then to find myself right back in the small and challenging class atmosphere of highschool. Professors know the students and know what they are capable of, and they absolutely hold their students to that standard. There is no grade inflation. The first meeting we had as a freshman class, the dean addressed the class and said, "90{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of you were the top 10{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of your class. Now only 10{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of you will be". A seemingly obvious statement, but for the type A over achievers that flock to W&L, it was a bit of a shock to see that come into realization. BUT while professors are very demanding and classes are tough, they are incredibely interesteing classes. Some classes are hard to get into, but if they are neccessary for a major or graduation professors will always let you in. Often students can get into "full" classes (and by full, i mean about 25 students) by e-mailing the professor and showing legit interest in the subject. Also, even though students tend to by Type A, there is no competition with fellow students for "class rank" or elite academic standing. The pressure is entirely internal. As far as the student/professor relationship goes, I can say with confidence that all of my professors know my name and they--consistent with speaking tradition--will always stop to talk outside of class. They're available for help at ALL hours (I actually called a professor at 3 in the morning for help on a group project and she helped no questions asked).

Professors definitely learn your name probably by the second week of classes. They are always available for help, which is really great.

I have enjoyed most of my classes here and almost all, if not all, of the professors I've had have known my name and still say hello to me if I run into them on campus. Professors are incredibly approachable overall and willing to help me if I'm struggling in a class. Most of the classes I've taken have actually been easier than I expected, and the workload is generally very reasonable. Some classes though, like art history and Spanish literature, seemed that they would be easy but ended up being much more difficult than I expected. Students do participate fairly frequently in class, although some classes are much more discussion-based than others. I think that most students tend to study a lot, although there are those types who never seem to study and still make straight A's. The best class I've taken here so far was probably Brain and Behavior, a psychology class with an excellent professor that made me want to be a psych major. I think W&L's academic requirements are very reasonable and not at all burdensome. I also find that most students really do care about learning, but some don't seem to display the thirst for knowledge that I think should characterize a student at this school. I have heard and participated in interesting intellectual conversations outside of class, like during meals. Students don't seem to compete with each other for grades but rather just with themselves, trying to always do better than they have before.

I love how small the classes are. My first term here, my largest class was 18 people! Compared to the 500-person lectures my friends in other schools are taking, that's incredible. The professors take the time to get to know everyone's name, and they are always available to help you out or just to talk. Many teachers even give out their home/cell phone numbers on the first day of class. There is definitely no grade inflation here, the classes are hard and the professors aren't afraid to give poor marks.

Professors here are excellent. They remember me long after I've taken a course with them. They are always willing to take extra time to help me if I need it. Courses are challenging, but not unreasonably so. The German Department in particular is fantastic. It's small, which I like. Everybody in the department knows everyone else. Professors and students are more equal than anything else.

Professors not only know your name, but most likely where you are from, what you are planning to major in, and what year you are. My favorite class was either Art in Business of Puzzles and Critical Thought. One was a marketing course which looked at strategy in detail, while the other involved problem solving which was then applied to every day business decisions. Students will often have intellectual discussions regarding classes, especially when they have an opinionated professor and disagree with his/her opinion. The most unique class I have take and W and L would have to be Puzzles and Critical Thought. Students are competitive, but I think most are competing with the system, not one another. The system being what percentage of the class you have to be in to graduate with honors, etc. I have spent time with professors outside of class. I think that some of the general education classes are unnecessary. If a student is not interested in a class it makes it harder to want to do well in my opinion, and if they aren't going to use it later, then why waste time when it could be spent either raising your major GPA, or allot you time to double major. The education at Washington and Lee provides students with a well-rounded perspective and an insight into all areas of study. Washington and Lee is one of the strongest networking schools in that everyone has the same passion for the school and most W and L graduates will look out for others in the job market. Also, W and L is incredibly helpful in helping students find internships that can aid them in finding a job later. Professors are also an incredible resource for future employment. Many students will also go to graduate school from W and L.

As I previously stated, the academics are fantastic. I never took a class that I regretted taking. (Well maybe French, but that's for other reasons than it being a good class) Classes are small, participation usually required, and most students do a good job participating. (You can't get away with sitting in the back of the classroom and not doing anything for four years here) Professors are really accessible, you will have had dinner at at least one professors house by the time you graduate. W&L has a strong tradition of getting students fabulous jobs, and of getting students into good graduate/law schools. Three of my friends got into Harvard Law, University of Chicago Law and Cornell Law as well as a couple who went on to the Law school at Washington and Lee, which is a top 25 law school. One other important thing is the W&L Honor Code. This is a student run system that all entering freshman commit to following for their four years. The basic code is no lying, stealing or cheating. If you are found guilty of any instance of lying, stealing or cheating, you are kicked out. This code helps create a wonderful atmosphere of trust, you get to schedule your own exams, Professors trust you, people leave personal items at carrells etc. without fear of them being stolen etc. Plus the single sanction of expulsion really wards off any temptation to cheat.

My largest class at W&L has been a whopping 22 students. At such a small school, even freshman have small class sizes. It's amazing to be able to get to know all of your professors and have them call you by name in class. The professors are all here to teach, so they'll go out of their way to help you. But don't be fooled, the academics at W&L are as hard as ever. Students are extremely competitive, and they keep improving every year. Professors push you to do your best and encourage class discussions.

Because of its size, W&L has very small classes and intimate relationships are formed with professors. It is not uncommon to go to a professor's house for dinner. I am a physics major and love my physics professor. I am no longer in a class of hers, but visit her anyway just to chat.

The best thing about a small school is the close relationships you can build with professors. The classes are generally small, ranging from 15-25 students. Students are involved in discussion and must participate more then students at larger schools, where class sizes range into the hundreds. On the down side, you can't hide in the back or skip class because your professor will know it. The student body competitive, and the course load is challenging, especially the broad general education requirements.

really strong, small classes, teachers are so accessible, teachers often have classes outside, once i had one in a coffee shop in town

We all study like crazy people. I never anticipated having to put in this much work. At the beginning of the year they kept telling us to be ready for not making all A's, but I didn't think I'd ever make a C like I did first term. My intelligence has increased so much since coming to W&L; the intelligence of students here is amazing. Students here are extremely competitive.

professors know your name, know when you miss class, and know when you're failing. they follow up with you when you're having trouble and encourage students to stop in their offices whenever the door is open. my favorite class was an advertising class that allowed me to discover what career i want to pursue and it was basically run by students with a little guidance from the professor. students study a lot. during the week it is all work and rarely play. class participation is essential to getting a good grade. if you don't go to class or you go and just sit there, you won't get a good grade and you won't enjoy the classes. students talk a lot outside of the classroom about what is going in the world and how it relates to courses. students are competitive only in the sense that they want to exceed their own expectations. it's not like they want to beat their friend they just want to beat what they what was possible for them. business is a pretty popular major because it allows you to go into something like ibanking, consulting, advertising, marketing, and a variety of other things. the professors are some of the best in the country and truly care about the students. i frequently see them around campus or in town and they always stop to chat and see how i am doing. i think the academic requirements are rigorous and you can't just coast by at W&L. you have to work for your grades and really work to have a good GPA. W&L teaches you how to get a job but also just how to continually learn and continue to ask questions and grow as a person.

The professors at Washington and Lee are wonderful. I've done research with my advisor and have developed a friendship with her as well. Other professors, even some I've never had, know me by name and are always willing to talk outside of class.

Professors know my name and make a point of saying hi to me if they see me on campus or in town. I think that Washigton and Lee is geared toward creating a well rounded graduate... the requirements are created so that every student receives an education in mathematics, schieces, history, literature, economics, writting, art etc. Class participation is common and expected. Class sizes are small and create an environment that welcomes participation.

There is a good mix of people who are extremely job oriented and pursue competitive internships during the summer and people who are are at schools to educate themselves for their own personal gain and pleasure.