<p>I would really appreciate it if folks would share their thoughts about Gettysburg as well as answer some questions. To me, Gettysburg seems to be a hidden gem of a school and a school that is on the rise. I have been far more impressed with Gettysburg than I have been with some of the LAC's that are ranked in the top 25 of USNWR. We visited many, many schools and found Gettysburg College to be a very friendly and welcoming place. A few questions:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>How do you feel the class room instruction is - are the prof's engaged and interested in the students? Are the other students in the classes engaged, interested, and prepared?</p></li>
<li><p>I am concerned about the Greek life. Does Greek life run the social scene? Are the fraternities/ sororities an obnoxious part of the scene?</p></li>
<li><p>Sports - how are the teams? Are the coaches supportive of the student/athletes?</p></li>
<li><p>After Gettysburg - are the students finding good jobs? Do top companies recruit Gettysburg students? Is ther Career Service department pro-active and engaged?</p></li>
<li><p>After Gettysurg for graduate school - do they place their students in top graduate programs? Are the students / school well regarded by top graduate schools? Are the students prepared for graduate level work at a competitive graduate school?</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Im currently a first year at Gettysburg and I’ll help where I can.</p>
<p>The classroom experience at Gettysburg College is excellent. Being a LAC, the faculty members at Gettysburg really have an opportunity to get to know their students and help them succeed and grow both academically and personally. I feel comfortable talking with my professors about everything ranging from academics to my personal life and sports. They really do care and go above and beyond to help their students. </p>
<p>Students here are also very academically engaged. I like to point to an instance when I was hiking the Appalachian trail with some classmates to illustrate this. After a long day of hiking we sat on a bridge and discuses politics, music, science and current events. It dawned on me then what kind of intellectual community I had entered. Even in the middle of the woods I found stimulating conversation that added to the experience.</p>
<p>It is very true that Greek life is important on campus. There really is no denying that. But there is so much more to do if your not into that scene. A program known as RISE sponsors substance free events and the Campus Activities Board plans lots of cool things throughout the year. For instance, this fall CAB got Chiddy Bang to come and play for our Fall concert. It was really cool! </p>
<p>When looking at sports, its important to remember that Gburg is d3. As such you are not gonna get anything like you would at Penn State, Wisconsin, Texas, Alabama etc. But there is definitely school spirit on campus and I personally believe we have great sports teams. Our mens and womens swim team won conferences this year, last year girls lax won the national championship, and guys lax is a perennial powerhouse. I also believe that the football team, which finished 3rd in conference last year, has alot of potential. </p>
<p>Gillyy - thank you for your thoughtful response. </p>
<p>Do you happen to know why Jon Stewart made that comment about Gettysburg? I read somewhere on-line that there were a few Gettysburg students or alum in the audience and that was the reason for the comment. Is this the case?</p>
<p>yeah-- Stuart engages his audience with a lively banter before the show and he was trying to rile up some Gettysburg Students in this instance. He later commended the students who made this video. I think that it led one of them to get a job as a writer for the show but I could be mistaken.</p>
<p>No problem, if you have any questions about the college don’t hesitate to ask. I love spreading awareness about Gettysburg College! it is truly a great school</p>
<p>Hey Gillyy – another parent here – hope you can answer a few more questions :)</p>
<p>We just visited Gettysburg yesterday with our son who’s a high school sophomore. I really like the emphasis on seminar teaching (prof asking questions vs lecturing). How many of your freshman classes were like that? Do you feel like the advisors helped you choose classes that were challenging but where you could do well? Is it hard to get an A? If you have trouble in a class, is it easy to get help? </p>
<p>Sorry for all the questions – we really like the school – it’s definitely on his list of schools he’ll consider.</p>
<p>Gettysburg College has these really cool classes reserved for freshman called first year seminars. Basically, these are small classes that expose first years to the very teaching style that you like. These classes are modeled after higher level seminars in the sense that the whole class gets engaged and the subject matter is really refined and interesting, not some broad introductory class.That was my only true “seminar” class that I had last semester. The rest were called “lectures” but still involved a great deal of discussion. In fact, two other “lecture classes” I took actually were comprised of more discussion then lecture.<br>
([Gettysburg</a> College - First-Year Seminars](<a href=“http://www.gettysburg.edu/academics/firstyear_seminars/]Gettysburg”>http://www.gettysburg.edu/academics/firstyear_seminars/)). </p>
<p>The ability to approach professors about problems (both academic and personal in nature) is, in my opinion, the biggest strength of the college. Professors here really care about their students. When I am stressed out my professors notice and genuinely try to help me . Professors are also eager to answer any academic problems that you might have either in their officer hours or by appointment. The same strength carries over to advising-- advisers want you both to maximize your time spent at Gettysburg and also be prepared for a career after it. They do a great job of helping you balance classes that you need to satisfy the Gettysburg Curriculum([Gettysburg</a> College - The Gettysburg Curriculum](<a href=“http://www.gettysburg.edu/academics/gettysburg_curriculum/]Gettysburg”>http://www.gettysburg.edu/academics/gettysburg_curriculum/)), your major, and your interests. </p>
<p>Regarding the ease of getting an A, I find that it depends both on your major and on your work ethic. Some majors (like BMB and bio) are incredibly hard and, from what ive heard, A’s dont come easy (im a history major). On the other hand, with humanities classes I find that any grade is possible if you work hard and show the professor that you care.</p>
<p>My wife and I are parents of two Gettysburg students, class of 2010 and 2014. I can state that our experience with the college is overwhelmingly positive. There is a strong sense of a personal connection among the students, faculty, alumni and administration. While this connection is not unique to Gettysburg, it’s also not common at other schools. Why is this?
The size of the school is big enough to offer a good choice of (mostly liberal arts) majors, but is small enough to make it possible to interact with faculty in the classroom as well as off campus. Many of the professors live in town and our children have been invited to dine in their homes. The faculty/student ratio is about 10:1 with no large lecture halls. The faculty is enthusiastic and dedicated to teaching at the undergraduate level.
Because of its historical significance, the town of Gettysburg has much more activity than many other small college towns. Historical re-enactors, tourists, etc. give the sense of a larger town. It’s also surprisingly convenient to Baltimore and Washington.
Greek life is important, but not essential to the Gettysburg experience. Both of our children chose Greek life, but I worked very closely with a Gettysburg student who was not a frat cat. He was quite happy, had lots to do and did not feel he missed much. There are plenty of activities outside of Greek life. There are musical events, outdoor activities (Gettysburg Recreational Activities Board), lectures, very competitive D-3 sports, etc. Just as an example, it is one of the very few D-3 schools with a marching band. The band marches through campus on game days in the fall so, if you want the rah-rah football experience, it’s there. The experience is what you make of it. The good news is that pledging takes place in the fall of sophomore year, so they have time to get the lay of the land (and study).<br>
The study abroad program is excellent with many majors and countries. The advisors are excellent and accessible. IIRC, about 50% study abroad.<br>
Career development is another excellent department. The resources are there; it is up to the students to take advantage of them. I’ve heard from a recent graduate who said that one of her biggest regrets was not going to career development sooner. She recommends second semester freshman year as the time to start. That’s good advice. Again, the experience is what you make of it.<br>
I can also vouch for the high caliber of other resources such as the Eisenhower Institute, Civil War Institute, Garthwait Leadership Center, the Sunderman Conservatory and several others. Except for the Conservatory , these skew to public policy, political science issues. You can view these resources in greater detail on the website.<br>
I also will note that 2013 is the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg and the Gettysburg Address. There will be many activities commemorating these events. For anyone with even a passing interest in history, this is a great opportunity to see and hear many historians discuss the significance of these central events in our history.
If you are undecided about whether Gettysburg is right for you, I strongly urge that you attend the Get Acquainted Day on April 21st. All of the student activities will be represented in the field house, so you can get a good idea of what’s available. In the afternoon the students will go off for some activities and there will be a separate reception for parents only. There will be a number of current parents available to ask questions, share concerns, etc.</p>
<p>Thanks for your very detailed, informative and interesting post about Gettysburg. We just sent in a deposit for our son to attend the school as a freshman, beginning in August. We decided that everything just seemed so right that we did not even need to wait for Get Acquainted Day, which we nevertheless will be attending next week.</p>
<p>Hopefully we will be as pleased as you are.</p>
<p>BulletsDad - thank you for your comments. We are unable to make the GAD event but we do have a trip planned to visit prior to May1! Thus far we are very impresssed with Gettysburg. It is great to hear that you have had a positive Gettysburg experience with two children!</p>
<p>Bullets Dad
Also a thank you. We are headed to GAD and look forward to it. A little leery of the Greek Life since neither I or my husband has had any experience with it. Need to be there for the Scholarship reception on Friday night. Is any one part of the day more important than another? Trying to fit a quick trip to Baltimore in as well as we are coming down from New England.</p>
<p>Shamrockmom - If you haven’t taken the campus tour yet, I would certainly do so. I would attend the club expo in the field house. The students are there representing their clubs and it’s a great chance to see what’s available and what the kids are like. If you’re leery of Greek life, this is a great chance to see what other activities are available outside of the frats/sororities. The academic and departmental presentations are also good opportunities to see what’s available and evaluate some of the faculty. By all means, attend the parents reception at the end of the program. Current parents and some of the alums will be there to talk with and share opinions of the College.</p>
<p>I have a son at Gettysburg in his 2nd year. I was there this weekend for his last Rugby game. So glad you all had a beautiful day for GAD. It was so nice to see all the accepted students on campus. My daughter joined me and is applying to Gettysburg next year. She LOVES the school.
My son is NOT in a FRAT. He has had a wonderful experience there even not being part of Greek life.</p>