<p>I've been interested in Wooster ever since I read Loren Pope's "Colleges that Change Lives" book. However, it always seems that people are divided as to how academically rigorous the school is. Some say the classes are intense and excellent; others say the school is weak on academics and mainly offers busywork. </p>
<p>I'd love to hear from a wide range of Wooster students about their own academic experiences at the college. Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>I495, it seems like i'm the only wooster student around, so i'll do my best :)</p>
<p>for me, the academics here at wooster are definately challenging, and the classes seem rigorous. the professors are excellent teachers, and you learn a lot. even after comparing things with my sister-in-law, a 2005 wooster grad, and the students/faculty here now, the general response is that things have stepped up since then. i'd be interested in hearing about what all you've heard about it just being "busywork." hmm....</p>
<p>everything of course depends on the purpose, but for the most part the curriculum is designed to challenge everyone. certainly don't start missing classes and not doing the homework, as it'll snowball you quickly and will be difficult to catch up. (speaking from slight experience, but am pulling back up). it's a nice change from high school, that's for sure. i love finally being in an environment where i'm put to the test and can actually project my studies into an area i enjoy and am interested in, you know what i mean?</p>
<p>that all sounds kinda wacky, but i'm in the middle of writing three papers, working on a stats project for my psych class, and a micro-teaching assignment for my music ed class :D good luck with your search!</p>
<p>Thanks for your reassuring response!</p>
<p>The "busywork" reference came from this quote, which I found on the (however credible) **************.com page for Wooster. The writer described him/herself as a "Bright" psychology major, and had this to say:</p>
<p>"If you are looking for a research institution, this is not the place for you. Projects here are busywork. No matter what you here-- there isnot much research going on here."</p>
<p>ah ok! i can kinda see why they said what they did. thanks for copying and pasting that for me :)</p>
<p>wooster isn't a big research insitution, nothing like OSU and other similar schools. i mean, independent study and research is a critical componinant of the academics here, it's nothing as large or...intense maybe? (can't think of the right word to say lol) as some institutions are. wooster is a typical small liberal arts college. there are oppertunities to do research of course, but nothing usually on a grand scale, i think is what i mean. i believe there are a handful of oppertunities for you to do research, alone and alongside a professor/assisting them. there's a sophomore summer research assistant program in place here at COW where you apply and can be accepted to help a faculty member complete/participate in their research work and experiements, etc. and get paid for it. i'm looking into that for this summer, as a matter of fact, and i'm a music ed major :)</p>
<p>is psychology the field you think that you'd like to get into? and congrats on your express app :D i received one of those as well last year, when they first launched the program. however, my common app was 99% done when i got the email, so i just chose to tidy things up and continue using that instead of stopping midway through. it looked very nice, easy, and quick to use. have you planned a visit to campus yet? they start the visit days/programs over @ scheide music center, so if you came to one, you'd be liable to run into me. (seems like they should have dorms for music majors built onto it!)</p>
<p>anyways, separating the whole research thing, the academics at Woo are very good, and our IS program was rated 2nd only to princeton, so that speaks for itself. there will be more than enough to keep you busy and intellectually engaged! </p>
<p>thanks again for clarifying that quote for me, made a bunch of more sense to me tonight. as usual, if you have any questions, just ask!</p>
<p>I see myself more on the English/Creative Writing path, so research opportunities don't concern me too much. </p>
<p>While you're here, I'd love to hear more about Wooster's social life. What activities are there for students who aren't into the drinking/greek scene? The guidebooks are never clear on this.</p>
<p>what kind of student is a good fit after all ? :D</p>
<p>yes! an area i am definately an expert on!! haha...</p>
<p>there is always something going on for the non-greeks/non-drinkers. this week, for example, there were a couple of basketball scrimmages (both mens and womens), a world dance party (part of our international education program week thing..was really fun!), our CircleK group hosted a battle of the bands and proceeds went towards VH1's save the music, football game this afternoon (which we one!!), orchestra concerts this evening and sunday afternoon/early evening, and the list goes on. a program house hosted a rave, but i'm wanting to say it was a dry event.</p>
<p>i'll post more about this week and other typical activities that go on around here tomorrow, but just wanted to provide a brief answer tonight :)</p>
<p>hey guys, i'm back!</p>
<p>sorry in the delay with the rest of my response. i've been in and out of the doctor's office for my ears, and just had surgery today. doing pretty good, i'm a pro with getting ear tubes :D</p>
<p>anyways, what i mentioned in the earlier post is somewhat of a typical week for those who aren't into the whole party/greek scene. it's sorta winding down since it's the end of the semester and finals week is fast approaching. but for the most part there's always something happening. it's quite nice to be truthful. if you don't necessarily feel like doing classwork that night and can swing waiting a couple hours or a day, then you can go out with your friends and do something.</p>