Tiffany
The academics here are overall very good. The professors here are generally very open and very helpful if you need anything. They try very hard to learn everyone's name, even for the general education courses where there can be 70-100 students in one class. After the gen eds the student-teacher ratio is very nice.
Most professors will really make an effort to have educational discussions with the class rather than just lecturing at a sleeping audience. I feel like you learn a lot more this way because people ask questions that you may not have even thought of and it leads to gaining many more perspectives, also it helps you be more alert in class.
I am majoring in Speech Communications, and I have loved every class and professor in this field so far. It really helps you open up as a person and a leader. These are skills that will help you no matter what career path you take. I also love that there are a ton of elective credit hours required which would make it ideal for double majors or for multiple minors. I am paring my Communications major with minors in Psychology, Sociology, and Religious studies, all of which fit right into the electives I need to graduate. These departments are also very intriguing. I am particularly fond of the Sociology classes I have taken thus far. They just teach me so much about life. Every day I go to class I really feel like I've learned something and that I can apply it to not only my future, but my day-to-day life.
It is usually very easy to get ahold of professors, which is great if an emergency comes up before a test or presentation, or if you just need a little one-on-one time to better understand the material. Many upperclassmen are almost friends with the professors in their majors, which makes learning more fun and helps you to retain your knowledge.
My favorite class so far would have to be Oral Interpretation with Dr. Eshelman. In this class you recite different types of literature as a performance and you get to be creative with it so your audience will better understand the piece as you interpret it. The reason I loved this class is because it was so interactive, and it really helped me to get comfortable talking in front of people. It got me out of my comfort zone and let me present things to my class that were really important to me. It was also always great for a good laugh; I would always leave class in a higher spirit than when I came in.
Jordan
This is in my opinion the best thing about the school. The professors do make a great effort to know your name, and if love when you go ask questions in their office. My favorite class would have to be my business statistics class. I have a great professor, who is funny and understands what it is like to be a college student. My least favorite class is probably accounting 2. It is just demanding, but that is expected. Also, this school's main goal is to prepare students to succeed in the 'real world." They have mock interviews on campus to help students prepare and teach you how to prepare a resume.