College of Charleston Top Questions

Class sizes are very surprisingly small for the size of the school (about 10,000). My smallest class this year was probably about 15, and the largest was probably about 35 (not much bigger than your average high school). It's great. It definitely facilitates closer teacher-student relationships. Class participation is extremely enforced. It really helps "wake the living dead" during lazy afternoon or early morning classes. I'm the type to always sit front and center and raise my hand too much, but it's really nice to have everyone around you trying to contribute something to the conversation. Most of my teachers would absolutely not put up with the class not participating- my history prof even made it count for {4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c}20 of our final grade and wrote down names during every class. Students are not competitive. I think that may come from the general lack of enthusiasm for academics among the students, but it also has to do with that "southern hospitality"- most kids are polite enough not to hound you about how you're doing in a class. The academic requirements seem reasonable and varied in a nice way. I'm taking classes that don't seem like they would directly contribute to my Creative Writing and French double major, but they are classes I still really look forward to (such as psychology and painting). I don't often come across intellectual conversations outside of class. But on the other hand, it really depends upon what group of kids you're hanging around. It takes all kinds to make up 10,000. But the majority of the groups of kids are probably less intellectual.

When I first thought about classroom size at C of C, I pictured the typical stereotype of a large college auditorium with 300 students. Turns out I was wrong. The average class size at the college is about 25-30 students. All of the professors I've had know me by name, and I feel really comfortable asking questions during and after class, very similar to high school. My major is journalism. Well technically speaking its Communication-Media Studies concentration. Communication is the most popular major at the college and its broken down into three sections: General Studies, Corporate Studies, and Media Studies. This major is perfect for me because not only do I learn how to write/broadcast for the media, I also learn about different theories, laws, and different forms of communication, which is vital in every aspect of life. I also only have to take two math and two biology courses, which is not my strong points. My minor is unrelated to my major, Russian Studies. It is a combination of language, literature, history, politics, and arts of the former Soviet Union. Because it is a small program, similar to other language programs on campus, student-teacher interaction is personal, and nonthreatening. A language/culture club, run by students, accompanies the program.

The administrators are great. Since I was a transfer student I took mostly spanish classes at CofC, but became close with many of them. The classrooms are small and personal which was a huge plus. Rare to see more than 30 students to a classroom. The spanish department was amazing!!! Most the professors knew me by name, face and probably my life too. The study abroad programs are great too. The most unique class I took was a Spanish Theater class by Professor Luis Linares-Ocanto. One of the best professors I ever had. I could go on and on about the department. Probably because I'm a Spanish major but I think its the best department. Lots of activities, fun people and great professors. I got to know the majority of my professors outside of the classroom, sometimes helping me with questions outside of the department. Jose Escobar is another amazing teacher. He can make any subject a blast. My biggest complaint is how much time is wasted with spanish literature. When will I need to talk about 16th century spanish, or poets, etc. I wanted and STILL need to learn spanish. I love the spanish culture and studying literature but I also want to learn to SPEAK spanish. All we did was read, read, read and write. The department needs to focus more on the students being fluent with their speaking. Its true I can read fluent and write fluent, but how does this help me in the real world. We need to speak spanish.

The college is becoming more challenging... at least in their acceptance rates, whether the material being taught is any more difficult is debatable.

Great hospitality and tourism department. I learned a great deal because the professors were very knowledgable

The library is great and alot of the students are very driven and do well. The teachers give the students a lot of opportunities to get extra help so if you are willing to take the initiative I believe it is very managable to do well. In smaller classes, usually only language classes, participation matters. You can only have 3 absences from each class, some teachers don't take attendence at all, some make exceptions, and some are very strict about the 3 absence policy. I spend alot of time with professors at office hours and help sessions because that is how I motivate myself to study and work hard. The general education requirments are a lot but I really like the language requirment of 4 semesters becuase it makes it very easy to get a minor in language. If you find your own advisors and develop relationships with teachers you will find that many teachers are very animated and love working with the students and finding them jobs, opportunites, and connections within the community and beyond.

Wide range of course difficulty but instructional staff more than willing to work with and help students through the course.

The professors at CofC are excellent- every single one that I have had in the past knows my name and knows me to an extent. The advisors are wonderful- I am a double major, and both of my advisors are great. There are a lot of opportunities to take unique and unusual classes in special topics- so far I have taken classes focused on Gandhi, the Irish Famine, Race and Violence in Africa, the Ancient Egyptian Empire, Shaman Religions, and the Religious History of Northern Europe with emphasis on Iceland. I have had a great experience with the academics at CofC, and I will definitely go to graduate school from the College although the education offered does allow graduates to get a job right out of college.

I have been lucky, I think. The anthropology and political science departments impress me more each semester. I find the faculty to be infinitely helpful and encouraging, and I am ecstatic to be able to work with these outstanding scholars. I really feel like all of my professors care genuinely about their students' success.

Most of the professors know your name, I had maybe 2 that never learned it, and 1 who never tried but refered to us by #'s. Students study a decent amount, but still have time for their lives. Class participation is very common, which is something I like about CofC, because lecture over and over gets very redundant. The Spanish Dept is great, all of the professors are very smart, friendly, and helpful. Occasionally students and professors do interact outside of class, especially on study abroad programs, which I recommend to everyone. The academic requirements are good, they should be stepped up just a little more to truly make it competitive with other top schools. It is a liberal arts schools, so most of the education is geared towards learning for the enrichment of learning, which is perfect for people who have no idea what they want to do.