College of Charleston Top Questions

Almost every professor that I've had so far has been a very good teacher. I always felt like I could ask for help from them with just about anything, from homework to a job reference to a personal issue. I learned a lot (even when I didn't want to) and I even found myself studying for the first time since middle school. I feel like the academics are pretty challenging; I had a few classes that I really had to struggle with, but I feel like I learned a lot.

Academics are great. It's not super easy cause we're located 10 min. from the beach but at the same time it's not impossible to get and maintain good grades. Some classes are large but as long as you put in the effort the teacher will know your name. You don't have to sit in the front of the class or have an office visit every week either.

CofC is great in that it does stress academics instead of sports. It encourages everyone to be involved and to enjoy their experience, but to not let your grades slide. The professors do whatever they can to help. There is a low student-to-professor ratio, so this is a great place for people who need or appreciate one-on-one help (like I do). The professors can be reached thru office hours, telephone, email, or sometimes by I.M. There is no way you can get 'left behind' if you are actually TRYING to keep up. I'm not going to sugar-coat it, though--you will do more studying than you thought you would ever have to do in your life. But teachers and fellow student tutors are always there to help. Its always a great idea to really get to know your professors as people. They will get to know you and will remember your name. CofC is a competitive community...but in a constructive way. Not rip-out-your throat, playing dirty, cards on the table, whatever it takes to get ahead competitive. We strive our best and bring out the best in each other, becoming inspired by our peers and our professors. Learning doesn't stop in the classroom. It's not uncommon to hear students and friends discussing lecture topics, politics, religion, or whatever around campus, at lunch or during free time.

academics is extremely important at cofc. it's a tough school academically, i mean, it's no harvard, but it's not a school where you just show up to class and get an A. class participation is highly encouraged, i haven't had a teacher yet or discouraged or who didn't try to make it happen. i study a lot and i know that most other students do too. it's college, you have to study.

The classes at C of C are relatively small, the largest classes I had were in the entry level sciences. As a member of the School of Education, I benefit from the focused attention towards teacher education. C of C has many different schools within the college so every student is able to find their area of study and become more acquainted with the professors in that school. The schools provide a support system as well as focused attention towards a major.

C of C has great teachers that are excited about teaching and giving their students everything they have. I have already had many mentors and "friendships" with my professors. The classes are hard and the professors make you work but they arent unreasonable. They understand that conflicts and situations are always occurring outside of the classroom that can affect our studies and they try to work with us. C of C prepares the students most definitely for a job but also making the students more rounded individuals.

the professors are all very nice and most are not uptight at all and fairly leanient if you talk to them. most know you name except for some of the larger classes of 80 -90 but thats expected for me. most professors do not give very much outside class work except for studying for quizzes, tests, and the occasional paper. i had a good amount of free time to do whatever i wanted and by going onto rate my professor.com im able to make sure that i like the professor that i will have teaching me.

Professors on the whole do make the effort to know their students by name. The smaller class sizes also help students to interact better with each other and professors and get individual attention or participate in discussions. lass participation is very common and encouraged by staff and other students. Students do have intellectual conversations outside of class; walking around campus, you can often find students talking with each other about class-related issues and topics. Some students are competitive at CofC, and depending on your major, you may feel more or less competition. My major was historic preservation and community planning, a relatively new field that is ideally studied in an historic city such as Charleston. The architecture was studied in the field in several classes, which was a better approach to studying books all the time. The professors were great, the best teachers I have ever had. They were always willing to listen and discuss projects, papers and general questions concerning the course or degree. They helped me to love the school more than anything, and I will miss all of them (even the "hard" ones). I have kept in contact with some of them even after graduation and hope to build upon these relationships for many years to come. The academic requirements at CofC were well planned, atleast in my major. We were required to have 2 full consecutive years of a foreign language and also had to complete an internship. These requirements turned out to be very helpful in the long run and helped to personalize my experience while providing me with what I needed. The education, in my opinion, is much more geared to getting a good education and getting students involved in their own college experience. I like this approach because there were obvious expectations and standards without the pressure-filled environment. People actually liked going to school everyday; it wasn't like high school where some days students just didn't feel like coming. At CofC, everyone wanted to be there, and it didn't take me long to figure out why.

Bob Haley teaches a course titled "Criminal Justice." I considered purposely failing so I could take the course again. Professor Haley is intelligent, patient and hilarious. A crowded classroom met him every morning at 8am absolutely enraptured. His advice helped me to choose a path, and I am extremely grateful for the time he took to share his wisdom. Professor Haley is the most influential teacher I have ever had, take his class. Dr. Parsons is an awe inspiring man. In his classroom you'll begin to love Africa, as if you too have seen it. Dr. Timothy Carmichael teaches with a contagious energy and interest. He also wants to see you succeed. Furthermore, he's brilliant. Professor Mark Long is very cool. He gives a hard test but his goal seemed to be giving us a greater understanding. In his geography/politics class he introduced us to the world and cared greatly what we thought and understood. Dr. Hinton is a genius. His intelligence is unreal and it is truly an honor to have studied with him. He surfs too, and had an affinity for carpentry. Among students there is a great deal of respect for him. Professor Taylor is the kind of teacher who makes you smile by entering the room, or by speeding by on her vespa, which she does quite often. Her classroom was one of mutual learning. She taught us a lot, and we taught her a lot too. It was like a friendship, and the easiest class you'll ever take.

A lot of professors have attendance requirements, which I think is a good thing because it makes me go to class more. A lot of kids don't like it, but I think that if we're paying so much to go to school, we should actually be going to classes. The class sizes are good, around 20-30 kids on average, which encourages participation. I know that I love all of the communication classes, they are all really interesting. Overall, there are a lot of different classes to take for any area.