Saint Louis University Top Questions

Classes at SLU are really hit or miss. I've had a few good classes, but a ton of terrible ones. Many of my big science classes have been taught by professors who are more interested in doing outside research than their classes, and it shows. Classes in the actual physical department, however, are perfectly fine and I've actually learned from them. My favorite class thus far was IPE 370 - Healthcare Ethics. This was a Tuesday/Thursday class, and on Tuesdays, the class sat in a giant lecture hall and listened to a professional ethicist lecture about the ethical principles surrounding health care. On Thursdays, everyone split up into small groups - no more than 17 students or so - and applied the principles to three cases.

The classes are pretty small, maybe about 20-30 students. They take attendance in all classes but the few big lectures. Because SLU is famous for it's med school and pre-med program, if you're pre-med, you're going to have some big lectures. Although Professor Aspinwall once surprised me when he knew me by name in a lecture of 200.

Professors are really great here. I spent a year elsewhere where I thought that professors cared, but here they like, really do. Most of them are great about responding to emails promptly and the ones that weren't were just scatterbrained, but hunting them down worked just fine. In the upper-level courses they're obsessed with what they're teaching, and in the lower-level courses they still care. Watch out for the Earth and Atmospheric Sciences guys, though - they'd rather dig for fossils next to the parking lot than come to their own classes. There are a few oddballs, but I've had some really great professors that'll even like, go for a walk and conversation down West Pine.

The classes are outstanding here, the professors actually make an effort to make it fun and usually don't take themselves too seriously. They are always available for help during office hours and usually any time you need help otherwise (I had some problems with math that I needed help with, so get off my back already). Enough about professors, what do the students do you ask. First, we take our studies seriously, unless its Friday or Saturday...those are designated days of indulgence with Sundays set aside for hangovers and some homework. If you are looking for people studying (hey, maybe that's your thing...I don't judge...wait, yeah I do), just look in the library. The homework and tests are usually fair and frequent, but is manageable.

Slu is a hard academic school but this is because Slu wants each student to get the best education possible. The professors are great and they have office hours and are there to answer any questions. I'm a psychology major and I love the department, the classes are fun and the professors are great! Slu students do have to study alot but in the end it will all be worth it because a slu education looks really good when trying to find a job.

The academics are good. Students are very competitive when it comes to grades. The class sizes are relatively small unless you are a pre-med student. In which case you will be in large lecture halls and students are VERY competitive about grades. Although blow off classes aren't offered like at state schools, the philosophy classes and social justice classes that are offered can be interesting

Prestigous, critical thinking academics. Well rounded core of history, philosophy, theology, art, foreign language, social science, math and science. Public speaking course should be taken by everyone regardless of major, becuase you'll be so much more confident doing presentations afterwards. Anthony Witherspoon teaches African American Religous Traditions as a theology elective and also Human sexuality as a sociology elective. Great teacher, great classes, in depth information without much boredom. SLU offers practical courses in management, grpahic design, and many others as well as courses just for knowledge sake. As a senior, i realize now how those courses for knowledge sake actually did come in quite handy in my way of thinking, but at the time when I was taking those knowledge seeking courses like theology and philosophy i thought it was sometimes unnecessary. SLU's a catholic university, so there are 9 hr requirements for theo and phil, which hurts becuase some of the course material is similar and is repeated info, and takes some time to complete the requirement. Graphic design program is emerging, and there are lots of opportunities for practical experience in on campus work and internships.

There are some extremely good professors here at SLU. Use ratemyprofessor.com. It's usually pretty accurate. However, you are bound to have a few poor professors here and there. Most motivated students are in the pre-med, engineering, and nursing programs (maybe one or two others). You'll find a lot of partying with the B-School students. There are many programs like the engineering and aviation programs, that are geared towards careers. But you can find a decent liberal arts education here if you are looking for it.

Academics are challenging but if you work hard, getting B's and A's is within reach.

I like the classes, they are small, some were not as challenging as I would expect. If you are in science or engineering you will be challenged. I was a sociology and international studies major, and was not very challenged. Most students are not too competitive. Professors are really great, they helped me in many ways, and would help students as much as they need outside of class. You have to take three classes in religion and three classes in philosophy.