Seattle University Top Questions

Very challenging, but professors will definitely help you out if you have any questions.

Seattle University is a very competitive college and for my major, it is very competitive. However, there are great teachers and advisers who go beyond their duty to ensure that all students who need help are got it. Class participation is commonly encouraged and my favorite part is lab where I can put into application what I read in books.

They are fairly challenging. We have great professors who will not only met with students to address any class issues but are also excited to talk to students about future opportunities, majors, current events and life in general. Seattle U has an amazing faculty network of support. Last Quarter I took a really interesting course on Human Rights Leadership. The professor was awesome and extremely knowledge about the greater field of development. I have also really enjoyed getting to know professors in the Social Work Department, although I have only taken one course in my major. Seattle U puts a big empathize on the Core. The educational philosophy is on the “whole person” and is a pretty good mix of liberal and professional education.

One of the best things about SU is the small class size, although that's growing year by year which is unfortunate. You will most likely be familiar with every tenured professor in your department, and for the Comm dept, you'll probably take a class taught by your advisor. If you like your advisor/professors, it's a pretty sweet arrangement. Otherwise, sorry. The best class I ever took at SU was Human Rights Leadership with Therese Caouette. She is so involved in human rights issues and it really comes out in class material. Whenever possible, take classes for adjunct professors--they'll most likely be more connected to the "real world." I was in the new Strategic Communications major at SU, which was an interesting experience. The curriculum hadn't really been set so the classes I took were scattered, but the ones I have taken were really useful and beneficial. Utilize your professors when looking for a job--they have large and extremely useful networks!

All of my professors throughout my time at SU knew me by name, and for the most part, took out time for me both in office hours as well as in going over my work. My conversations with other students have been inspirational. For the most part, they have given me hope for the future. As much as my classes within my major (psychology) have been incredible, two of my core classes are standouts: Philosophy 210 with Sven Arvidson, and History 121 with Father Strickland. Both have made tremendous impact on my life that I am eternally grateful for. They are examples of the educating the whole person.

All my professors knew my name this last year. i didn't have a favorite class this year, I was taking all core reqs or general biology or general chemistry; not much fun there. But now that I'm done with the general classes I can get onto the ones I actually want to take like Anatomy. Students study all the time and if they're not, chances are they should be. All I did freshman year was study, with a little procrastination and a little partying thrown in there. Class participation is usually required, teachers grade on it. But it's no different than high school. Some students have intellectual conversations, again same as high school. The science dept is really tough, the classes can be pretty difficult, but everybody wants to help you and see you do well. Education at Seattle U will get you a job right out of college and you will have a great deal of knowledge.

Professors know your name. There are a lot of studious people at SU. There's a big focus on class participation. It is quite common to spend time with professors outside of class. I've gone out to lunch with two of mine. The academics help achieve whatever you want to achieve. They're really good at helping you find jobs too. It's a social justice oriented school. Just wanted to mention.

Perfect class sizes, some wonderful professors.

The greatest thing about the academics at Seattle U is that the class sizes are small, so you'll usually have a class with no more than 30 students (there are rare exceptions, like science labs, but you'll usually have around 20-30 students per class), which makes it much easier to approach your professor - and classmates - for help. The teachers (for the most part) really seem to know what there doing, and even if I don't particularly like a class - or a teacher - it's all laid out there for you, so you'll know how much is expected of you and when everything is. Also, the professors are all really nice people at heart and many of them will gladly give their own time to their students. While for the most part Seattle's academics are good, there are negatives. One big one is the school's focus away from them. With a new initiative to go division one, their shifting their focus away from academics (which is how it has always been) and more towards sports, which comes with budget cuts. The department hit the hardest has been the Modern Language department, which is nearly non-existent now. As someone who wants to pursue languages as a career, there isn't much to offer academically (although there are many resources throughout the city, as it is one of the most multicultural in America), with only 2 languages being able to study for 4 years while the rest are left at only two. This is true for the rest of the academic departments: their focuses are very narrow. Another negative (but a lot of students and faculty see it as a positive) is the CORE courses you have to take. CORE courses are courses from a variety of disciplines that are supposed to make you a well rounded student. For Arts and Sciences students (which is the biggest school on campus), you will spend half of your academic career on CORE courses alone, which can really hamper students who would rather double major or focus entirely on what THEY want to student, no study what the University wants them to.

My first year at Seattle Unviersity and every quarter I have been asked by my parents and other students at other schools, how big are your classes? Seattle U is a small school and none of my classes have been over 32 per class. Most of my classes have been 25 to 20 students per class because there is a expectation of class participation. We are on the Quarter system, which is like running a marathon for 11 weeks. Studying is part of college, but really depends on the classes and major your in. The most unique thing about Seattle U's academics is the Core and the requirements of the Core. Every student has to take english, math, art, and philosophy. Philosophy is not a subject that many have encountered before, but it is a learning experience and whether you love it or hate it, make sure you get a very good professor because that is the key in whether you love the subject or not.