University of Mary Washington Top Questions

All my professors not only know my name but also what I like, what my extracurriculars are, and about my family. They truly are the best resource at this school. I love the English department because it is full of amazing teachers that truly want you to learn, enjoy it, and participate.

We are a Liberal Arts institution, offering a variety of majors and concentrations. Here at UMW, we take our academics seriously. I'm a psychology major, and from what I've heard our department is fairly challenging in comparison to other universities. Our academic requirements are pretty straight forward: one third of your credits need to fulfill general education requirements, one third needs to fulfill your major, and the final third takes up electives. It's tough to complete 120+ credits in just six semesters, so taking summer school or coming in with credits is always helpful. Like I said, it is very easy to establish good relationships with professors. I always here of fun department events outside of class. I know for the Psychology department, we have annual picnics and parties where we get a chance to socialize with our professors (yes, we do get to drink with them...if you are of age, of course).

I love the academics at UMW. I have had some great professors. I especially like that most of them get to know me and really care about what they are teaching.

professors know your name, most of the time class participation is very common students are competive i spent alot of time with my professors outside of class( in a non sexual way)

After my freshman year, I was disappointed with academics at UMW. I went to a private school for high school where I was really challenged. Then I got to UMW and it was so easy, I barely had to put forth an effort. For a lot of classes I had, I didn't have to study because I had already learned that material in high school, but had to take the class for a general requirement. That being said, I had some friends that were pretty bright, putting forth their best effort, yet still struggling in their classes. I think how much you're challenged academically depends on what classes you're in, who your professors are, and how much you already know about the subject. But don't worry because if you are struggling UMW provides many resources to help you out. Some examples: tutoring, writing center, academic advisors, and most of the professors will take time out of class to talk about material you don't understand and make sure you get it by the time you leave.

Professors are pretty sweet, they all enjoy interacting with students and teaching. however, while they usually have PHds they usually went to bad colleges and aren't the smartest people. Students dont study that much ever, whether they are straight A students, or straight Ds. I spent all first semester playing video games, partying, and chilling and I got a 3.8 :) (sounds awsome doesnt it? its not). Class participation is pretty bad, its kind of like highschool, only slightly better. Students are NOT competitive.

Mary Washington classes are small- the biggest 101 level classes usually have about 75 students, tops. As you take higher level classes within your major, the class size will get smaller. My average class size is about 25. Professors definitely know your name, and are genuinely concerned about how you do in their class. If you choose to take advantage of their office hours (which every professor is required to have every week) professors are absolutely willing to help you do well in their class. I've taken so many good classes at UMW that its hard to choose a favorite- Intro to Women's Studies, Social Problems, Intro to Cultural Anthropology, Chemistry and Society, Global Issues in Literature, Health and Social Psychology...the list goes on!

Something that I like so much about UMW is the student to professor ratio. The class sizes are usually quite small, so that enables the teacher to know nearly every student by name. That was an important quality that played a big part in my attending UMW. My favorite class was Macroeconomics with Steven Stageberg because he is an extremely unique and interesting man, who made economics exciting, which I didn't believe possible. My least favorite class was an Intro to Theatre class. The teacher was loopy and had no idea what she was doing. Students study nearly every night but it really depends on what your goals are. I would study an average of 3-4 hours a day. Because the classes are so small, class participation is expected and can benefit students. UMW students most definitely have intellectual conversations outside of class, but there is a balance between that and just leisurely conversation. One reason why I chose UMW is because students are not particularly competitive. Most everyone just sets personal goals, not taking into account how other students are performing. UMW is lacking in unique class offerings. The International Relations department is one of the biggest departments at UMW. There are lots of requirements however, and it can be difficult to get into theclasses that you need in order to graduate. Most students don't experience too much trouble though. I do not normally spend time with professors outside of class. UMW's academic requirements are I believe one reason why there is a lack of unique courses. We have several "goals" that have to be met for General Education requirements and these caues students to have to take a number of classes that possibly won't interest them at all, and that don't particularly contribute to student's worldly knowledge because they usually just try to get through the class doing the least amount of learning possible. I feel that UMW has a good balance between gearing students toward jobs and learning for its own sake.

Only one professor that I've had so far doesn't know my name. Class participation is very common, even in my larger classes. My smallest class has been 5 people and the largest 88. The most unique class I've taken is an International Cinema course. All of my professors are very available outside of class and encourage us to come ask questions. We used to have very strict General Education requirements, which I liked. I thought we were the only Virginia university that had a truly liberal arts education. But now they've lessened the requirements. Even so, they still require us to take 5 writing intensive courses and 2 speaking intensive courses, which are important skills for anyone to have.

Some professors will never bother to learn your name. Most will tell you if they won't. Most professors though, especially in the smaller classes, really take the time to try to know your name and help you. Some of the classes, mostly the ones I've been taking for general education requirements, do bore me sometimes. I'm not interested in these topics and so sometimes it is hard to pay attention. Also, I HATE that final grades are dependent upon few things. (however, most colleges are like this) As a whole, I feel like the classes are competitive and challenging. Teachers are friendly and (usually) helpful.