University of Puget Sound Top Questions

Though the answer varies with major and individual decisions on which classes you sign up for, I have found classes at Puget Sound to be exceptionally challenging, with only a few exceptions. My freshmen seminar classes were difficult, but my writing and rhetoric course, Rhetoric and National Identity (a communications course) inspired me to declare a minor in communications because I was in awe of everything one could learn from watching films made in the 20th century about war. It had a lot to do with the Professor Susan Owen, who is a wonderful professor and a critical film scholar and who I cannot recommend enough. My least favorite class has been one of the history of the Pacific Northwest, and it was the second of the freshman seminars "Scholarly and Creative Inquiry" and was titled "Ecotopia". It may have been that the class was a history class which is not necessarily my favorite subject that I found it frankly boring, or maybe because I didn't have many choices from which to pick since every freshman is required to take a Scholarly and Creative Inquiry course. But again, my other freshman seminar (the course with Susan Owen) definitely balanced out the experience, so again you never really know what you'll get with the freshman seminars.

Though the answer varies with major and individual decisions on which classes you sign up for, I have found classes at Puget Sound to be exceptionally challenging, with only a few exceptions. My freshmen seminar classes were difficult, but my writing and rhetoric course, Rhetoric and National Identity (a communications course) inspired me to declare a minor in communications because I was in awe of everything one could learn from watching films made in the 20th century about war. It had a lot to do with the Professor Susan Owen, who is a wonderful professor and a critical film scholar and who I cannot recommend enough. I have never had a professor (I have had 15 so far) who was not willing and easily accessible to meet outside of class to discuss coursework, a paper, or just planning my future course schedule or interests in general. This is remarkable for me to consider, but again I may just be lucky in my experience in the Politics and Government department. My favorite class has been an Comparative Politics class, Iran and Israel, with Patrick O'Neil. Not just because of his vast knowledge of Iran (he occasionally strolls over the border and casually watches religious ceremonies in the streets of Tehran) or because of his dedication and support to his students (will pick up his phone and call to give one of his students a recommendation on the spot), but even more because of the feeling of community that emerged in the class throughout the semester. Prof O'Neil is known to be one of the toughest in the department, so students banded together to have long study sessions and group documents to facilitate studying that listed hundreds of terms from the semester available to students in the class. All of these elements created an ideal classroom experience. My least favorite class has been one of the history of the Pacific Northwest, and it was the second of the freshman seminars "Scholarly and Creative Inquiry" and was titled "Ecotopia". It may have been that the class was a history class which is not necessarily my favorite subject that I found it frankly boring, or maybe because I didn't have many choices from which to pick since every freshman is required to take a Scholarly and Creative Inquiry course. But again, my other freshman seminar (the course with Susan Owen) definitely balanced out the experience, so again you never really know what you'll get with the freshman seminars.

The majority of the students at Puget Sound are very academically focused. The small class sizes allow for great professor/student relationships. Professors are extremely helpful during office hours! Class participation is common and many classes are discussion based. As a science major, my favorite class I've taken was Cancer Biology. It was taught by a professor who does cancer-related research and who worked at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. I absolutely love the biology department, and as a Molecular and Cellular Biology major, I spend a lot of time with my professors. I also work closely with the Health Professions Advising committee, and they helped me put together my medical school application.

I have loved almost all of my classes at Puget Sound. Core requirements can be a bit of a drag due to some lackluster course offerings, but they've been improving recently, and don't take that long to get out of the way in any case. Freshmen seminars are some of the best and most creatively themed classes at Puget Sound (I took Geomythology as well as Sub/urban America), as well are Connections classes, the required class you take your junior or senior year. Students spend a significant amount of time outside of class studying and doing homework, but the amount of work you will have will definitely depend on your major. One of my favorite parts of Puget Sound is our small, discussion based classes. Not only do they help you get more out of the material, but class discussions are a great motivation to do class readings. As a French major, my favorite classes have been 20th and 21st century literature classes due to the amazing discussions about such a diverse range of subjects. Nearly my only complaint about Puget Sound is that grade inflation is rampant. I have received several A's in a bunch of classes that I feel would have been lower grades at a different school or in a different class.

Academics are incredibly strong at Puget Sound. I think a lot of that stems from the dedication of professors. Professors hold office hours where students can drop by and ask questions; it is really more of a formality though because professors are available all the time. They remember all their students; I still have a professor that I had first semester freshman year say hi to me by name in passing. Also, all of our classes are taught by professors (not TAs or others). They are passionate about what they teach and truly care about students understanding material rather than a specific grade. Also, I think other factors in creating strong academics on campus include the quality of students admitted and the fact that we are a liberal arts school.

Academics are amazing. I love the small class size and close relationships to professors. I have enjoyed the liberal arts approach as well. Getting some foundations in multiple disciplines has really made me a more well rounded student and I am now able to make interdisciplinary connections that I would not otherwise have been able to make.