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College Prowler

Academics

The professors are excellent. Even as a first-year in a 100-level course, your classes will be taught by extremely intelligent, knowledgable, and well-qualified professors. You get out of classes what you put into it. No one is going to force you to learn, but it's worth your time to pay attention and put in the work. You can learn so much from your professors, and taking the time to connect with them is well worth it. They will help you when you are struggling, ask you to help them with projects, research, or papers, and invite you to their homes. Professors at Gettysburg come from all walks of life and have often had a diverse range of experiences before coming to Gettysburg, which only enhances their classes. The workload is fair, it can be intense at times, but "work hard, party harder" fits the Gettysburg student to a T.

Athletics

Almost everyone here is involved in athletics in one way or another, whether it be varsity, club, or intramurals. The only people who really care about the varsity sports are the athletes themselves, and the games are mostly attended by their friends and family, with some exceptions. Club sports are awesome, though, since they involve less of a commitment, are fun, and are still really competitive. Intramurals are really popular, too. There's a wide variety to choose from with both single-sex and co-ed leagues. People get really into them.

Campus Dining

The food at Gettysburg is practically gourmet compared to what I’ve had at my friends’ schools. Servo is a little bit shady sometimes, but for the most part, I can usually find something edible whenever I eat there. Bullet Hole is where I usually go, but I’m starting to get sick of it because there’s not really much of a selection.

Campus Housing

Overall, Gettysburg has alot of great housing options. A lot of people give the older freshman dorms (Stine, Paul, and Patrick) a bad rap because the rooms can be pretty small and the buildings are old. I loved living in Stine, though. These three dorms are close to everything and are right in the heart of campus. The newer buildings, Patrick and Huber, are really nice, too. The rooms are great. As far as upperclassman housing, Ice House and Apple are awesome. Quarry is a little bit of a walk, but the apartments are really big. The only places I don't like are the converted motels like Lahm and Paxton. I feel like living there isolates you a little, but that's only me. Some people love it there.

Campus Strictness

Gettysburg's drug and alcohol policy is a joke. We work on a point system with ten points meaning you're kicked out of school. Getting caught drinking is one point, smoking weed four points, and so on and so forth. The only time you really need to worry about getting points is freshman year when you're supposedly living in "dry" dorms. But as long as you keep things quiet and discreet, you're going to be fine.

Computers

There are a few computer labs on campus, and they get pretty busy after most classes have let out (after about 4 p.m. Sometimes it's difficult to find a computer to use, but it tends to depend on the hour and the day of the week. There are fewer people doing homework Monday and Tuesday. Most students have their own computers, and there is Wi-Fi so you can use the Internet anywhere on campus. However, the Wi-Fi tends to have problems, and some days it crashes.

Diversity

The school seems to recruit a majority of the African American population from schools in Baltimore, but unfortunately they mainly stick to themselves. There is a smattering of Asian students and international students, but the campus is overwhelmingly WASP-y. The most prominent minority is African American. A vast majority of students are from either Baltimore or New Jersey, with most others from pennsylvania, New York, and New England.

Drug Scene

The drug scene honestly isn't that big at Gettysburg. Sure there are plenty of rumors about everyone doing coke everywhere, but if you don't go looking for it, you won't find it. Pot may be the only drug that you can have easy-moderate access to on campus. Most who look for it can find it after a bit of searching.

Facilities

I'd say Gettysburg tries to make things nice for its students. The library has tons of resources and allows you to check things out from surrounding college libraries. The free hot chocolate after midnight gives you a much needed boost to make it through the rest of the night. The student center (called the CUB) is always active during lunchtime when kids stop in to check mail and clubs set up table to advertise events. The Junction, located in the CUB, is a room full of tables, comfy chairs and couches and some TVs. Kids go there to eat, study, or just hang out with friends. As far as sports go, the college is almost done building a big new athletics center, which I heard is going to have a bigger pool and a rock climbing wall.

Greek Life

Greek life is amazing here. There are many frats and sororities. The frats have houses, but the sororities don't, but the girls all end up living together off campus anyway. The frat houses are crazy during the weekends and select weekday nights. You dont rush until sophomore year, so freshman year is all about going to all the different frats and enjoying yourself. The beer is free, the music is great, and the atmosphere is amazing. Sororities and fraternities have "mixers" during the weekends, where one frat gets together with a sorority and they have a theme party together. The themes are always really cool; some this year have been: P-Party (be anything that starts with a P), morning-after party, the standard toga party, K-5 (dress like you did in elementary school), champagne and strawberries, wear anything but clothing and many many more. Although you cant go to these as a freshman, the frats usually open up after them, and you can go party with all the interestingly dressed upperclassmen.

Guys & Girls

There's only one word to describe kids here: rich. Not coming from that background, I was amazed at how these people throw money around like it's nothing. The typical G-burg girl wears dresses in spring/autumn and skinny jeans tucked into boots in the winter. Boys sport kakhis, button up shirts and a backward baseball hat. There are more "normal" looking kids here, but they are definitely the minority.

Local Atmosphere

Gettysburg is an interesting mix of people: tourists, civil war junkies, townies, and students. The townies are strange but always friendly. Everyone seems to mix well. There are some cool shops in Gettysburg, and I find it a very cute town. Not always a ton of stuff to do, especially since the Majestic is the only theatre in walking distance, and it only shows a few movies at a time. However, I have not found myself bored one weekend yet.

Nightlife

Bars off campus suck. There's, like, nothing. You have to know how to find the good parties on campus. The fraternities are dirty and pretty gross, but then again, so are they all. Once you become an upperclassmen you can find some pretty sweet parties, once people start moving out of the freshman dorms.

Off-Campus Dining

There are tons of awesome restaurants around Gettysburg...thank you tourists! LDs is a late night/brunch choice of many college students. It definitely kills those hangovers really quickly. Ping´s is awesome for sushi and Chinese food. Pizza House and Roman Inn are open late and have amazing pizza. La Bella's is awesome for Italian. There are really nice restaurants, too, if you´re looking for a place to eat with parents. Check out Blue Parrot, Dobbin House, and Gingerbread Man, just to name a few.

Off-Campus Housing

A good majority of the students stay on campus all four years. If you want to live off campus, you have to have it planned out the beginning of sophomore year in order to find an open apartment for the next year. Students can only be off campus junior and senior years. The more coveted apartments right next to campus are difficult to get into because they tend to be 'passed down' from one group of people to the next. It's cheaper, but most don't seem bothered by just living on campus.

Overall Experience

Freshmen year is going to be hard anywhere you go, it takes time to make friends and feel comfortable. But as a sophmore, I feel like I am getting a great education here and friends I wouldn't trade for the world. Some of my best memories would have to be Thanksgiving dinner at Servo (the cafeteria), study breaks at Pizza House (a local greasy pizzeria), Springfest (a weekend-long party in April) and partying at Sig Nu.

Parking

Parking depends on housing. For example, if you live in a theme house, you will be offered a parking space near your dorm. However, as far as I can tell, everyone else must park at a parking lot reserved for students. Unfortunately, this is way across campus, so it's a hike. Starting in the 2008 school year, first-year students cannot have a car on campus unless it's for a medical or sports need.

Safety & Security

DPS (public safety) is pretty on top of things. As long as I'm on campus, I've never felt unsafe no matter how late at night it is. There is a high presence of officers walking around on any given night to make sure things are alright, but not to the point that you feel smothered. As long as you aren't too loud or drinking out in the open, you shouldn't get caught for anything. There isn't much crime at all, but any reported almost always involves a townie (stealing or beating someone up). If you ever feel unsafe, though, DPS is only a call away, and they'll come pick you up or will walk with you wherever you are going.

Transportation

The college is in walking distance of places like Rite-Aid, 7-11, and a movie theater, so if you really needed something right away, it's not a problem. But the school does offer a shuttle service that brings you to the Outlet Mall, Wal-Mart, Giant (grocery store), and other locations. It's also very easy to find an upperclassman with a car that would be more than willing to give you a ride.

Weather

The weather here is very mild. In the summer, it’s very humid and hot, but it cools off in mid-September, and there’s normally a nice long fall. The winter usually doesn’t get super cold (my winter coat is a fleece), although there are occasionally fluke storms like this past winter when we had a huge ice storm. Usually, there’s no snow, though. And the spring is amazing.