Academics
By Laura Frazier
Herman Asarnow, the head of the English Department, thinks highly of the UP student body and says that overall students are polite and friendly. But beyond attitude and personality, Asarnow thinks that students at UP are a different academic breed.
"UP students are inspired to go beyond themselves and really grow," he said.
Freshman Bill Michielsen thinks that UP students are typically very intelligent and work harder than most.
"I think we are all smarter than your average college student and generally more studious," he said.
Sophomore Brooke Hart believes that UP students differ from students at larger state schools.
"We tend to be more focused on goals," she said. "Others seem to view us as being higher up than public schools and respect us more."
Though UP students are both social and academic, freshman Erin O'Doherty thinks that there is more emphasis on studying.
"It's a mixture of social and studies, but compared to other schools there is more study than social," she said.
Junior Miranda Gray thinks that focusing on studying is a key aspect to the success of any college student, but agrees that it is especially important at UP.
"You will not make it in this school if you choose not to study," she said.
UP offers 40 different major choices. Five popular options are engineering, education, English, biology and nursing.
There are 513 students in the School of Engineering, where students have an average GPA of 3.14. The engineering program is considered by students to be one of UP's most rigorous programs. Junior engineering student Andy Carlson agrees that with labs in addition to regular classes, it can seem like the major is a lot of hard work.
"It's a balancing act for sure, but I understand that this is what its going to be like when we are out of here," he said. "It is hectic but necessary."
The 192 students in the School of Education have an average GPA of 3.49. So many hours spent off campus due to field study and student teaching can put a strain on school work, Gray, an education major, knows that the hands-on experience is what she needs to be a great teacher.
"I want to be educated enough to educate others and do it in the best way possible," she said.
There are 89 total English majors at UP with an average GPA of 3.32. Asarnow believes that the success of seminars such as the Northwest Undergraduate Conference of Literature that UP hosts every year has brought attention to the English program. O'Doherty, an English major, studies about 21 hours a week outside of class, and thinks that the amount of work varies between Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts degrees.
"In comparison to my friends getting BA degrees, it's about the same, but my friends with BS degrees probably study more than me," she said.
UP's biology program has 249 students enrolled, and requires labs in addition to classes. Michielsen, a biology major, studies for about 40 hours a week and thinks that people underestimate the time required for two labs a week. Michielsen also thinks that the amount of studying can be the difference between programs, and that each major is challenging in a way.
"Every major has its difficulties but some are more apparent than others," he said.
Nursing is the largest program at UP with 643 students. The nursing program has an average GPA of 3.49.
Nursing students also have commitments outside of class, as they participate in labs and clinical study in local hospitals. With the extra commitments that come with the nursing program, Hart, a nursing major, thinks that school must come before social activities.
"My goal is to do as well as I can even if that comes at the price of a social life," she said.
