Carnegie Mellon University Top Questions

runeen iz fun

For the most part, all the professors make an attempt to get to know you and your name, so its definitely up to you to follow through (office hours, for example). My favorite class was Heat and Mass transfer taught by Professor Kris Dahl, my first female professor as an engineer and she was the best professor ever. I usually prefer male professors but this lady knows how to teach! My least favorite class was Intro to Chemical Engineering and Modern Biology I. I didnt like these classes mainly because of the professors who taught it. I would say students study more hours than they sleep in a week! CMU is not an easy school, but all this work pays off in the long run! I would say that for the most part, the same students participate in class some professors actively encourage others (by calling on them or not letting the same people respond) but that's not the case for all classes. Also, most classes (engineering) are lecture style so its not necessary for you to "participate" but people usually feel comfortable asking questions.

Class sizes and professor-student interaction depends on ones major. As a Professional Writing major my classes are often seminar style, contingent upon student interaction with a maximum of 20 students to the one professor, hence the PW major is a small community where you tend to see the same professor for different courses and people know each other. However Engineers tend to have more large lectures with little participation and only really get in contact with the TA's through recitation. CMU students have to spend a great deal of time studying outside of the classroom to be successful, no matter what major they have. My largest grievance about the academic experience is that the school forces student interaction very heavily in the sciences and math field despite a students lack of interest in that field, and often forces students to engage in the study of philosophy and theory that does not appear to be significant in getting jobs.

All of my professors know my name, but its because I approach them and introduce myself. The classes are almost never too large where a professor cannot get to know you. My favorite class is Social Psychology. I took it my sophomore year and am now a TA. The professor is like a stand up commedian, asking students for examples of prejudice and stereotype that they have encountered and in turn telling hysterical stories to illustrate fascinating topics. Each semester her class has at least 60 students on the wait list, even when the class has 140 students enrolled. Students study very often at CMU. it is not a slacker school by any means, and the classes can be quite difficult if you are in a hard major. Participation is uncommon in larger classes but common in smaller ones. If you are lucky you find a large class that is intriguing enough to have participation, but mostly its only 3 or 4 students who carry the whole lecture by speaking up, and nobody likes them anyway. The most unique class I took was an English composition class titled "Vampires". Our Interpretation and Argument classes have many different themes, ranging from "the Matrix" to "the Simpsons". Mine was based around the lore and persistence of vampire lore and literature in the modern culture and what it symbolizes about western culture. I am a psychology major in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. My major is one of the most easy, and one of the most interesting majors in the school. Because of this, I decided to take on additional course work including languages such as Chinese and Spanish and a Minor in Biology. It is definitely nice to have the fexibility to add to my education. Not all majors have room for additional coursework. I spend time with professors outside of class when I can. I find most of them to be great academic resources and very interesting people outside of the classroom, but many don't have time to sit around and chat. My education at CMU is a bit of both, to get a job and for the sake of learning. I am going onto a masters degree in a different subject, so my education is because I want to learn.

All professors are different, however most will go out of their way to help students and inspire them. Having transfered to CMU from a different university, I can definitely say the quality of professors in CMU is far more higher than others. Students, likewise are all different, however quite a few of them are happy to pursue academics outside the classroom in the form of research, individual projects, or clubs such as the Robotics Club. CMU's academic requirements are fairly tough however, and sometimes makes it difficult to pursue activities other than those required in classes. However, the number of classes a student is willing to take is up to the student after all. Compared the previous university that I have attended, CMU is far more geared towards learning for learnings sake. However, I believe this is mainly due to the fact that CMU students do not quite require a 'masking' of their ability to get things done. Although CMU does not spend as much time trying to get students job compared to my other school, its students are often employed at higher rates with higher salaries.

for alot of classes you are a number on a page--maybe they have your picture--teachers will mispronounce your name the entire semester because you'll never get close enough to them to correct them. alot of classes have over 100 kids in them. You are not an individual. There are some good classes where your teachers will give a shit about you, but alot of teachers are here doing research for the school and are teaching the classes on the side so they don't give a fuck. If you're not here to get sent through a tube directly into the job market then you are wasting your time. You're here to build the base of a career--if you think learning is fun then get out because learning is about getting a job.

Oh god.

The professors in classes that I go to know my name. Student study too much and bitch too much about it. Class participation is common in smaller lectures. CMU students talk a lot about intellectual stuff. CMU students are very competitive. CS is great cause everyone knows we're the best and most of the kids in my major are pretty smart.

some do. no favorite class, least favorite is interp. everyday. somewhat. yes. yes. principles of computation. business administration, very friendly staff. no. bull. applying what we learn to jobs.

Professors in H&SS tend to know your name-big science classes, not so much. Students study all the time, it doesn't make sense how much we all seem to work. Class participation varies by the subject. Some classes are horrible to participate in, other not so much. Students are extremely competitive in Tepper and MCS. It made me want to never want to talk to them again. CMU is geared towards getting a job.