Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Top Questions

What are the academics like at Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College?

Charlene

You have to try hard or you will probably fail out.

Emily

LSU thrives on its academics.

Robert

Engineering is the strongest, along with accounting. All other majors are not really nationally recognized.

Brittany

I have had some REALLY BIG classes as well as really small classes. As you begin with your General Education Courses you may end up in large auditoriums with 800 kids which can work to your advantage. I have also had very small classes with around 20 students enrolled. Personally, I am a fan of the larger classes but you did get an opportunity to get to know your professors from smaller classes. It all really depends on your major and what Senior College you are enrolled in as well. My school the Manship Of Mass Communications has very small classes of 20-30 students as you get into 3000-level classes but someone in Business may still have 200-300 students in their upper level classes. School is not hard if you pay attention and study! It really is not impossible if you attend class and take notes! If you do that you are so much more prepared for tests and quizzes and it takes off so much more study time when you already know what you are learning about instead of cramming the last minute.

Kelsey

I am a Biology major at LSU, and it is not easy. It requires discipline and studiousness. I do feel that LSU is preparing me for Medical School though. The classes demand a lot of your time, but if you are good at prioritizing, you might do well in a science major. Engineer majors are the hardest majors LSU offers, in my opinion. If someone though a Biology major was difficult- and most people do- they haven't spoken to an engineer major. LSU also offers lots of other majors, like English, Psychology, Broadcast Journalism, Education, Foreign Language, Communication Disorders, etc. There is definitely a variety of majors to suit your liking. The professors that I have had are pretty helpful, but you need to make the effort to talk to them. Most science courses have at least 100 students in them, but if you take the time to speak to your teacher before/after class, or during his/her office hours, they are very helpful, or at least try to be. Being a science major who wants to get into Medical School, I have a lot of competition between all the other students who want to do the same as me. However, people do not act like that. The classmates I have help each other out. We form study groups with complete strangers and tutor each other sometimes. If someone misses class, there is no problem finding someone who is willing to email you the notes. Classes may be larger, but you have a better chance of finding someone who will support you and help you do well in the class. It's all about putting yourself out there and making yourself known to others. LSU is a socially academic school. I have so much support here.

Courtney

LSU academic program is great. We have labs you can go into, and our teachers are always there to help. We also have online studies that will help us for our classes. These studies help prepare us for our exams. As a biology major, I know LSU has a fantastic biology program.

Charles

Judging by the behavior of the people majoring in things like business and kinesiology, I cannot see how those programs can be very difficult. I cannot speak for the art/design departments, but it seems that they are rightfully demanding. As for the science/engineering/mathematics departments, I can tell you from experience that they are very challenging and quite competitive; they are sure to establish at least some kind of critical thinking skills in all students following their curricula.

Abigail

Overall, my classes at LSU have been great. During your first year or two, your general education classes will be large, impersonal, auditorium-sized classes. This can seem overwhelming, but my advice is to get to know your professor (go to office hours) and become friends/study buddies with someone in the class. This will make your experience with those large classes less intimidating and more personal. Classes within your major become much smaller and much more personal. Your professors will really want to get to know you and will get to know your name. Class participation becomes more common in these classes, through clickers or classroom discussions. LSU offers different classes to meet your needs. Service learning classes integrate outside service hours with a traditional classroom settings; communication-intensive classes focus more on seminar and discussion learning. I'm a Political Science major with a French minor and Religious Studies minor. All three of these departments are excellent. The professors are top notch and always willing to help. They're also very willing to get to know me and I know many of them by name. I'm on a first name basis with a couple of them. The coolest thing I did related to my studies was studying abroad my Freshman year! LSU has great study abroad programs for almost every major! I went to Paris to study French in the summer of 2010 and it was one of the best experiences of my life. If you can afford it, I recommend studying abroad to every student! LSU also offers financial scholarships to help with the cost and you can get 6 hours of credit! I still talk to the professors that were in charge of the LSU in Paris program. I think LSU's course requirements give students a well-rounded education that gives them skills to use in real life. Yeah, some of the general education classes seem useless at first, but the skills you learn in them are definitely tested later down the road.

Barbra

Academics are great at LSU. Some teachers can be more difficult than others but again it depends on the teacher, not so much the class. It is really easy to makes friends in a class as long as you're outgoing. If you don't but yourself out there and socialize, you won't get recognized and that's okay. LSU is a great networking campus to further ones career.

Robert

Despite its reputation as a "party school" LSU takes its academics incredibly seriously. Students that expect to do well in LSU also should expect to study reasonably well.

Prentice

The academic quality of Louisiana State University is pretty great for the reasonable price. But with the copious amount of students, there is not a great student- teacher ratio. You have to make yourself known to your professors because there are too many students to know everyone's name. But they are very friendly and know their material. Students are fairly competitive but in a fun way.

Aiyana

Louisiana State University (LSU) offers endless opportunities when it comes to academics. Some of the majors obtainable through LSU include but are not limited to: Chemistry, History, Agricultural Business, Chemical Engineering, Child and Family Studies and Interior Design. LSU accommodates several students and must provide a wide variety of concentrations to keep up with demand. There is no doubt that your desired major will be one offered. Here at LSU, academics are highly competitive. You are not only competing with others LSU students but peers from around the world. Read my words: Your classes will be tough, but with dedication you can succeed.

Nisha

If you want a professor to know your name, then most times, you have to sit in the front row of a classroom consistently answer questions or make yourself known in the classroom. Classes are very large sometimes but sometimes, classes are less. My favorite classes would have to be my Political Science classes because of the debates and discussions. Students study as much as they want to depending on your learning ability. Also, how much you study depends on the difficulty level of the class. We have many intellectual conversations outside of class concerning previous class discussions, abortion, the death penalty and other serious debates, even some concerning politics and economics. I am a Political Science Major and a Business Minor, which is why the Political Science classes are my favorite. Getting into LSU was fairly easy for me. Easier than I thought it would be. You only need a 22 on your ACT with a good highschool grade point average. Not only is the education at the school geared toward getting a job, it helps you while you are still in college to gain internships.

Matthew

Freshman classes can be quite large, however the sizes diminish in subsequent years. The classrooms around campus are easily able to accommodate this. Professors hold plenty of office hours to allow you ample time to get any information you may need, and they generally answer e-mail in a timely manner. Study groups seem to be popular and prevalent. The level of difficulty of classes can depend on the professor, but traditionally difficult classes tend to be challenging regardless. We use the A=4, B=3, C=2, etc. grading scale.

Aaron

My professors know me if I introduce myself to them and sit in the front. Even if it's a class of 100. Class participation is spotty. The weeding out and then the low class attendance happen a lot in intro classes but not in the upper level classes. Professors are generally available for you to see and they're all connected by email. I haven't had a terrible problem with any of them yet.

Sarah

Using myself as an example, here is an average academic path: I am currently a sophomore pre-med Biology major with a minor in Spanish in the honors college. I am required to take at least 15 hours since I am in the honors college but only 12 hours are required to be considered a full-time student. My classes consist of biologies, chemistries, labs, spanish, and honors classes. Most of my classes are around 50 to 100 students or less. My professors are very enthusiatic about their subjects and encourage us to attend office hours. They may not remember my name but they know my face. I attend all my classes because most of the information on the tests comes from in-class lectures not available on-line. I go to office hours every now and then but I study at the library frequently. i also use the library's free tutoring services for homework help or form a study group with other students in my classes. Everyone is in the same boat and wants to do well so it's not hard to meet and work with students in your classes.

Oscar

Academics are certainly recognizable. LSU is certainly a challenging and very educational. All the professors are highly qualified and teach you what you need to know for your career. They are friendly and always there to help. This school curricula definitely gives a student the education they deserve.

Robin

If you are a highly motivated person, you can excel academically and be in an environment that you really enjoy. If you desire to excel academically but don't find that you care about the fun or aren't very disciplined, they you're better off somewhere else. LSU has enough diversity to find just about anything you are looking for. The question to answer is: "Is there enough of what I'm looking for to satisfy ME?" For many people for whom a rigorous academic environment is the top priority, they may find LSU does not provide enough of it to live up to their expectations. That is not to say there aren't serious minded students or amazing professors--there are (I can think of several profs during my time there that were amazing), and it is not to say that one cannot achieve substantial quality academic benefits. But if they are achieved I believe it will most likely be the result of the student's initiative to make that happen for himself. While that fact is true to some extent at all colleges, at many other universities one does not need to be internally motivated to excel academically to the same extent because the environment at those other universities expects that of you as a baseline. At LSU, it is not expected of you. If you want it, you can achieve it, but it will most likely be the result of your own substantial personal motivation. I look an honors history class at the French House and found it to be truly exceptional.

Erin

As mentioned, once you find your niche or get high into your major you will find you start seeing the same people in your class. The teachers and staff want to help you outside the classroom! Depending on what circle you run in will determine to what level you have to or choos to participate, both on campus and off. Our Career Service's Center rocks and they are dedicated to making sure our students are employable when they graduate.

Ashley

Academics vary widely between individual colleges. Business majors don't have to study as much as science majors. Engineering majors have it the worst. Most are really very good at what they do. Except computer science. do NOT come to LSU for the comp science program. Other than that, Engineering is amazing, Business is great, sciencce is top notch, arts & sciences are very good, mass comm/journalism is first-class.