Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Top Questions

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.