Michigan State University Top Questions

Classes vary in size from under 10 to over 200. Professors offer classes of varying difficulty. However, getting acclimated to a new class takes only a couple of lectures. Professors all have office hours and are willing to help, especially with special circumstances.

The academics at MSU are amazing. This past semester my father passed away. My teachers work with me in my need to put my classes on hold. They gave me some extra time and made sure I got caught up with everything I missed.

My enrollment at MSU was for my Master's Degree, so the time that I spent there was different than for those who are on campus as resident students. However, I did spend a lot of time at MSU and had the opportunity to be exposed to a good many professors who were doing some incredible cutting-edge research. Part of my degree involved taking part in 18 weekend seminar-type classes and it didn't take long for me to be impressed by the substantial contribution that some of these brilliant men and women are making in the world of science and medicine. I must also say that one of the best classes I have ever had at any college was the summer Ecology class at the Kellogg Biological Station taught by Chuck Elzinga and Jerry Urqhart. I still can't believe how much I learned in one summer. Merle Heidemann and Ken Nadler were heading up the program that I was in and they are amazing. Merle is one of the most energetic, positive and supportive people that I have run across in my many years of academics. I can't say enough about the program through the School of Natural Science (DSME). Absolutely outstanding in every way.

Something I like about MSU was its large amount of people, I could be just want of the masses or I could be involved and my own individual. There are classes that are large, which i liked being another face, and getting my grade without the professor even knowing my name, and on skill alone. The great thing was the professors were accessible if you didn't want to be just another face. I also enjoyed the smaller classes where class discussion took place, to me it was a perfect balance of both. I think MSU is more geared to getting you prepared for a job, where other schools i know are more geared to getting you prepared for grade school. Eli broad business college had the LEER center which was specifically tailored to help students, they have mock interviews with people that are actually in the business world, they have help with tailoring your resume. The mock interviews are extremely honest and helpful, they will tell you if you are wearing appropriate clothing, if you made enough eye contact, even if your perfume was to strong. Marketing department is mixed with the Supply Chain Department and there is a great sense of pride of members of people in the Supply Chain major because we are ranked number one. I feel that Marketing was a mistake on my part, I felt classes often were rather redundant and wished that i had gone with a more technical aspect of business such as accounting and finance but i also know many marketing students who seemed to love it. I just might have choose the wrong major for me.

Some of the profs. are awesome & if you have a smaller class most of them will learn your name as long as you go. As for the huge lectures, obviously they most likely won't unless you make the effort to go talk to them after/out of class. Most of the beginning classes are large lectures but as you get further into your degrees the classes get smaller. My favorite class was probably MSC 313 and my least favorite class was CEM 141 (terrible). I'm not sure about every college at MSU but I know the business college is very competitive. My major is Business Administration/Prelaw but I will change it depending on how I feel about my core classes (those are the classes I am taking just to apply to Business College). The actual MSU classes that are required for everyone regardless of major are sometimes kind of shitty & you dont always get the best profs for that but they arent usually too hard.

MSU is a great school. It is the perfect size unless you are looking for letters of recommendation from professors. Make sure that you go to prof's office hours as a freshman/sophomore/junior, your senior self will thank you! I am a Biochemistry and Molecular Biology major so I can only speak from the point of view of a science major, but classes are large and you have to work to get to know professors.

Being a part of the Education program at MSU, my classes were geared to smaller sections and more individual development. Of course, as a Freshman, due to the size of the school, the lecture halls were filled with up to 300 students at a time. A school can be as big or as small as you want it to be. Professors were always willing to spend the time with their students after class, many students didn't take advantage of this. There is not a large competitive aspect at MSU, unless you are enrolled in a smaller program/major or are trying to get in to a certain college.

Profoessors in my classese usually know your name. The classes are typically large, especially for 100 and 200 level (freshman and sophomore) classes. The largest class I ever had was also the most fun. It was a 600 person lecture, with the most charismatic professor I have ever met. We are still occasionally in email correspondence. Most of the professors like to meet and talk to students, which makes your anonymity a personal choice more than a result of the system. On the other end of the spectrum, higher level classes sometimes have very few students. I had a math class with 10 people. There are lots of conversations about classes outside of the classroom. Especially in higher level classes when you are beginning to have lots of classes with the group of sutdents in your major, and the homework gets hard enough where doing it alone is perilous, everyone likes to get together and work together (which is usually encouraged by professors). This sort of experience makes you realize how many talented intellectuals attend a university like MSU, as just about every day the students are teaching each other as much as the professor is, which is--just to clarify--definately not a bad thing. Students try to help each other on homework and understanding, but many courses are graded from the average (curved) so students have to be competetive to get good grades. I feel like this is a bad educational system, but it is pretty muchuniversal. The problem is that theoretically, a 3.0 could be very close to a 2.0 or a 4.0, however, this is getting into semantics and hair splitting. The most unique class I have taken was a communications class with 600 people (referenced above). The class was tought by Steve McCornack and his wife, and it was on relationships. Even though this course was way outside my major, it was the most fun class I have ever taken, and the way the lecture was given, it was almost like going to a comedy club twice a week. Using humor as an avenue to teach, I ended up learning a lot in that course. I am a physics major. There are probably 400 students in my major, but way more than half are freshman and sophomores, so in the classes that you really need help in, the student to faculty ratio becomes reasonable. For the freshman and sophomores, there is a lot of help provided by the upper classman on those classes. The professors are often willing to help as well. There are a lot of professors in East Lansing too, so sometimes you see them outside of class. I acutally play Ultimate (frisbee) with several professors at the institution, and I will be doing a 300 mile bike trip this fall with several other professors. You will find that the professors are very real people, and not just teachers as they sometimes are in high school. MSU's degree completion requirements assure that you will have a basic grasp on the subject, which is the goal of an undergraduate curriculum. I would say that the classes that are required are--although sometimes annoying--almost always beneficial to the fireld that you have chosen. Your educational experience at any institution is really what you make it, and what you put into it. That being said, typically the more important upper level courses are geared towards what you really need to know in a job or in the "real world" and sometimes the other stuff gets pushed aside a little bit. Usually it is coverred bu not emphasised. This is neither good or bad, but just a philosophical statement of how my professors have been on average. Some of my professors have been just the opposite. It just depends on their goals and interests.

Professors generally do not know your name. The class sizes are huge, especially for the entry-level classes. As you get more specialized into your major, you may have smaller classes and more personal relationships with your professors. The classes are very flexible and open. You can take online classes, half-online classes, lecture halls, small classes, residential colleges; anything you want, MSU has it.

As a student, you will have a mixture of large, lecture-style classes and small, more intimate classes. I have had classes where I have never talked to the professor and others where the professor knows me by name. It is always beneficial though, in any class, to get to know your professor and ask them questions. They are there to help you--don't be afraid to ask questions or go to office hours. You will need to study A LOT! Even if you didn't have to in high school, college is way different. #1: Go to class. #2: Take notes and take more than you think you will need. #3: Buy the books for the class, and read them! #4: Try to study a little everyday for your classes (or at least start studying a week before an exam) #5: Go to review sessions! They will give you good tips and hints. The most unique class I have taken is IAH241A: Music and society: The 60s and the Beatles. (<--take that one!) I also liked taking an FSC class: Science on Your Plate. I did not enjoy Organic Chemistry 1 or 2...I don't think anyone does. If you can, take your basics, math, science, writing, at a community college or smaller college (OU or OCC for example) that will transfer the credits to MSU BEFORE you get to junior status. They are easier and cheaper there. Also, take summer classes. MSU offers off-campus MSU courses around the state as well and it is easy to knock out a class (ISS or IAH for example) in 7 weeks during the summer. My major is Biological Sciences Interdepartmental with an Integrated Science Endorsement and a Chemistry Minor for Secondary Education (aka to be a high school science teacher). Add as many things as you can to your major because it makes you more marketable--talk to your advisor about this, they will help you. I am in the Academic Scholars Program which is a 2 year program prior to applying to the Honors College. If you get asked to be in this program, do it. Meet with study groups that you come up with on your own with students from your classes. Meet up at the library, it helps to study that way. Also, if you want quiet in the library, go to the basement or 4th floor.

The core classes you have to take for the universities requirements are usually very large and therefore makes it hard for the professors to learn your name. However, those classes usually come with a recitation where you have a grad student as a teacher and they always make an effort to learn your name. Being a senior and having taken a lot of classes in my major, which is Elementary Education, you find that you need and want to participate in class in order to get something worth while out of it. The professors of my elementary education classes not only take the time to learn your name, but to get to know you and learn about you, because they genuinely care about you and appreciate that you desire to become a teacher, since that is such a tedious, yet rewarding profession.

My favorite classes here were the Theatre classes. No matter what major you are in I would suggest taking one. The professors are fantastic, laid back and the classes are all fun. WORST classes- chemistry- ask anybody they are the devil.

Very challenging

Most classes at MSU at huge--400-600 people each...the professors won't know your name unless you go to their office hours. The standards are set pretty high--grading scales are strict and tough. But the classes prepar you for a career as well as learning just for its own sake. There are tons of classes offered...just about anything you can think of. Some things suck like, you can;t take a music class unless you're a music major. I'd change that if i could.

Most professors wont know your name until you get into your upper level major classes. A lot of my classes have 600+ people in them. It can be very intimidating. Classes are difficult. I transferred from another university and I think the classes at MSU are much more demanding.

Tough classes my freshmen year, but very do-able. Alot of the undergrad professors are foreign however, and can be difficult to understand. There are a lot of TA's and tutors to help. Int he business school you can sign up for free tutoring on the major subjects, and that helps a lot. At MSU you take a lot of general education classes your first two years, so just a vague idea of your major will get you through for awhile. It is easy to talk to an advisor, and career advising is quick and easy, or as in depth as you want it. MSU is definitely a career driven curriculum. Job fairs are very prevelant. Their goal is to make you sucessful as soon as you graduate.

I only took art and education classes, but they were all pretty good. The professors were great, they really knew each and every student by name. Its a very friendly campus and the faculty is a big reason why. My classes weren't over 30 students ever (I took all upper level here), so they were pretty small. Many students participate in class and occasional discussion occurs outside of class of class material. I did see some of my professors outside of class. I also feel that the education program I was in is very geared towards getting a job. You learn for the sake of learning but in the college of education you are required a lot of field work to , so you also learn for the sake of experience.

I've enjoyed a lot of the classes I've taken. Although the science classes (chemistry) are hard to study for because they dish out so much info with little one-on-one time. The classes are large (which doesn't usually prevent students from asking questions), but that doesn't mean the prof shouldn't require more to be done than just tests and reading.

Classes vary dramatically in size. I've had 350 person lectures to a 20 person class. It all depends. My least fav class would have to be my ISS. So boring, but required. I'm sure i'll have some other bad ones too, it's pretty much inevitable. Um, ask for help if you need it. Make friends in class so you can get notes when you miss. (I skipped a lot second semester and SCREWED myself so don't do it.......well not too much)

There is some class participation. My instructor does know my name.