Michigan State University Top Questions

--Classes are good and teachers are good. If you take advantage of allmsu and really try to make it a good schedule than that will make a huge difference. --Some classes are honestly ridiculously hard that you shouldnt even need for your major, and i definitely feel that the requireed classes that every student has to take are so stupid. I know they want you to be well rounded, but that is what was covered in highschool. By the time you go to college, you can decide if you want to be even more well rounded and not have it forced upon you, but lets be serious, they want your money.

Now that I am a senior and have had some of the same professors and have smaller class and have met with some of the profs some of them know be by name but all would recognize me. Students rent really competitive and are always helpful.

I liked most of my professors, even if they were strict of challenging. It feels good to be challenged and do well because I tried really hard. I studied everyday. I chose to though. I know some people who didn't have to study everyday, but I really wanted to do well. I didn't mind it. Class participation depends on the class.

Being at the graduate level and in our particular program, most professors learn who you are very soon, which is good.

Professors at Michigan State are demanding and if you meet those expectations it will show in your end grade. When you enter the upper-level courses then the class sizes become more intimate and professors know you by name. Many times at the 100-level there may be up to 250-500 person lectures and it is impossible for professors to know your name. In addition, some low-level courses are taught by Graduate Assistants, yet they are extremely knowledgeable, just make sure to respect them!

Class sizes are large (a class with 500-600 students is not unheard of) your first two years but once you get into your upper level courses the class sizes are smaller. General courses in your college are generally 100-200 students and major specific courses are usually no larger then 30-40. Even in the larger classes a majority of my professors knew who I was and participation was promoted heavily. In order to excel you have to spend a lot of hours studying but some students just get by to pass the class, so it's up to you. Classes are competitive but students usually try to help each other out rather then be cutt-throat about it.

The professors dont usually know your name unless you make a point of talking with them reguarly about class or out of class things during office hours or appointments. My favorite class was my Vet Med class this last semester. My least favorite was Chem 141 or my ISS 215 class...gag me! Depending on the class load and what you are doing a lot of people study all the time. You learn to multitask so well its great, the only downside is there is usually a lot to study and its not ususally for just one class. Depending on the class participation is welcome. In Chem unless you have a question there ususally arent any conversations going on, but in the smaller classes like IAH or WRA class participation is needed to keep the class going.

I feel as thought there are too many university requirements at MSU. I spent most of my freshman year taking courses outside of my major just because I had to get them out of the way. I also feel if they took away some of the university requirements then you should be able to take classes in your major as a sophomore instead of wait till our a junior to take them making it hard to graduate on time.

If you work hard and ask questions it wont take long for your professors to get to know you. I srongly suggest making a few random friends in the bigger lecture halls for future help in the class. Im a packaging major but i still have classes with a wide variety of people with different majors. Education is geared toward learning and getting a job.

Most MSU faculty are pretty young or really old. It kinda sucks. Not that they don't know what they're doing or don't know how to teach, but it can't get a little dry. Don't worry about it. Try getting interesting profs, like the one I got for my ISS class. I can't recall her name, but she was visiting from New Orleans and always picked great books to read. She gave good lecture as well and I felt like I had actually learned something in the end. Always be open-minded to classes. Sometimes a class you thought was gonna totally be a blow off turns into one you never want to miss. Also, don't skip classes, it's dumb and demeans the whole point of going to a university. You pay a shit load of money not to attend class, but class is where you learn the most even if you don't know it at first glance. Later you'll be talking with friends and start recalling something you heard in class or want to read a book your prof talked about in lecture. However, in the end, MSU is directed to teaching practical skills rather than thought-driven skills. By the way, if you're in Journalism, then it's very important to take your Journalism classes as early as possible. Journalism at MSU is highly competitive, if you want to get those super cool jobs. The State News, I've heard, is pretty political. They also force you to work for only them, if you get a job there. Meaning no freelance on the side. Professional Writing on the other hand is pretty lax. It's definitely a more open-minded atmosphere than the journalism classes. There's more theory in the Professional Writing major than this cold, hard kick-you-out-the-door kind of style for the Journalism major. It also is more technologically driven than journalism, which uses theory for addressing technology . So basically, journalism is ultra-structured writing style; and prof. writing is theory with some structure writing style. You also learn how to manipulate html and how to publish books under my major, which happens to be professional writing.

I did not take most of my basics here at MSU, I took them at a community college to save money. So the ones I have been taking have been more pertinent to my degree. They are generally smaller. I have heard horror stories though, mostly about organic chem. Profs do get to know you, and the majority of them are fantastic. You just have to show that you are making an effort. Students don't seem to be too competitive, but you will be pushed academically if you so choose to be. I feel like some of the requirements for my degree were not necessary, and I have heard things about that from people in other majors. It's just like any other college, they want to make the most money out of you that they can. I have been taking classes more for the sake of education than career oriented, but my major is pretty flexible (zoology with a lean toward environmental sciences).

One thing that I would suggest is getting to know your professors. There are some really large classes where that might be a very hard thing to do but there are also some pretty small classes. I would also suggest to study really hard especially in Chemistry. I haven't heard one person say that they liked that class or that it was easy.

not sure

MSU is a very typical BIG university. My smallest class freshman year had two hundred students in it. Having large lecture halls isn't all bad, though: no one cares/remembers who you are, so wearing pajamas and not showering is always an option, and you can get away with skipping a class here or there much easier when it's a large lecture setting. As students get farther into their programs, however, class sizes really shrink and you get to know your professors and fellow students much better. MSU is also academically competetive. We have a good handful of extremely competetive grad schools (veterinary, osteopathic medicine, elementary/secondary education, to name a few), resulting in 4 point-hungry undergraduates fighting for the dean's list. However, students here aren't as "bookwormy" and socially awkward as Ivy schools.

sometimes the library can be so packed i leave, since i dont want to spend another hour looking for somewhere to sit... it is a fair mix of the types of students in each class - you'll have people who work hard and people who don't care. students dont generally seem competitive. i have taken some really awesome classes with some memorable professors, and i have also taken some slack off ones with professors who didn't really cut it.

There are huge classrooms and tiny classrooms. The farther along you are in your classes, the smaller they get. The classes that everyone has to take might have 400 people, but in your junior and senior years, most classes will be 50 or less (sometimes 10!). Take classes seriously, this isn't high school anymore where you can slack off and get 100{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} on an exam (if if you can, you should find out by doing TOO MUCH first instead of not enough). If you qualify to get in to MSU and you try in class - you will do just fine.

Professors are too involved in their own tiny, academic worlds that they forget or just plain don't know what skills are required to survive in the real world. Too many of them have never been out of academia and don't understand that a bachelor's degree won't get you very far if you don't have it in the right field.

The profs are pretty sweet. It just sucks sometimes when it comes down to grading... say of instance that you were two percent away from a 4.0 in one of your classes, well you wouldnt be getting that 3.8 or that 3.9 that you'd get at the University of Michigan. It's reall competitive here so your grade would end up being a3.5. That's right, we're on a 0.5 scale. So it's really had, which is why you cant get behind. There are still many types of class settings, you can just be a number in a class lecture of 500, or you can stick out like a sore thumb and everyone would know your name in a class of 30. Either way, somebody knows somebody. As long as you talk with your profs, even in an email. They'll know who you are. I had one teacher that would get your pictures from the network, and memorize everybody's name to their face even before the semester started. For the past two years I majored in Human Biology, but there isnt any real jobs in that feild once you graduate, which is importaint if you want to make money. So I just switched my major to Kinesiology. It's more hands on and I think that I'm going to love it. As far as a job goes... the class loads are hard enough, but I'm sure that if I wasnt taking Organic Chemistry together with Physics and Calculus I would have time for a job.

I am a very dedicated student. I always have been and it never changed when I came to state. I take pride in my work and expect my professors to do the same, which is not usually the case. I've never once overheard an intellectual conversation outside of class, unless it has been my own with a fellow student. Most conversations you will come across have to do with weekend parties. The MSU graphic design program is horrible, but the professors as of late are trying really hard to improve it. There has been a lot of one on one interraction. Profs even try to go out of their way and get students into professional studios outside of class. It's getting better.

Every class is different. Most professors are pretty good about making themselves available outside of class. Communication classes at MSU are excellent. Basically, in class if you make yourself known to the professor they remember you. There are plenty of resources for getting internships and jobs.