Michigan State University Top Questions

Academics vary greatly by major. For example, business majors seem to be less serious, but the sciences and humanities, where I was, were very serious. All of my professors knew my name, though most of my classes were really small, especially after my freshman year. Within the honors college and in the residential colleges, students do have intellectual conversations outside of class. For example, while I was walking through the hall one evening, someone I didn't know stopped me and asked if I knew Quantum Chemistry. As I did, I stopped and explained the problem she was working on to her. It really varies, though, depending on who you hang out with. There are also students who rarely go to class. In most of my classes, participation was common, and professors were always available to talk before or after class or at office hours. Study groups are common, and we'd hold them in the physics building, so some of our professors would stop by to chat. In addition, there were many seminars and other talks that both students and professors attended where we socialized. I enjoy the academic flexibility the honors college gave me, but I would not have attended as a regular student, as I do not like some of the required classes, though most of them are pretty good. They vary a lot by instructor. Education at MSU is what each student makes of it. Some majors are career focused, while others are academically focused. There's pretty much everything here.

My favorite class was horsemanship, can you take that at any other college in Michigan?? If you don't make an effort to know your professor, they won't know you. Your education at MSU will be what you make of it.

No, typically the classes re much bigger and the profs. only know who you are if you go to their office hours every week. The opportunities for you to know the profs. and get one-on-one help is there if you take advantage of it, but most people dont. But it is there, they are willing to help you most of the time.

The basic classes that are required are dumber than high school classes at a sophmore level. However, the major specific classes could be a challenge. I am not a study kind of a person, I will do things occassionally, but it just depends on what is more important to you. I choose to work over studying. I would rather have the money.

Lots of the classes, especially entry-level, are gigantic lectures in which you'll speak to your professor. Many of the large lectures, however, are divided up into "recitations" where once or twice a week you'll meet with a smaller sub-section of your class (usually 20 students or so) and be taught by a TA or a GA, which is nice. There's always people studying at the library or the union, even into the wee hours of the morning, so whenever you want to study you can. If you have the opportunity to join the Honors College, you ABSOLUTELY SHOULD. That's one thing I regret not doing. Honors students get treated much better than regular students. They get special perks like being able to register for classes weeks before everyone else (no stressing about not getting into the classes you need), and not having to take stupid university requirement classes like ISS and IAH (which will both be a waste of your time and money).

It does help to get to know your professor, they will come in handy later. My biggest advice would be: DO NOT LET ADVISOR'S MAKE YOUR SCHEDULE! They will try to when you first arrive, but you can always change it. Go to www.allmsu.com to get advice on professors and classes. The advisor's will schedule with the worst professors and the worst class times. It is also a good idea to figure out all the classes you need to take for your major and create your own four-year plan. That is good to go over with your adviser, just don't let them make your schedule.

Professors will know your name if it's a class of about 30 or less. If you want to get to know the professor (AND have a better chance of doing well in the class), you MUST go up to them and at least introduce yourself. Teachers are there to help us learn, so you should ask them for help if you need it, and don't wait until the day of the final to ask for it. My favorite class was Theatre 101 because I LOVE acting, and I'm a theatre minor. I also liked my ISS 210 class with Zimmerman; she was very fun. I HATED ISS 325; it was interesting, but SO hard. Studying varies from student to student; I have friends who have NO social life because all they do is study. Me on the other hand? I hardly EVER study and I have a 3.4 overall so far. Class participation is welcomed, but it depends on the teacher whether or not you get graded hard for it or not. SOME students are competitive with each other. I would say in general that we like to help each other though...not like some OTHER schools where they tell their classmates "Oh you were sick, screw you. You should've gone to class" (U of M...hint hint, ha ha). MSU's academic requirements are not that bad. I'm an advertising major, so I don't have a hefty load of requirements, but I've heard that James Madison and Lyman Briggs (honors colleges) are obviously heavier workloads. I think MSU's education is geared to help you get a job after graduation. There are ALWAYS professors in your major that HAVE worked in the real world regarding the topic you're studying. For instance, my ADV 205 teacher worked for ad firms for much of her younger life. She just decided she wanted to teach it instead. There are always internship, scholarship, and apprenticeship opportunities through MSU after you graduate.

Since you can remember you've taken classes and learned subjects and you've asked yourself, when am I going to use this in real life? Well you're not going to get away from that no matter where you go to get your bachelors degree but at MSU I've had so many classes that I put so much heart into because I know that I'm learning things I need to know to succeed and I don't want to miss out because I will be expected to know these things because I come from the great school of MSU. MSU will prepare you for your first day of work and you will use what you've learned for the rest of your life time!

Classes are all over the chart. The honors sections of courses tended to be the best. Many were not actually at a higher level than the regular sections, but they were smaller and the students were much smarter. Group projects and study groups in honors sections were actually worthwhile.

For the first few years of college many of the classes are larger which could be frightening at first. But soon enough you get used to it. As students begin to specialize the class sizes become smaller and students get to know their professors on a first name bases.

You have to study a lot, the classes are not a breeze. It's possible to be completely lost after missing just an one hour class.

Out of the 28 credits I took this year, only a few were large lecture halls. The small classroom environment makes its possible to get to know your professors and to meet other students. The lecture courses had recitations in which 20 or so of the students meet with a T.A. The academic requirements are demanding, but anything is possible if the correct amount of time and effort is put in.

The basic level courses are the classes that have 300 people in it. Once you start getting into your sophomore and junior year, these numbers die down durastically to the 30s. Dont be daunted by the mass lecture halls, you can still get to know your professors through their office hours. If you dont understand something, go to their office hours and ask for help. They are definitely a life saver. As for studying and reading, you have to take time to do it in order to get a good GPA. My favorite class so far was CJ 110 with Chermak. He was a great professor, he knew a lot about the subject. Least favorite class - ISS 215 or CSE 100, or any other basic University required class. Just seemed pointless and a waste of time. MSU is definitely geared towards getting a job. With my major - Parks, Rec, and Tourism, you have to go out and get 2 internships before you can graduate. That really helps you once you are turned loose from the school and have to find a job.

One thing that surprised me about Michigan State is that there are also a number of smaller classes available. Many people assume that since it's such a huge university that there are only huge lectures for classes, but that's not the case. I've had classes with 20 people and with as many as 600. I believe this gives you the full college experience, since MSU offers a wide variety of class sizes. There is also a variety of types of classes available to be taken. I'm a business major and have taken classes in anthropology, nutrition, and history. There are countless subjects that you can take up for your electives. I'm really happy with how knowledgable all my professors are about the subjects they are teaching, as well. I feel like all of my instructors were experts in their field and that I learned a great deal from them. Also, professors make themselves available outside of class either through office hours or through e-mail if you have a quick question. I think MSU is geared toward getting a job as well as learning or its own sake. As a business major, I'm required to take classes in physical, biological, and social sciences, as well as writing and arts and humanities. When I leave MSU, I will be confident that I have a wide range of knowledge and can carry on a conversation about any subject.

Easy. Way easier than you expect.

The Eli Broad College of Business is ranked nationally. There are many larger lecture halls, but later in your career you will get smaller classes, especially in your exact major.

Since the student body is so big, the academic experience is different for everyone. It really depends on what you major in. For the most part, your first, most general classes will be very large lecture halls and the teacher won't know your name. Then as you get to more specific classes, the classes get smaller and you know your teachers and classmates. The difficulty of classes really depends on the classes you take and your major, too. As a psychology student, I feel I got off pretty easy. I probably played harder than I worked and got pretty close to graduating with honors. I didn't get too close to any professors, mostly because of the size of the classes. My smaller classes weren't interesting enough to me to try to get to know them very well. Some people do, though. Everything at this school is pretty much what you make of it. It all depends. You have the opportunity for almost anything. You can cater your life at MSU to yourself.

most of the Professors I've encountered at MSU have been excellent, the good ones don't mind talking to you after class and giving a little extra help when it's needed. One of the professors knew exactly who I was and pick me out of a class of over 200 students after just one quick chat about homework. There'll aslo really understanding when real life happens too, as llong as you can in some way communicate with them, they'll help you out. I was able to leave a few days early for my aun'ts wedding and even got to turn in a few assignments late because my best friend had a baby. But don't do it to often because, they can smell through the bs. The bad part about academics at MSU, because the professors are so cool, it only compensates for the difficulty of the class. Some classes are a cake walk depending on the studnet, but I've been in classes where the curve was only thing keeping the very brightest students afloat. Don't sleep on it, because it'll come back to bite you.

MSU's classes range very widely. One can take almost any class on campus and then many others in the study abroad program. Many teachers do not know my name, but there are a few that I have become personal with, that know my face and name. Classes are difficult, but very rewarding and fulfulling. I have not enjoyed many classes, but they have taught me to persivere against the odds and do my best.

Classes here can be intimidating because some of them are pretty big. But, if you make the effort to get to know your professor, chances are they'll get to know you too. Go to office hours - the professors WANT to see you and they want to help you to the best of their ability. In general, the students here aren't competitive, they're cooperative. It's not uncommon for people to form study groups to help each other out, rather than worrying about other people scoring higher than they will.