North Carolina State University at Raleigh Top Questions

The teachers and professors here at NC State truly care about you success while at school. I am in a lot of 200 student plus classes, but every professor tries to know our name and help us with anything we need. The teachers are more of a mentor to students, helping us in and out of the classroom. You automatically get accepted into the school of your choosing here at State. That makes life 10 times easier. So now you can solely focus on your major and what you want to do for the rest of your life.

The academics are a very high standard at my school in the reading and math departments. The english, history, and social science classes aren't as well known though. They aren't bad classes but they are often over shadowed by the other departments.

Academics at North Carolina State are very challenging, but rewarding. Sometimes, I feel like my science classes are downright impossible. However, my professors have always been willing to help me after class hours. The tutoring center has been a great help in my academic career. Most of my classes are pretty big, as in 200-300 kids. This is only because I am a freshman though. Some of the tougher classes I am in are smaller, as in 25-50 kids. State is very competitive. You have to work very hard to be in the top 10 or 20 percent. I am majoring in Human Biology. I love my department. They look out for me. They send me information on scholarships and various jobs or internships. I think NC State does a good job of teaching you to get a job, which in our economy right now, I think is most important. However, the professors want you to learn for your own enjoyment. They try to make the longer and harder classes enjoyable and most of the time, they succeed.

academics is taken very seriously, professors know my name because i make an effort to get to them or ask them for help, class participation is more often in a smaller class like 100 or less versus in a 250 person class, students are very competitive and form study groups to stay ahead

The best thing about State are the people, they have been so welcoming and friendly. I found it easy to find a good bunch of friends to spend time with and study with despite my initial fears. Initially I thought it would be difficult because I was coming to the south and I currently still live in New York. One thing I would change would be some of the teaching staff. Sometimes you end up with a teacher who you really struggle with. Almost all of my teachers have been great teachers, helpful, clear, and friendly, but occasionally you get a teach or two who cannot seem to teach anything well. Although State is a very large school, I feel it is just right. It doesn't take long to find your way around. It's very nice to be able to see new faces every day, giving me the opportunity to make a new friend. People are usually surprised when I say I go to State when they know I am from New York. They often ask, "Why did you choose State? Why not a New York school?". Other people that have asked, that didn't know my hometown, were impressed with my decision to attend State. On campus I spend most of my time in the dorm or, when the weather is warmer, out in the Court of Carolina or Tucker beach. The campus is beautiful and I love to be outside enjoying the weather! I don't spend much time off of campus. I am not a big party person, and rarely go out to clubs or other places of the sort. Despite this, I would consider State to be located in a relatively good college town. Downtown is not far, you can walk, bike, drive, or take the bus into Downtown where there are museums, parks, clubs, and restaurants. Hillsborough, which borders campus offers several restaurants, a bank, bookstore, bowling and various other small shops and places to gather. The school administration is very reliable. They are willing to help me achieve my goals and have been very helpful in making sure I am finding it easy to acclimate to college. My advisor has been helpful in suggesting classes to make my course load as manageable as possible while still graduating in four years with a double degree. The biggest recent controversy on campus was a non violent hate crime in which a few students defaced the GLBT (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender) Community Club board. The students and administration quickly addressed the behavior and rallied in support of the GLBT Community supporting them in the face of discrimination, letting the GLBT Community know that no matter their sexual preference, they were more than welcome to be a part of our Wolf Pack. There is a lot of school pride, Red and White, Wolf Pack all the way! One experience I will always remember was my first year at State. The girls in my suite were amazing! We had such a wonderful year together and grew quite close. I still keep in touch and see the girls on a regular basis. I met one of my closest friends in that suite. I also decided to room with my roommate again because we got along so well last year. We did a random roommate application, and I could not have asked for a better roommate! The most frequent student complaints are generally about physics and statics actually. I haven't found too many people who enjoy those classes, but it's all personal preference.

Our School is big so many classes are lecture style. The professors will know your name if you want them to. What I mean by that is that if you go to office hours, and ask the teacher questions he will know your name and your grade will reflect as such. if you sit in the back of the class and joke around then he wont know your name.

In my time here I have found that student to professor ratio here varies drastically by your class and department. As a freshman, I had some small classes and some overwhelmingly large classes; it really depends if you are in your core classes or starting to be in the upper level courses. When you get into your junior and senior years, classes become more concentrated towards your focus and therefore the class sizes are smaller. I would say NC State is very prestigious and I have noticed that there aren't that many students who slack off or never do their work. Mostly you only see successful students around campus and they all owe it to their own hard work. Currently I am in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and my major is Biological Sciences with a concentration in Human Biology and a minor in Health. The degree is not an easy one to attain and I would say that it is a very competitive area as most of us are planning on going to medical, dental, or some form of graduate school. Although we know we are all competing against each other for the slots at our next destinations, I have never come into contact with a classmate who is unwilling to help when they are asked!

Academics at our school are very relatable and research based. Most students take their academics seriously and are here to learn.

Academics are very strong here at NC State University, because with a faculty to student ratio of 17 to 1, there are ample opportunities to stay ahead. Almost every professor is a PhD level professor and are required to hold office hours twice a week. Access to professors and an abundant tutorial center, students are never left out in the cold when it comes to academics. Students feel challenged with coursework and feel that they are given enough work to allow for a social life. With my double major in international studies and political science, my college makes it very approachable to graduate within 4 years. I have never felt stressed or rushed to take courses, so it is a very comforting environment to major in whatever you desire.

The academics here at NC State are not extremely hard, but you do need to keep in mind that NC State is highly competitive institution. Therefore, you do need to do your work in order to pass your classes with good grades. You cannot rely on grade curves to improve your grades.