Stony Brook University Top Questions

The academics at Stony Brook are rather demanding. However they are also reasonable, and are definitely manageable with the right application.

The academics at Stony Brook are rather demanding. However they are also reasonable, and are definitely manageable with the right application.

In many humanities classes, the professors learn your name by the second week. In science classes you will be in a room of 100-1000 students so it's hard for them to learn your name, and sometimes they won't know who you are at all....so go attend their office hours! Class participation is often important in the humanities department and is one of the deciding factors of your final grade. Many students are very competitive, especially those who are pre-med. My department is very small and has about 5 undergraduate students and about 20 graduate students. It's very disappointing, but then again Literature is not a major field at Stony Brook.

I think the academics are fabulous. As an English major, the Humanities department is incredibly helpful. The student to faculty ratio is great, and most of the professors I've had still know me by my name. The learning doesn't stop once class ends. It continues whenever an interesting topic is brought up. I believe that the Career center is well equipped to help students figure out where they want to go with their majors, and how. I think we have plenty of job fairs and opportunities to be exposed to the options we will have in the future.

As nerdy as this may sound I actually enjoy studying for my classes. Part of the beauty of college is that you are allowed to pretty much take the majority of your classes in a subject that you love! Asides from some non-science general education classes I have pretty much only taken science classes. Unlike in high school where I had to sit through world history and american history waiting for the period to end, I can’t wait to get to some of my classes in the morning. My favorite class that I have taken at Stony Brook is my BIO 315 Microbiology (micro for short) class! After completing my introductory level biology classes this was my first upper division biology class that I took. To be completely honest, I was terrified the first day of class. Upper division biology classes are traditionally taken by juniors or seniors – but I was a sophomore venturing into this unknown territory. To my surprise, micro turned out to be incredibly interesting and enjoyable! After I took the class, I actually recognized some of the diseases mentioned in House and Grey’s Anatomy. Even though the class was held in Javits 100 (our largest lecture hall that seats 500+ students), our professor made the class very personable and interactive. Our professor was always asking questions, making jokes and encouraging the students to participate. Weekly office hours held by the undergraduate teachers’ assistants made the class even more personable! A TA is an undergraduate student who did very well in the class in a previous semester and is now serving as a “tutor” for current students. Micro is a unique class in that the TAs also give out extra credit quizzes every week. Not only do these quizzes help your grade at the end of the semester but they also serve as a great way to keep up with the material during the semester. I loved this class so much that I actually TAed BIO 315 my spring semester junior year! Even though I pretty much live and breathe science I still wanted to venture out and explore some humanities classes. Some of my other favorite classes that I took at Stony Brook include a political science class as well as several sociology classes, Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone and take a class just because it sounds interesting!

It depends on the size of the class. A lot of professors know my name because I'm in smaller classes. If you go to the professor's office hours they'll get to know you on a first-name basis. My favorite classes are sociology classes. Least favorite are math related classes, only because it isn't my strongest subject. Some students barely study and their grades reflect that. I study hard for my grades. The conversations you have with people outside of class depend on the type of people you surround yourself with. Students can be competitive. The requirements are okay, they require you to get a rounded education which is good. Most of the classes that I have taken to fulfill the requirements have been interesting and I enjoyed them. The education is definitely geared toward learning for its own sake.

Most professors want to know your name and are very helpful. Learn a lot more than you'd expect.

The academics are fabulous here at SB. I am enrolled in the Theater Department and its the best experience I have ever had. The teachers all know my name, and not only that, they are genuinely interested in my success as a student. My favorite class I have taken is Acting 1. It gives students the chance to experience what its like to speak in front of large groups and explore the area of theater if you know nothing about it. Another cool class was Italian 1. My professor was so interesting. He was one of the many professors I'd just go and have coffee with and discuss things we both loved, such as Italian foods and learning languages. The only disappointing part of SB's academia is the absurd amount of general requirements. We call them DEC's and we have around 15 of them. The only redeeming thing is that many of your major requirements can also be used as DEC's.

I'm a psychology major and I'd have to say the reason I got any of the experiences that I did was simply because of good grades and talking to people in charge. If you're a poor student, be careful because you will be looked down upon. And talk! Ask a question, give your opinion to the professor after class, it will be a bonus (make sure they're approachable first, you don't want to insult them). Classes under 40 students exist only in the arts or special seminar classes which is generally 400 + level. I have yet to have a small class. Class participation happens only when it's not a easy class that you can sleep through and never study for. Group work is done only when assigned and study groups are made up of friends so make friends with your classmates. A lot of professors like to give a massive amount of notes so bring a notebook. Sometimes a laptop isn't worth it. Only the back rows tend to have outlets and wireless doesn't exist in the lecture hall. For science courses, studying will be your life. You simply won't have a social life. Otherwise, plan your time accordingly (and you will need to have time management skills if you want a GPA above a 3.0) Art courses FYI, sound easy, but 6 hrs a week for 3 credits plus outside work is needed too, and can get expensive.

I have to say that professors are always willing to sit down and talk with a student. Sometimes if it's a big class, you may have to make an appointment but other wise, you can just stop by granted that you held onto the syllabus that says the room number of the office. In my smaller classes, I've noticed that all of my teachers recognize me and will greet me in passing, sometimes even before I see them. Stonybrook is the top 2{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the world and it is easy to see why. The professors are challenging and don't settle for anything less than what they know your potential is.

My classes have ranged from 10-200 people. Teachers have been easily accessible and very helpful for the most part and take their jobs very seriously. The fact that there are so many requirements gets in the way of taking major credits, I think. Mostly though, I think the learning environment is great.

I have classes I love, and I must admit Organic Chemistry is one of them, and mind you I'm not very good at this class. Yet I don't mind working hard and struggling for this class because it has amazing, dedicated, and funny teachers. Being a Biology major, I have to say its tough, its not easy ride here in Stony Brook, but it is worth it. A few classes will be really hard and end up hating, others are annoying yet need to be done, and some you will fall in love with. You get that at any University, so what makes up different. I really don't know, but I'll just describe a few highlights. Our core curriculum allows our students to explore all branches of academia, from sciences, to humanities, to language. We want our students to graduate well rounded. We encourage students to take minors that doesn't have to do with their major, if its purely for interests, its ok! I'm doing that with taking Spanish as my minor. Our education is about preparation, no matter where your career path may take you. And we offer a whole list of opportunities for our students, and resources to explore them.

very hard and demanding which will help us in the long run.

I specifically love taking Africana Studies classes-I find them to be highly interesting and well worth the effort. The professors do an amazing job of educating their students.

Very satisfied with academic status of university, but lack of intriguing social life makes working studiously extremely strenuous (that is, no balance exists)

I am a Biochemistry major in the honors college, so my requirements are different from other people. I am not too fond of the honors college classes, but it would be more enjoyable for someone more interested in liberal arts. For science classes, there are large classes of about 200 or so, which is a problem for some, so chances are that your teacher won't know your name. There is a range of study habits at Stony Brook. Many students study quite frequently, but there are also students who don't study much at all. Science majors often talk of what research they are doing and what exciting discoveries have been made recently, but not everyone is into that sort of stuff.

Classes can be large, more commonly in the lower division level courses. However, many classes are also of a smaller size, where the professors do know their students, this is more common in course which are upper division level courses and especially within the major in which the student is matriculated. The business program is a wonderful program with extremely knowledgeable professors, who are very experienced in the topic they are teaching, and provide knowledge through the education of the course, as well as from their experience, often times, things that are only learned through years of experience.

In my junior year, i finally met prof that would actually get to know me. lectures are ridiculous, there's almost no learning going on there, unless you are teaching yourself. when you get to actual classes about your major is when you finally feel like you're part of a college life. my favorite classes are those that have field trips and hands on activites (labs etc). it's so much easier to learn then looking at some stuffy guys notes from 30 years ago. most of the time, in smaller classrooms people go. in lecture halls, unless they use those horrid clickers, students would rather sleep in their own bed then in a chair. students are competitive up to a point. the ones that are obsessive are annoying, but obviously everyone cares about their grades, and getting better than the other people. the most unique class i've taken is mar 340, li marine habitats. it wasnt a competitive class at all because we were all friends, and just had fun chilling on the beach, looking for crabs. the whole environmental studies/marine science dept is just wonderful. very nice people, and very well known in the real world.

Excellent faculties in certain departments, like Biochemistry and Biology.

I am a Studio Art and Sociology dbl major with a minor in Art History. I'm involved mostly in the Studio Art Department, and I talk to my professors like they are my friends. Although Stony Brook is set up to have a great Sculpture and Ceramics department, if you are serious, you might be the only one (as there are very few people who concentrate in them). Painting, Drawing, Printmaking, Digital, and Photography Classes have much more people in them. The number of students in classes is small, except for one class, Technology in the Arts, which is required for the theatre & music departments also. The digital arts program which is being set up looks like it's going to be pretty great. I wish there was a collaboration between the Music, Theatre, and Art undergraduate classes in some way, since they are all right there in the same building. Some of the professors are the "real deal" while others are questionable. One good thing that Stony Brook's art history department set up is required trips to museums like the Met or MoMA for class papers and assignments. They really force you to get in there and look around. Some art history classes are just a hell of a lot easier,more fun, interesting... than others like the History of Photography is pretty fun. Beware, others may require a ten page paper or ridiculously hard tests. As for Sociology, I have never in my life gotten through material so easily, and aced it, before without studying or preparing. I don't know if they recruit under-educated people to join the classes or if people really are that dumb. The teachers seem pretty cool, but I feel bad for them as there are always students jumping down their throats for bringing up the issues that are discussed in Sociology. The Sociology classes are like a zoo, it's a place for people with big mouths and small tolerance it seems. But I have taken classes elsewhere and it was almost just as bad as here at Stony Brook.