The University of Tennessee-Knoxville Top Questions

The professors do generally know my name, aside from the lecture classes, which have 60+ students at a time. My favorite class is my German class because it is taught by an awesome professor. Students tend to study frequently, and it is necessary to do your homework to pass your classes. However, the larger the class, the less students that actively participate. Students don't really compete for grades. Rather, they merely focus on raising their own. I took a Freshman Seminar class about Artificial Intelligence that allowed me to integrate into school much more effectively than those who didn't. For language classes, there is an opportunity each week to go to a coffee shop and speak in that language with multiple professors and other students in order to further immerse yourself in the language. Depending on your major, the school can be geared towards getting jobs or simply learning. The business school essentially trains students to get jobs while the majority of other majors do not.

Rate a professor was not around in my day... The students have it much better now. I had some TA's that sucked, and some full professors that truly impacted my views on everything. Great University for incredible faculty in the classroom, vs. the lab. Unlike Duke, Vanderbilt, etc.. I had incredible minds in the classroom with me from year one.

I don't really pay attention to other colleges, but not much slack is given in the college of engineering. It's engineering...

I like the smaller classes UTK has to offer because you get to know the professors on a personal level, but it is hard to get into classes like this.

The professors do know your name, the TA's and GTA's in the lower division classes don't. Favorite classes were Italian 111-112, 211-212 and 342. If you need a language and are looking for professors who really care about you, take Italian. I was a journalism major, so I can only speak to that school, but the instructors with the exception of Video Production classes were always nice and always went out of their way to make sure you knew what you were supposed to know. In the major, the best class I ever took was Advanced Photography with Rob Heller. It was a fantastic experience.

There are larger and smaller classes at UTK. It mostly depends on what class it is and how generalized the covered material is. Several professors will go out of their way to get to know their students' names. Class participation is fairly common especially in the smaller classes. Several teachers make class participation part of the final grade, just to help students get involved. Often as one is walking across campus or is sitting at a nearby restaurant you can overhear several conversations about classes or debates over recent events. The education at UTK is geared towards learning but also at getting a job. They give you the ability to learn as much you can or possibly want and if they don't offer it, than they are more than accommodating to help find someone or somewhere that can help.

Now that I am into my major, classes have gotten much smaller, and relationships with professors are easier. In the early level gen. ed. courses, classes are huge and at first overwhelming, but those are usually the easiest because the tests are multiple-choice and they're usually just lectures. Study time is relevant to the individual student and the class, but you learn pretty quickly how much studying is required for each class. UT offers History of Rock and Roll which was very cool. Unfortunately, the Professor I had is no longer here so I heard it's much more boring now. I think the education here, especially in the business college is more geared toward getting a job. I don't know much more about the other colleges, but I know we have two huge job fairs that offer things for everyone, and also Career Services does a lot to help students.

Aside from the rabid sports fans they do actually manage to teach some students here. Academic politics are as rampant here as other schools, so don't expect the majority of prof's to give a shit about you, only their research and grants and acquiring tenure. Occasionally you will find a prof or two who make it worthwhile, if you're lucky

Students have to study constantly here to keep up with classes. However there is no reason to fail because there is help available for every class.

Great Business program here Business Ethics was a class I really got a lot out of, The job fairs here at UT are amazing!!