University of California-Santa Barbara Top Questions

It's rigorous and yet not too bad. If students study hard enough, the A isn't that far away.

Excellent

The academics at UCSB are challenging, but fair. Lower-division classes are typically quite large, and it is often difficult to have a strong relationship with your professor. These classes almost always have discussion sections with a TA though, and those TA's you become very close with. Professors and TA's hold office hours weekly. I recommend attending office hours as often as possible, as not only is it extremely helpful, but it is a great way to establish relationships. Because UCSB is on the quarter system, students are forced to work at a very fast pace. This entails a lot of studying time. Midterm and Final times get quite hectic and it is nearly impossible to find space in the library. UCSB is very helpful when it comes to assisting their students in success after college. The career services are extremely beneficial to use, and I suggest you start using them right away. I am an Econ/Accounting and Communications double major. They are both highly competitive majors, and to get into them you must have a certain GPA in the pre-major courses. There are many majors to choose from at UCSB and I am sure that you will be able to find one that best fits you. Do not be scared if you do not know what you want to major in your first year. Explore classes and see what appeals to you. Also, talking to academic advisors prove to be greatly beneficial. UCSB's academics are highly respectable and we have some of the greatest professors in the country ready to help you grow in your learning.

I am a chemical engineer major so I can answer based on the chemical engineering program. The advisor is extremely helpful. Emails are responded back in about a day or so, sometimes in a couple hours. One of my professors actually took the time to take pictures of me and my classmates and match them with names. Professors take the time to be here for the students. A quick email is all that's needed to schedule extra, out of class, time to discuss difficult topics. The curriculum is also very diverse. Students are allowed to pick many of their own upper division classed and are required to take a general education upper division outside of their major, encouraging a well rounded student.

The academics at UCSB are incredible. The courses are rigorous, but extremely interesting. Often times the topics that the professors are lecturing on are subjects they have researched themselves, and may even integrate their own published works into the course curriculum. The faculty expect hard work from students, and those who do best are the ones who attend class, participate and visit their professors during office hours in order to better comprehend the material. The professors are always happy to help, and for classes with TAs (teaching assistants) they are equally helpful and can be easier to talk to because students meet in a more intimate setting with them once or twice a week. I'm an English major at UCSB, and my experiences with the professors and TAs have been excellent. My professors have always been approachable, and my TAs were great at replying to my emails or even making separate appointments with me for papers and such if I was not able to meet with them during their designated office hours. The class sizes have ranged anywhere from 100 students for lower division classes, to 25 students for the upper division classes. If you are a student who seeks personal connection with your professors or TAs, that it not a difficult thing to find here at UCSB. The classes at this school are geared towards making students think critically, write well and problem solve using what knowledge they have accumulated from their courses. These resources are invaluable for any future jobs, and especially for students looking to continue their education after UCSB.

UCSB is a highly ranked university so the academics are very good. There is a wide selection of very interesting classes. The professors are all extremely intelligent and know how to keep students interested. I have not had a problem with any professor so far. Although its a very large school and classes tend to be big, every professor holds "office hours" which gives students a chance to go in and have one on one time with them, get to know them, and ask any questions you want. Office hours are a great way of getting to know a professor and having them get to know you as well.

At UCSB you see a whole spectrum of students -- from those who work hard, receive honors in their classes and do undergraduate research to those who want to party every night, are placed on academic probation and take 5 years or more to graduate. Lower division classes (the classes you usually take as a freshman and sophomore) can be quite large (around 150 students in the humanities and 300 in the sciences). In these classes a professor will not know you unless you go to their office hours and make it a point to get to know them. I would greatly recommend this. This helped me to realize that I wanted to be a professor and provided me with people who could write me letters of recommendation for jobs and graduate school. When you get to your third and fourth years class size is usually smaller. If you become a Letters & Science honors student you can have even smaller classes. Some teachers expect you to participate, do all of the reading and complete many assignments. Some teachers will simply talk at you every class, with little student participation required. But to me classes where participation is required as the best - it's great to be able to hear what your fellow students are thinking of the class material. Sometimes these discussions continue after classes, and this is how I've made several friends. Most students I don't find to be competitive, but I really know of the humanities in this regard. My major was History, and my minor was American Indian & Indigenous Studies. I loved my history classes and I had some great professors and classmates. History classes cover everything from politics to religion and I think it's great that most students are required to take some sort of history class as a general education requirement. The most unique class I took was a History class called "Interracial Intimacy," which discussed multiracial people and interracial relationships throughout history (e.g. Loving v. Virginia). I graduated early and I think it's very easy to graduate early or in 4 years if you keep track of general ed requirements it is easy to take interesting classes you will enjoy as well as the ones that are required for your major. Professor encourage students to think and continue education, whether you want to get a job after graduating or go on to graduate school.

At UCSB you see a whole spectrum of students -- from those who work hard, receive honors in their classes and do undergraduate research to those who want to party every night, are placed on academic probation and take 5 years or more to graduate. Lower division classes (the classes you usually take as a freshman and sophomore) can be quite large (around 150 students in the humanities and 300 in the sciences). In these classes a professor will not know you unless you go to their office hours and make it a point to get to know them. I would greatly recommend this. This helped me to realize that I wanted to be a professor and provided me with people who could write me letters of recommendation for jobs and graduate school. When you get to your third and fourth years class size is usually smaller. If you become a Letters & Science honors student you can have even smaller classes. Some teachers expect you to participate, do all of the reading and complete many assignments. Some teachers will simply talk at you every class, with little student participation required. But to me classes where participation is required as the best - it's great to be able to hear what your fellow students are thinking of the class material. Sometimes these discussions continue after classes, and this is how I've made several friends. Most students I don't find to be competitive, but I really know of the humanities in this regard. My major was History, and my minor was American Indian & Indigenous Studies. I loved my history classes and I had some great professors and classmates. History classes cover everything from politics to religion and I think it's great that most students are required to take some sort of history class as a general education requirement. The most unique class I took was a History class called "Interracial Intimacy," which discussed multiracial people and interracial relationships throughout history (e.g. Loving v. Virginia). I graduated early and I think it's very easy to graduate early or in 4 years if you keep track of general ed requirements it is easy to take interesting classes you will enjoy as well as the ones that are required for your major. Professor encourage students to think and continue education, whether you want to get a job after graduating or go on to graduate school.

The professors know your name if you want them to. it also depends on how big your classes are. If its under 40 kids most likely the professors will know your name. the economics department is tough. in big classes the tests are designed so you fail. they do this to separate the A students from the rest. Students study mainly for midterms and finals. so you'll have periods where all you have to do is read.

Being a second-year, I've mostly gone through the introductory classes, which range from about 200-800 students each. Some of those classes have kept me intrigued day in and day out, and some of them (usually the ones far away from my major) have left me pretty un-interested. There's no one answer when it comes to classes, because they vary so much. I've had classes where the material was engaging, but the professor's lectures had me falling asleep. In the same vein, some classes have allowed me to change my mind about a topic because of how passionate and informative a professor is. It's really chance. A discussion section might leave you with an amazing T.A. and a great, opinionated, group of students. One thing that's for sure about UCSB's academics: it's up to the student to take the information presented to them, and apply it to everyday life. UCSB can only give you how much you give it. If a student (and they exist) chooses to skip class all the time and not talk to their professor or T.A., they will be bored. If a student really wants to connect to their classes, its up to them to go to their professor's office hours and ask controversial questions in section. The academics is what you make it. With that being said, it's definitely possible to have an outstanding educational experience at UCSB.