University of California-Santa Barbara Top Questions

I knew all the professors in my department by their first names. They always took the time to speak to me. Most of the young professors are cool enough to make time for you outside of class. Archaeology was one of the coolest majors I saw during my tenure at UCSB. The department is small, but well known the the field. However, dont expect a job straight out of college. Very little in the way of hands-on field work unless you travel.

Whether or not professors know your name really depends on the class. I've had classes that have 300+ people, so they obviously won't know your name. But I've also had classes with only 20 people and I really get to know my teacher, and he/she gets to know me. For every class, you also have a discussion section each week that tends to have a small amount of people, so you at least get to know your T.A. How much students study definitely varies, again, depending on your class load. Last quarter, I didn't leave the quiet study room. This quarter, I don't think I've been there once, and I have way too much free time on my hands. I've had some of the most intellectual conversations I've ever been a part of here at UCSB. I've been in a lot of controversial debates with my roommate and friends. We still talk about stupid stuff, but it's nice knowing that people can hold an intelligent conversation, too.

On a 4.0 scale ( 4 being Harvard and 1 being a Community College. Id give a UCSB a 3.4

Most introductory classes are huge, and the professor definitely won't know who you are unless you talk to him/her directly. (They love it when you do, though.) I had one introductory course in IV Theater - which holds over 500 students - where the professor took attendance for every lecture (it was a nightmare), but all the other introductory courses usually leave lecture as optional, and then put questions from lecture on their tests. In this case, it's good to get a friend in the class. The nature of the majors at UCSB varies. Engineering, I hear, is the hardest. It has its own college, even. The next hardest would probably be Biology or Chemistry, especially in the lower division courses where the competition is high. I'm a sophomore Communication major, and so far it's been very feasible. The introductory courses can be a little boring, but I have friends in upper division Communication, and they said that those courses are smaller and significantly better. I'm looking forward to it!

Some of my professors know my name. However, all the professors are willing to get to know the students, but you have to take the initiative and go and talk to them in office hours. Some classes are different with others when it comes to class participation; the smaller classes like writing require more participation then the big GE classes. I have not really spent much time with my professors outside of class. However, I did take one seminar and for our final the professor had pizza at his house that was pretty cool! Education at UCSB is geared a lot towards research is some departments.

A lot of my professors do know my name. My favorite classes have been my Russian classes (the professors and my classmates are great and I've learned a ton) and also my sociolinguistics classes, because I thought they were absolutely fascinating. My least favorite class has been semantics, mostly because of the professor I'm sorry to say. Students study A LOT. That's how college goes. Class participation is common, but most of the participation is done by a few students. I hear lots of interesting intellectual conversations going on outside of class. (The dining commons especially seems to inspire all sorts of bizarre but interesting ones) Students want to do well, but theyre supportive of eachother too. There's way more cameraderie than competition. That's one of my favorite things about UCSB. My major/department is wonderful. I love linguistics. I highly recommend taking a class in it to anyone who comes here. I think the education at UCSB is geared towards learning for its own sake, but it should definitely be a huge asset in getting a job as well.

Once you start getting into upperdivision classses your professors begin to remember you. My favorite classes here at UCSB have been Politcal Science 7 which is an intro class to international relations with professor Belkin and all of the Black Studies classes I have taken especially those with Professor McAuley, Lipsitz, and Madison. I am a Political Science and Black Studies major and I enjoy being apart of both departments. The learning at UCSB is definitely more theory based becuase we are a research based institution but I do feel like I have learned many skills that I will carry with me into the work force.

Professors don't generally know names. But my music professors do. favorite class: anything other than writing has been quite fun!~ Least favorite: Writing. Not fun at all. Studying: really depends on people participation: pretty common Music major needs to take many many more classes than any other majors. I don't think it's fair at all because we don't get many credits at all for them and it just seems like the administration thinks that since most people who are in the major genuinely love music, it's ok to make them do more since they're doing what they like to do. UNFAIR. Job...I really don't know.

UCSB professors are here to help you. They WANT you to go into their office to talk to them, most of the time-they're pretty lonely. In class participation in discussions are important (it's part of your grade). Some interesting classes UCSB students should take are: Soc152A (human sexuality) and AsAm 8 (about AsAm gender roles). Even if you're not sexually active, or if you are...Soc152A is a great class to take- the midterms are pretty difficult, but nonetheless, I've gotten so much out of the class. The most important thing to do for your classes is to visit the T.As. They're the ones that determine your grades, and sometimes, they feed you answers to the test or tell you what's going to be on it. There's a lot of reading for every class, but I have not experienced any competitiveness. Our school is pretty chill.

The Humanities at UCSB are great. Profs are sooo interested in the material, and in getting you interested in it. If you put in the effort to get to know them, they will get to know you, and remember you. The 4 series in History is great, as is 17. Religious studies, global studies and comparative literature are always great classes. I feel like the more you relate to or enjoy the class material, the less you will have to study, and the less of a chore it will be. It is soo important to make sure that you are in classes that you will enjoy and not just that you feel like you should take.