University of California-Santa Barbara Top Questions

-classes at lower level are large: 300-700 students -favorite class: music 15 -least favorite: english 50 -hardest: econ 2 -easiest: dance 45

I feel that as long as you don't count math and science courses, for the most part, the teachers do try to achieve a personal relationship with you. This depends a lot on whether or not you want to have that relationship. The TA's for the most part are great too. They usually always try to learn your name and establish some sort of relationship. I still talk to some of my TA's because they are great people. UCSB wants to give you the best education possible, and the G.E.s help accomplish that. They make you a more well-rounded student whether you want to be or not.

Large classes make it harder for the professors to know you and for you to pay attention. However, most classes are interesting and everyone tries pretty hard. I try to take the time to meet most of my TA's and professors.

I wish there were more classes available. It is way too hard to get into good classes

I have made the most of every class; that is the reason I am in college. I have earned more A's than any other grade because I have put my all into each class, reading, section, etc. Like much of life, class is what you make of it. People may say that a degree from UCSB is a joke, but I disagree. This is a top-notch university, and engaging in discussion with professors and other students has helped me make the most of my academic experience. As such, I will be graduating in only three years with collegiate honors.

Of course there are certain classes that are required and pretty boring, but the majority of classes are actually interesting. Though some are huge and you don't get close with your professors, the TA's I've had are actually so helpful. They know you by name and do everything they can to help you succeed. Yes, there is a lot of work but if you stay on top of your stuff and don't get behind it's totally do-able. I recommend taking Soc 152A, human sexuality because it's the most amazing class!

Although many people think that all people care about here is dicking around, I've found that's so not true. Everyone here who lasts more than a quarter has just mastered the art of balancing. It's nice that people aren't overly competitive, everyone just does their own thing and seems pretty content with that. 95{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the classes I've taken here have been awesome. Professors are reflective of students with a chill mentality, yet they know how to push you without you even realizing.

Depending on what you major in the academics can range from easy to hard. I am a Biochemistry/ Spanish major and I must say that although my biochemistry courses were VERY chanllenging, Spanish courses were relatively easy. I have been speaking Spanish since I was five but if you are a native, or almost fluent language speaker I suggest you add on an extra major to have more challenging course work. Your effort and choice of major affects how much you can gain here at school.

I think one interesting thing about UCSB academics is that classes have a lot of variety in terms of class size and structure. Some classes like the ones in Campbell hall are huge and you may never even clearly see your professor's face. Other classes (especially english classes) are a lot smaller and it's just your professor and like 20 people and no TA's. I think that poli sci majors talk about their subject outside of class but most people seem to leave intellectual conversations for the classroom. While it is the norm for students to leave studying or writing papers until the last minute, I think this is largely a product of the quarter system. With just 10 weeks, it's difficult to start assignments early especially because a lot of the material that assignments are based on isn't given until just before the midterm/final/paper due date.

My favorite class so far has been a comparative literature course I took on Homer and Virgil's epics. The actual lecture itself was not engaging or even exciting - many days I fell asleep despite my best efforts to the contrary. However, I enjoyed reading the Odyssey, Iliad and Aeneid and really enjoyed my discussion. Professors in lecture halls generally don't know names, but if you're in their honors section there is a better chance that they will. With TA's it's different; they know your name and often the way they track your progress and attendance is reminiscent of high school.