University of California-Santa Cruz Top Questions

Some of my professors knew my name because they took the time to get to know the students. My favorite class was HIS80Y WWII memories of US and Japan. My least favorite class has been my Crown College core course. Class participation is common and some students do speak intellectually outside of class. I think that all classes are unique in some way or another. No two classes are the same. I do spend some time with professors outside of class but not very much.

Academics really depend on your department and what professors you choose to take classes with. There is always class participation, even in our large lecture classes, which are still a great deal smaller than lectures at other UCs like UCLA. Large lectures also almost always include a discussion section with 30 students or fewer and a T.A., who is usually a graduate student in the field. This is especially true in the humanities and social science divisions, though usually at least optional sections are available in the hard sciences. Professors will know your name in a lecture if you speak up or go to office hours, and in seminar classes, they definitely will. There are some competitive students, but the atmosphere is mostly pretty laid-back. That, however, is another thing that depends a lot on professors. Some professors have loyal followings of very competitive students and they structure their classes accordingly, and others really enjoy a more relaxed and loosely structured syllabus. Most, in both categories, are very willing to change schedules and readings around, modify assignments, and curve grades to adapt to how the class is working. The literature department is really about learning for the sake of learning, whereas my minor, education, is more focused on job skills for teaching and educational research.

in lower division classes, professors hardly ever know your name unless you really want them to. most of the lower div's are SO full (sometimes up to 500 people), but upper division seminars you take for your major are great. this quarter, i was in two classes of 30 to 40 kids, and both of my professors knew my name, one even recognized my handwriting. class participation in both lower divisions and upper divisions is common and often required to get a passing grade. i'd say the education at ucsc is more geared toward learning for its own sake in most of the social sciences, humanities, and physical sciences. probably the only departments geared toward getting a job are accounting, economics, and business management. students at ucsc are not that competitive outside of the physical and natural sciences departments, and you can often hear people at local cafes talking about course material.

It's difficult to get close to professors in large classes because you do all of your work with your TA's, which I sometimes find frustrating. You can get close to professors if you work hard to go to their office hours and make yourself visible in lecture discussions. Participation is quite common, at least in literature classes (which are my only experience). UCSC love to have intellectual conversations outside of class. In fact, you hear this happening on buses and in coffee shops more often than not. Students are competitive, but not obsessively so. It is a necessary evil to succeed in college. I'm not sure about UCSC's undergrad requirements because I was a transfer student, but I got IGETC certified and was done with my undergrad requirements before I got there. The requirements for a lit major are reasonable yet rigorous. The classes are interesting and fun. The learning tends to lean toward learning for its own sake. Especially in the literature department, where discussing the significance of novels is basically all we do. We learn to understand ourselves and the world better through literature, which is better for the world socially, but it is not geared toward getting a job.

I am a Marine Biology major and the program here is great, but still a bio program. This means that there are larger classes in lower division and smaller classes in the upper divisions. If you are into what you are studying you will find really good resources in all departments. The teachers we have here are really dedicated and excited about their material. There are some cool interdisciplinary courses too. The University still has some remnants of a small school feel and some professors who still like to teach that way, but the regents are starting to move it away from that feel and more towards a big competitive research institution. Like I said though the marine bio program is great, we have a SCUBA program that is thorough and field classes that go whale watching and scuba diving and on trips to tahiti and baja. Great opportunities!

Professors tend to learn your names if you approach them first, although there are times when I have been surprised and they have called me by name when I am still remembering theirs. What I also like is that most professors are comfortable with students calling them by their first names, so it creates an informal and more comfortable learning environment. My favorite class so far has been game theory, which has nothing to do with video games, so go Wikipedia it. That course is taught by Dan Friedman who is out of the economics department. Bruce Thompson, from the history department, is probably the most skilled and interesting professor that I have had. He is one of the primary reasons why I am double majoring in Economics and European History. Professors like these bring the topics to life, so outside of class I have had many great conversations with friends about those topics.

The academics are competitive, but discussion sections help give a small class feel to them.

Class sizes can be large, but are still smaller than most schools. professors don't usually know your name, but there is always office hours where you can get 1 on 1 attention and develop a relationship with the professor. There are great opportunities to assist professors in research, which I'm certain I would be able to do at a larger school.

Intro classes and lower division classes are really big, usually a few hundred people. But there are smaller sections where you can ask your TA questions. Having a good TA is super important!!!!!

We have one of the best science departments in the nation.