University of Denver Top Questions

Classes at DU are small enough for your teacher to recognize you outside of class, but building upon the initial familiarity is really up to the student. I have become good friends with some of my teachers; I know my FSEM (required freshman writing course) teacher better than some of my relatives. Of course not all teachers are like that, but for the most part teachers are friendly and want to get to know their students. Students study for tests, but for the most part the student body is not known to be study worms. It varies between majors though, for example, biology (my major) is probably the most studied for major, along with the other physical sciences + engineering. I also hear that the President Coombe wants to create a medical school at DU, but the idea is still in the making (I get the inside scoop from my research supervisor! ;)). I would say about half of the students in my class are intelligent and want to get somewhere in life, while the other half are just going through the motions. The coolest class I've ever taken, was Acting 1 taught by Anne Penner. My favorite teacher and class by far. That is the positive thing about the undergrad requirements to take classes in different disciplines, you take classes you wouldn't typically take. For the most part, the classes are competitive but not insanely competitive like other schools, so you are given the chance to really learn the subject, not just struggle for a grade.

My overall opinion is pretty positive. After studying abroad twice through DU programs, I realized how grateful I am for this school and what is made available to me. First of all, the size is just right. As a private school, the classroom size is generally 20-25 students, unless it is an intro class lecture. It is a great way to meet friends and the teacher make it his/her duty to remember each student's name in the class. One of my best friends from DU is a girl I met in my freshmen writing class - it really is a convenient way to meet friends that share your common interests. Another strong point that has changed my overall opinion about DU is the study abroad opportunity that it provides to students. To state it simply: as long as one has a GPA of 3.0 or better, has completed enough credits and has not been under probation, it is easy to study abroad for one academic quarter or the entire year. Students may go abroad to almost any country for the same price as they would pay while attending school here on campus, utilize their financial aid while abroad, and apply to be a Cherrington Global Scholar to receive even more financial aid benefits! Overall, a great opportunity. DU highly encourages this travel opportunity and it has definitely changed my experience here, as well as my global perspective as a student. Yes, DU has interesting people, classes, and travel opportunities - but what does it lack? No one school can be considered perfect, especially with today's standards. Personally, don't find this next complaint to be that substantial, but I have heard a lot of gripe about the on-campus dining options. I lived in two different dormitories my first and second year of college and had to experience the cafeteria-style meal plans - they were pretty average. Although DU has tried to adopt more vegan and vegetarian options, the food is questionable and more importantly unhealthy. Pizza and burgers are guaranteed every day, a mediocre salad bar, and at least one type of soup in the corner of the cafeteria. I don't mean to be a Debbie downer, I actually liked quite a few of the meals that they served, but I think that students' main complaint was the food provider known as Sodexo. The quality of the food was sacrificed for this low-cost provider, which is the same company that caters to jails across the U.S. Lastly, the cafeterias around campus always close at 7pm, which is pretty early for college students. For these three reasons, I would say that the University could improve its dining options. Overall, I would say this campus has a lot to offer. There are a variety of clubs and campus organizations, club and intramural sports teams, Greek Life, community and volunteer opportunities, strong academics, a diverse student body, Living and Learning communities and more! Personally, I have found ways to involve myself and keep discovering more along the way. One more advantage that I would like to mention is it's close location to the mountains. Not only do they serve as a beautiful backdrop to the city of Denver, outdoor adventures are easily accessible to students. Some of my fondest memories include snowboarding with friends and family, hiking through the Colorado mountains, and of course coming back to what I would call my "second home" at DU! Since my first year on campus, I've been encouraged to try new things and discover new characteristics about myself - my time here has ultimately changed my life in a positive way and I would encourage anyone to at least check out the school, if not talk to myself or another DU student about their experience. Good luck!

the academics vary from major to major. I have heard that the sciences are extremely fast paced and difficult. The business degree plans all have a common curriculum until the last 2 years of study. Accounting is thought of as the hardest because of the structure of the classes and management is often referred to as a joke. While I don't necessarily think accounting is hard or management is a joke, those are the labels that are most often used. I am majoring in Finance and I really like it so far. The professor seemed engaged and knowledgable. I do feel that we are not adequately prepared to go up against finance major from east coast universities. We are trained to be analyst or support but not groomed to shine in the investment banking arena. As with all DU classes I feel that we learn just for the sake of learning and there is very little real world application. Students are not the most intellectual but they are often opinionated. They will speak their mind without having adequate support for their argument. My favorite class was my introduction to finance course. This course was one of the first classes that I believed would help prepare me for the real world. My professor gave real world examples to class and did not try to over complicate the topics in class.

My academic experience at DU has been incredible. Since freshman year, I have had one class with over 20 kids, and that one only had 90, which is as big as it gets here. Every professor makes a point to get to know you, and they will definitely notice if you are "sick" and not showing up to class. They are upfront and very understanding. As a student, I feel welcome in every class, which is good because most are discussion-based and call for a lot of stimulating in-class participation.

My academic experience at DU has been incredible. Since freshman year, I have had one class with over 20 kids, and that one only had 90, which is as big as it gets here. Every professor makes a point to get to know you, and they will definitely notice if you are "sick" and not showing up to class. They are upfront and very understanding. As a student, I feel welcome in every class, which is good because most are discussion-based and call for a lot of stimulating in-class participation.

My academic experience at DU has been incredible. Since freshman year, I have had one class with over 20 kids, and that one only had 90, which is as big as it gets here. Every professor makes a point to get to know you, and they will definitely notice if you are "sick" and not showing up to class. They are upfront and very understanding. As a student, I feel welcome in every class, which is good because most are discussion-based and call for a lot of stimulating in-class participation.

As an English major, learning at DU is a positive experience. Professors are accessible and for the most part ready to work with you. They tend to be very knowledgeable on their respective subjects but don’t flaunt superiority. For about half of my classes the class size tends to be a bit too large for my liking (25-30 students). The other half are a more comfortable size (15-20 students). Since the school runs on a 10 week quarter system classes can be fast paced and sometimes both professors and students can feel that not everything gets covered as it should. The short quarter also makes for some intense weeks especially around mid terms and finals. You have to plan ahead on studying and paper-writing or else you can get behind and have little breathing room to catch up. The upside to all this is that classes rarely ever get boring and after 4 years you’ll have taken a broader range of classes than your peers at any semester school. For some people, the quarter system is simply too stressful and doesn’t work for them, I totally understand. For a majority of my classes, my fellow students are well engaged in the coursework. There is an eagerness in many students to learn and share ideas. This creates some dynamic and challenging class times that I always savor.

One of the best things about the University of Denver is the relationships formed between the students and professors. Most of my classes that I've taken during my time at the University have had a very low student to professor ratio making it extremely easy to connect with the professor. Even in larger lecture classes if I needed help or had questions I found it very easy and was comfortable emailing my professor or going in during office hours for help. All the professors are extremely flexible and work hard to help you succeed. The professors at the University of Denver work with you with your best interests at heart. If you work hard and use all resources available it is a very rewarding and positive learning environment here at DU.

I decided to come to DU because of the academic opportunity it provided for me. The classes are small, interactive, and interesting. Students participate often because of the comfortable and engaging classroom environments. Each professor I have had has been extremely passionate about their topic, and knows every student's first and last name. I am double majoring in English and Philosophy and have had intellectual conversations about these classes outside of the classroom. The most interesting class I've taken so far has been "Theatre of the Absurd". The themes within classes apply to life outside of the classroom to provide real-life knowledge.

The academics are challenging. We are on the quarter system which means we have 10 weeks of classes then a break in between. Because of the small class sizes the professors know everyone by name and that encourages healthy debates in class and one sees a lot of class participation during classes.