University of Georgia Top Questions

Classes are all different. Some are big (around 300 people) while others are small (around 20). It all depends on the class. The proffesors are all different, but you can always read about them before you take their class. I am a public relations major, which is a lot of fun. There are so many different classes to offer in all different areas of interest, and the best part is YOU make your schedule.

The real estate program is fantastic. The professors are excellent and really care about their students. The career center is wonderful as well. Take advantage of this resource.

General Classes like everywhere else are big, so the professor might not know your name. You have a lot of options as far as classes go. From the hard sciences to liberal arts to business to political science. Class participation is very common. Students probably study three times a week or so. 4-5 during mid terms. And probably all week before Finals. Most unique class I've taken was an Interpersonal Communication Class. I'm a Finance Major and the business school here is in the top 20 nationally every year. Education is definitely geared towards career path rather than just getting a degree.

At least half of my classes have had attendance policies, so I do not skip class at all. Some of my broadcast news professors have taken us out to dinner, and paid, multiple times. One of them has taken us on his yacht twice. I heard you won't get this kind of attention and casual conversation at a big university. These guys proved them wrong!

The classes vary depending on what you take. Sometimes, they are large and other times, they are small. The amount of studying a student does also depends on the person. I knew people who studied every night and others who barely touched a book. A professor usually knowns your name if you see them in their office hours; that way, they get to know yours face outside of the classroom. Students really aren't competitive, in general, and the vast majority don't have intellectual conversations outside of class (probably not even in class). The education at UGA is probably geared toward learning....or just trying to get money from students.

As a freshman, you have to most likely go through the motions of big classes. I had three or four with over 300 people, but it was worth the wait to get to my major. Now, every professor knows my name, and I've even been to their houses to eat and hang out! My PR research professor, Dr. Kaye Sweetser, invited every research group to her house so she could personally show us how to do data analysis on the computer. She had snacks, and we had a great time! It wasn't even like we were working.

Some professors know my name, but the majority probably don't. More of them know it in the honors classes because these classes are smaller. My favorite class was definitely Marine Science MARS 1010. I had an awesome professor, the class was huge, and I learned a lot and still made a good grade. My least favorite was ECON 2105. I had a great professor, but quite frankly, I suck at econ. I would say kids study a lot more if they are science majors than if they are liberal arts majors. I don't study that much because I am doing the advertising and Romance Languages majors and they don't require too much. Class participation depends on the size of the class and the participation percentage of your grade. Obviously, if you don't have a participation grade, you are not going to have as much class participation. Bigger classes also have less. As far as intellectual conversations outside the class, people have them occasionally, but it gets stressful thinking about school all the time. Although, if you ever walk by the Philosophy building during the day, there are always five or six kids talking about the meaning of life or some philosophical stuff. Some students are competitive. Especially those in Grady College of Journalism. Those girls are crazy. I hate taking Grady classes because the girls are so competitive and snotty. The most unique class I have taken was probably Ecology 1000. It was fun because we had a lot of field trips for the lab. The teacher was a raging liberal and it was funny because everything that came out of his mouth was just so...ridiculous. He said stuff like we are all going to die because we don't eat organic meat. My major is...kind of undecided. I am majoring in Romance Languages, which is not bad at all. I WAS thinking about doubling in Public Relations but then I met the other girls who are in that major...yeah, you know. The ones who wear business professional attire to class every day and apply for every single internship that comes along. So I don't know if I will pick up another major. I never spend time with professors outside of class. I know people who do. Quite frankly, I find it a little bit creepy. As far as UGA's academic requirements, I think they are pretty fair. If you major in Chemistry, you're obviously going to have a lower GPA than if you major in sociology. I would say UGA is pretty strongly geared towards getting a job, unfortunately. I say unfortunately because that means that there will be a lot of people in the world who know a lot about accounting or a lot about management, but not many well-rounded people, which is definitely more important.

I think you can make any sort of academic path you want at UGA. SOme majors have big classes where you can blend in. others have small classes where you get drinks with your professor Thursday afternoons. I had both types and I think that is a great mix of learning environments.

If you make the effort to meet your lecture teachers, you can make great relationships. There are many teachers at UGA who are absolutely brilliant. Depending on the class, the class sizes vary greatly. For instance, there are 16 students in my Spanish class while there are 380 in my anatomy and physiology one. Either way, though, the teacher is always there to help you. They want us to succeed; it's just a matter of making the initiative to get to know them. In nearly any major you do, it is almost guaranteed that you will find a job.

Academics at Georgia are getting increasingly more rigorous - a direct result of the administration's attempts to put the school on the same level as places like Chapel Hill and Virginia. However, I have never been in a class where the professor or TAs are unwilling to help. Classes freshman year are definitely a lot bigger, getting smaller the older you get/further you get into your major classes, but programs like webct and even UGAmail allow for easy communication. The teachers also LOVE what they teach, which I think makes a huge difference in the passion and success of the students in their classes. My major is Consumer Journalism and Fashion Merchandising, a major that is unique to Georgia. It's in the Family and Consumer Sciences college - a great place to be! Everyone is so friendly, and (most of) the teachers truly are interesting and invested in their students. I know it's getting harder and harder to get in, which may discourage some high school seniors from applying. But please don't be discouraged! Your hard work will be rewarded with an amazing college experience. Some of the most interesting classes I've taken are Rhetoric and Pop Culture, the History of Fashion, Graphic Communcations, and really any of my fashion classes! The one thing I will say about classes is that it's hard to find cool electives. Not that the university doesn't offer them - because they have lots - but there are few working venues to actually learn about the classes you can take. You really have to ask around to find out about the good ones!