University of Missouri-Columbia Top Questions

At the University of Missouri, academics vary depending on what department you are in and whether or not you are taking pre-requistes or are started in your sequence. Starting off, during freshman and sophomore year, most classes will probably be large lecture halls, sometimes with as many as 600 students. In classes like this, teachers usually run their classes with lectures and powerpoints. Although 600 students may be overwhelming, teachers offer office hours for additional help, which really helps if you put in the effort to attend them. Also, with some of these bigger lectures, one day a week there will be a discussion portion with one of the Teaching Assistants. These discussions are extremely helpful as you are in a small group of about 20 and are able to discuss the information learned in lecture that week. Regardless of class size though, teachers expect participation from the class and engages with the classroom on a regular basis. After your first two years, usually you are placed in your sequence in the school you apply for. As a journalism student, while some of my classes still are large lectures (200 students now), others are very small. The journalism school is difficult, but classes are very interesting and prepare you for your future jobs. Additionally within the school, there are many resources available to help you with your studies, such as professors and the library. Overall, no matter what the class size, the teachers here at Mizzou definitely are here to teach students and help them learn, and therefore go to great efforts to make sure we get the most we can from their classes.

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At first it can be kind of intimidating because your Gen Ed classes are usually in lecture halls with 300-500 students. However, as you get more into your major and upper division classes, classes get smaller and you get to have a more personal relationship with your professors. The amount of class participation really begins on the class and the professor. You could be in a class where 15{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of your grade depends on participation, and your next class has nothing about participation. Typically classes have 3-4 tests a semester and all your classes will most likely have tests around the same time. What this means is that everyone on campus has to buckle down and study all week at the same time, and the other weeks of the semester isn't anything more than keeping up with readings for classes. There's not really a lot of daily homework unless you're in language classes or something like that. The amount of time you spend with professors outside of class really depends on the class. Some of my classes I go in to office hours at least twice a week, others I never met with my professors outside of class. The more I get involved with my major, the more I try to make a point to meet with my professors so that i can get to be on a first name basis since they'll be my first connections once I try to get a job. I feel like a lot of classes at Mizzou are geared towards getting a job. Many classes try to give you real world experience. For example, if you're in the journalism school your junior and senior year your class is at the Columbia newspaper or NBC station. So instead of just learning from a book you learn directly in the professional business. For my IT classes we have projects that directly go into our professional portfolio so as soon as we graduate we already have video clips we've edited or songs we've made to show potential employers.

Mizzou is known for the Journalism School. It has been named #1 in the country many times. There are a lot of classes available to students, and a lot of them are lecture halls. Lecture halls usually consist of about 350 students. They are big, and the professor will not know your name unless you put yourself out there. You have to go to the office hours if you have questions. The math and English classes at Mizzou are not in lecture halls, so it easier for a new student to adjust. The departments that are the most successful at Mizzou are Journalism, Engineering, and Communication. After your first few general education classes, the sizes of class gets smaller and your professors will know you. One suggestion is to go to your professor's office hours. This is extremely important for being a successful student at Mizzou.

The intro classes are huge, you will most likely never have the teacher know your name unless you come into office hours. For some people, that's a good thing. For others, not so much. Smaller classes often count on class participation for grades but professors are pretty lax about that. We've got some pretty cool classes like "Harry Potter and Religion" and "The Mathematics of Music" and "The History of Baseball." The academic requirements aren't stringent so you won't have to be studying all the time but it's not a rubber stamped degree either.

Some of my professors know my name but i dont expect them to remember it. My favorite class was mythology and my least favorite was Womens and genders studies. In smaller classes there is participation but people really dont participate in the big lecture classes. I dont really hear students having intellectual conversations outside of the classroom. I dont think that the students are competitive with eachother but they are competitive with themselves because they want to do better than how they did the previous semester. I am a Biology major in the School of Arts and Sciences. I dont spend time with my professors outside of the classroom mainly because either im busy and cant make it to their office hours. I feel that the school academic requirements are good and as long as the student puts forth the effort then it shouldnt be a problem.

Academically, I think Mizzou structures the curriculum in a strategic manner. Freshman year your classes tend to be very large, lecture-based, introductory level classes. As you get older and further into your major, your class sizes increase drastically and aren't just lecture; there is more discussion and interaction within the classroom. The reason I enjoyed this is because like most freshman, I had no idea what I wanted to major in at first. The intro level classes allowed me to get a broad overview of different majors, ultimately helping me figure out that psychology is what I wanted to pursue. The bigger lectures help to build a foundation that allows you to excel in the upper level courses. Additionally, Mizzou is a huge research institution and there are a lot of labs that you can get the the chance to do undergraduate research in. For instance, I began working in a lab my sophomore year and it has aided in preparing me for some of the experiences I will encounter in graduate school. Finally, Mizzou's journalism school is one of the top schools in the country. They teach their students with hands on training, preparing them for real world news. There are very assorted teaching styles at the university allowing students the ability to cater to how they learn best.

Most of your freshman classes are held in big lecture halls, so the teacher's assistants, or TA's, are more likely to know your name. My favorite class was anything in my major, least favorite was biology. The teacher was wonderful, I'm just horrible at biology! Students study double the amount of time you spend in class. So for a three hour course, you should plan on studying for an additional six hours outside of class. Class participation is very common. Professors encourage it, and it definitely helps you learn the material.

Academics at the University of Missouri-Columbia are both challenging and rewarding. Most freshman classes are rather large and usually take place within an auditorium. Unless you introduce yourself to the professor they will not know you by name. My favorite class by far was Mythology because it was easy to follow. My least favorite was english 1000 because of all the writing and overall work. Many of my peers at school study often. Usually before a quiz or test, I've never heard of someone just studying to get the material down. Class participation is depending on the professor and if they give points towards participation. Intellectual conversations aren't frequent outside of the classroom. Competitiveness amongst students is based on how ambitious the student is. I myself am really competitive with other students, but mostly my roommates and friends. The most unique class I've taken is Art Appreciation, which I'm taking this semester. It's something new and outside of the realm of things that I enjoy so i thought I'd broaden my horizons. My major here at Mizzou is journalism. My major is the reason I chose Mizzou, the program is top five in the nation. I personally don't spend much time with professors outside of the classroom. There have been times where I have visited office hours to get a better understanding of course material. The school's academic requirements aren't that difficult for most students to deal with. I believe that they are extremely fair. The education at Mizzou is geared towards setting their students up for the best opportunity to acquire a job as well as create well rounded individuals.

Freshman class are usually large. Professors won't know who you are unless you introduce yourself. This is typical of all colleges. There are some classes to avoid. For example, Microeconomics with Sharon Ryan. Terrible. Grade distribution table on MU's website allows one to gain an understanding of a teachers grading over the years. Check it out. Students are highly competitive. Do your best and don't slack off or you won't get into programs or internships that you want. The requirements to get into MU have gotten stricter since I was a freshman. The school is improving and is starting to be recognized for it. There are career fairs several times a year that help students find a job. Personally, everyone of my graduating friends got jobs within a month or before graduating. 8 of my close friends to be exact. If you work hard, University of Missouri name will strengthen your resume.