University of North Carolina at Charlotte Top Questions

The academics at UNC Charlotte are challenging. However, it is doable. Most of your classes depend on your major or the selection of classes you choose to take each year. I'm not certain about other schools, but when you select classes you are able to see the capacity in the class. Therefore, if you learn better in a small environment where the professor knows everyone by name then you have that option to choose that class. Depending on the classes you need to take for your major, you will not always be able to choose small classes. Mainly your "into" or "general education requirements" will be your bigger class of 150 or more. Big classes at UNC Charlotte are not as overwhelming as you may think. There is still class participation through clickers and notecards. I am a Political Science and Criminal Justice major. Some of my classes are rather large, but the more I get into my major the smaller my classes get. How an individual perceives to take their education is up to them. Academics at UNC Charlotte is all about what you put in you will get out of. Therefore, good study habits, and going to class are essential. Students here are competitive. After college, many want jobs or to further their higher education. This means that each individual at UNC Charlotte has to work hard to get what they desire, but it all lies in the hands of the person.

The academics are incredible. It is challenging but not impossible. You do have classes of 150 but then you'll have small classes where professors do know you. Sometimes you don't even have to go to class. I am a nursing student and it is difficult but amazingly fun.

Academically, UNC Charlotte is a very competitive school! They push you to do nothing but your best. Class sizes do vary however, as a student, you are to make it your business that your professor knows who you are and that you want to succeed in their course. Many professors are open to discussing their class, problems you may be having in their class, reviewing tests and quizzes, and even providing you with the proper knowledge to seek further help in understanding the material. I am currently a Public Health major with a minor in Spanish. In order to begin my upper division classes, I must submit an application and ensure that I meet all minimal requirements including a cumulative GPA of 2.5. They only allow about 45 students into the program motivating me to work hard in all of my classes to ensure that I am one of those 45 to be admitted. UNCC also rewards their student who do well academically. During my 2 years here I have been inducted into the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and now I am in the process of being inducted into the National Society of Leadership and Success. Being a recipient of both these honors provides me with the perseverance I need to continue to do exceedingly well academically. J. Murray Atkins Library is also a very welcoming place for students to go and study. There is a number of computers throughout the library. Some are in circles for group work and some are in cubicles so one can work in private. They also have Macs and laptops available for student check out also. Students also have the option of reserving private study rooms to study or work on group projects. I have a friend who is a Criminal Justice major and in his Introduction to Criminal Justice class they have speakers come in who are a part of the Secret Services, UNCC Campus Police, FBI and the DEA. After class, the students have an opportunity to ask questions and network with the speakers possibly leading to internships and job offers.

This school has pretty decent academics, the teachers treat everyone pretty much the same, but we are all mostly known as our ID number. With classes of 200+ students, there is not a lot a teacher can do to memorize all of our names. A student must go out of his/her way in order for a professor to know their name. I am applying for an Athletic Training Program which more than 50 people apply for and only 16 get in. This creates a very competitive atmosphere for the students in my major. I am a very competitive person so it does not bother me, but some of my friends definitely get overwhelmed a lot of the time. I am now taking this class called Applied Kinesiology and its about all of the joints/muscles/bones/ their purposes in the body. It is a class of 200+ students but the teacher is very knowledgeable of the material and definitely tries to get the best out of all her 200 students. The academics of this school are definitely geared towards getting a job. This schools academic requirements are very good but they could use some work with regards to taking classes more pertained to ones major. There are some classes that have nothing to do with my major that i need to take which makes me very uninterested in them. The administrators at this school always talk about ways to help the students get a job after they graduate. This is something that this school prides on i believe. There are a lot of resources here a student just has to reach out and go find them.

Academics at UNCC is very dependent on which classes a student takes and which crowd a student hangs out with. Charlotte is generally a quiet city when compared to other large cities and naturally lacks the "excitement" also associated with large cities (not always a bad thing though), and compensates with hard working people, a good amount of art, and people who just love to hang out with each other. The result at UNCC is a very wide range of people from near drop-outs in high school to Levine scholars and from some of the best engineering students in NC to UNCC's passionate art students.

Depending on the class size, your professors will most likely know you by name. Class participation is very encouraged at Charlotte. As a Communication Studies Major studying is a must. But the good thing about most of the majors here is your class all pretty much are in the same building so you get a good relationship with the professors. Many of the professors encourage attending job fairs and career fairs; which are held here several times during the year.

I would be lying if I said that I liked all of my professors. While you have your "bad" professors, there are more "good" professors at UNCC. When I say "good", I mean it by professors who are passionately involved with students b/c they actually care about them. When I say "bad", I define it as professors who are not passionate about their job. By far, I've had some of the best professors in the Belk College of Business and the College of Liberal Arts (Sociology). As you enroll in the 3000- and 4000-level courses, classes tend to get smaller. and the class environment becomes more personable. Professors will remember you by face and name if you make an effort to reach out to the professor. Many of my classes were graded on class participation. I believe that despite the grade, it is only used as an incentive for students to be more engaged in class discussion and to stimulate thoughtful thinking.