University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus Top Questions

The academics at OU are, for the most part, wonderful. This is especially true in upper-level courses and the Honors College, in which classes are almost always small enough to allow the professors to learn the name of each student. As at any large public university, however, the gen ed classes (general education - the basic, lower-level classes which everyone is required to take) are usually hundreds of students large, making it impossible for students to develop a very close-working relationship with the professor. Additionally, since these classes are lower-level, many students tend to take them less seriously, and can sometimes be rude and/or disruptive, making the learning process that much more difficult for those students who sincerely wish to learn. As a Sophomore, attending my American Federal Government class every Tuesday and Thursday can be frustratingly annoying, as my assigned seat is in between two Freshmen who haven't yet learned that they will absorb virtually nothing if they spend the whole class gossiping. Nonetheless, the academics at OU are much more often wonderful - the professors are incredibly knowledgeable, encourage intellectual discussion outside of class, and generally care more about their students than any teacher I had in high school.

The academics at OU are, for the most part, wonderful. This is especially true in upper-level courses and the Honors College, in which classes are almost always small enough to allow the professors to learn the name of each student. As at any large public university, however, the gen ed classes (general education - the basic, lower-level classes which everyone is required to take) are usually hundreds of students large, making it impossible for students to develop a very close-working relationship with the professor. Additionally, since these classes are lower-level, many students tend to take them less seriously, and can sometimes be rude and/or disruptive, making the learning process that much more difficult for those students who sincerely wish to learn. As a Sophomore, attending my American Federal Government class every Tuesday and Thursday can be frustratingly annoying, as my assigned seat is in between two Freshmen who haven't yet learned that they will absorb virtually nothing if they spend the whole class gossiping. Nonetheless, the academics at OU are much more often wonderful - the professors are incredibly knowledgeable, encourage intellectual discussion outside of class, and generally care more about their students than any teach I had in high school.

The academics at OU are, for the most part, wonderful. This is especially true in upper-level courses and the Honors College, in which classes are almost always small enough to allow the professors to learn the name of each student. As at any large public university, however, the gen ed classes (general education - the basic, lower-level classes which everyone is required to take) are usually hundreds of students large, making it impossible for students to develop a very close-working relationship with the professor. Additionally, since these classes are lower-level, many students tend to take them less seriously, and can sometimes be rude and/or disruptive, making the learning process that much more difficult for those students who sincerely wish to learn. As a Sophomore, attending my American Federal Government class every Tuesday and Thursday can be frustratingly annoying, as my assigned seat is in between two Freshmen who haven't yet learned that they will absorb virtually nothing if they spend the whole class gossiping. Nonetheless, the academics at OU are much more often wonderful - the professors are incredibly knowledgeable, encourage intellectual discussion outside of class, and generally care more about their students than any teach I had in high school.

Great emphasis on academics. Great importance placed on doing the best you can at school.

Academics at the University of Oklahoma is often challenging and very stimulating. Students definitely need to dedicate time to study in order to succeed. However, the professors are often very helpful and are willing to spend time during office hours or out of class to help students who need it. As a Microbiology major, I can acknowledge that the Microbiology / Botany department and the faculty there are very concern about the success of their students. From advising, tutoring or help for looking at opportunities after graduation they are always willing to assist students in their every need, Moreover, the Career Services at OU actively help student and get them ready for their future. They offer help for resume building, job / school interviews and often held seminars and career fairs to help connect students with potential employers.

Freshman classes tend to be huge. Classes further on in your major are great! I had good and bad professors, but some professors became my FRIENDS. My favorite class was Native American Philosophy. I took it for an upper-division Non-Western Civ class. The professor kept the class very entertaining. I definitely question some of the required classes I took, but OU gives its students a very well-rounded education.

The intro classes are generally pretty large (hundreds of people). My favorite classes so far have definitely been my honors American Perspectives course, something about culture, minorities, and the American experience with Dr. Marcia Chatelain. She is amazing--smart, insightful, and pretty young, so she's up on things, and my intro zoo class, which is solely due to the interesting content. I've heard Gaffin's amazing, though, so if you take intro zoo, take it in the fall. The honors classes are small and usually not too difficult, and the professors are pretty neat! SOME OU students have intellectual conversations out of class (like the people I gravitate toward), but the majority really don't. If you're into the sort of thing, join Amnesty International and take philosphy and Middle Eastern studies courses. The pre-med students are fairly competitive, as are some of the National Merit students, but in general, the students here aren't University of Chicago types. But you knew that... The psychology department's HUGE, because all the slackers who don't really know what they want to do with their lives are psych majors. It's a bummer, because we get a bad rep. The classes are generally EASY. The psych obligatory statistics course is SO dumbed down, it's insane. I don't spend a lot of time with profs outside of class, but that's my fault. You have to be assertive and go to office hours. I keep meaning to...maybe next week. I'll need recommendations later on anyway.

I love the academic program, but the one thing I hate is the attendance policy. I'm paying a lot of money to go here. I work very hard for my grades, but living in the dorms made me very sick for both semesters. Some teachers give you 3 absenses before they drop your grade by a letter. I had mono and bronchitis almost at the same time, so I was sick for a very long time second semester. I actually made a D in one of my classes because I missed one day over the amount allowed. My teacher didn't care.

Classes are small and tuition is very cheap considering the education recieved. OU recruits more national merit scholars than any other school and is very focused are giving a good education. Professors are always available and tutoring is provided for free by the school in most fields. It is a very competitive place to get an education.

No, most of my classes, the professor does not know my name. My favorite class was Gateway, which was a freshmen introduction to college class that taught me a lot about the University that i never knew about when i first entered the University of Oklahoma. My least favorite class would be Math and especially intro 2 Zoology 1114 and the LAB. Class participation is very common in most of my classes as students do try to communicate with the teacher between the class periods. The students studying varies depending on the students I associate with, not very much. Yes OU students do have intellectual conversations outside of school, that's what I have done many times with some of my fellow classmates. Some students can be competitive if your in a big class, like Zoology 1114. The most unique class would be the Zoo Lab 1121, the dissection of the pig was the most enjoyable experiences i had. My major is Zoology Biomedical, it's a major that had to deal with the basic unit of life-cells, knowing how the functions of DNA and RNA worked within our bodies with protein production, glycolysis, transcription, translation, the processes of cell development with mitosis as the cells double, and the crossing over of cells in miosis with different stage levels you have to know, the different classes with the tree diagram on the different structures where amphibians, reptiles, fishes, etc. were similar and different among each other. OU's academic requirements are very simple as long as you know what to do when the tests come up for a class and if you read enough and know the material by heart. Yes the education at OU geared toward getting a descent job for it's own sake, I still retained all the information I learned for my whole previous year at OU as a freshmen.