Washington State University Top Questions

The academics are not too hard. Just as long as you pay ttention to due dates you will survive. The professors are really helpful and give you plenty of time to finish assignments

The academics are very important.I am a freshman and our RAs make sure we are doing okay and check in to see if there are other people on our floor to help if we are struggling.

Professors at WSU enhance student's learning through a passion for the job. I remember as an incoming freshman how afraid I was to speak with or ask anything of a professor. It felt like an imposition on them and their busy lives, but after numerous professors reminding us over and over to come talk with them, I learned the professors at WSU represent one of the biggest resources you will find on the campus. In my experience with the communication, music and honors departments, I have found that professors actually get excited when you talk with them because it is an opportunity for them to discuss their passion. The professors love what they are teaching, so they put more effort and enthusiasm into their lectures. Ultimately, if students interact with the professors they will provide the extra knowledge and feedback that makes the subject sink in and have actual meaning.

Professors at WSU enhance student's learning through a passion for the job. I remember as an incoming freshman how afraid I was to speak with or ask anything of a professor. It felt like an imposition on them and their busy lives, but after numerous professors reminding us over and over to come talk with them, I learned the professors at WSU represent one of the biggest resources you will find on the campus. In my experience with the communication, music and honors departments, I have found that professors actually get excited when you talk with them because it is an opportunity for them to discuss their passion. The professors love what they are teaching, so they put more effort and enthusiasm into their lectures. Ultimately, if students interact with the professors they will provide the extra knowledge and feedback that makes the subject sink in and have actual meaning.

Here at WSU, you will more than likely go through some GER courses where the students in your class are far too numerous for your professor to know by name, but once you pick your line of study and get into your major classes, almost all of your professors will know you by name and will tailor to the class they are teaching. Its awesome having professors that come into the room, throw the textbook on the table, and without lecture notes can teach you subjects like Differential equations or dynamic systems of mechanical bodies. The most unique class I have taken so far is Introduction to Nuclear Engineering, it is taught via tele conference to TriCities WSU and is very informational taught by a professor that worked in the industry for decades. I am in the Honors college, which has class sizes consistently lower than 20 students in each class, where it is not uncommon to spend time outside of the class with your professor, or even inviting them to dinner and such.

Most professors are very good, and the rest are trying to be better, TA's always help a lot during labs.

There is not a straight answers for how academics are at WSU. It depends on the department and how much initiative each student has in pursuing their learning. Classes run large and it is vital to personally make contact with a professor if you want to have them know your name. There seems to be a divide in how often students study. There are lots of students who study actively throughout each week and there are groups of students who seem to value their social lives more than their performance in class. Being such a large university, if students want to talk with their professors they will need t visit them during office hours. Classes are restricted to the lecture and there is commonly no extra time allotted for personal talk or visiting. Overall, I am personally not satisfied with the academics offered at WSU. The professors themselves are wonderful but I often feel like a number. A student has to seek out a more connected relationship with a professor, it is not a given like with smaller universities. For many the academic environment of WSU suits their needs perfectly and many (if not most) of the students here love WSU. If you want the public, state school, "typical," college experience then WSU is definitely for you.

For the proffs, for the most part, the one's I have experienced are willing to assist in any way that they can. But careful some of the 200 level classes. You may be taking them for a requirement, but they could be weed out classes. Students treat classes like they are the frickin olympics. If they don't do well, they'll get mad at the person next to them for doing better. WSU's academic requirements can be BS. Seriously, I'm a molecular science major, what do I need humanities for? What do I need music and women's studies for? Just the same old song and dance heard everywhere. Word of caution, DO NOT SOCIALIZE WITH PROFESSORS OUTSIDE OF CAMPUS!!!!! I once had a professor in the Hort dept. come to my house dead drunk, corner me and tell me how insufficient I was and that I was lacking 2{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} in my work skill and that he would always call me 2{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} everytime he saw me getting a little discouraged. He also had these un-realistic visions of what lab life should be like (unprofessional visions), cat calling to females through windows (closed but still), sexism, always 'teasing' me because I am Native American, telling me that I am making him regret giving me an A in his class, and so forth. He also damaged my professional reputation to other proffs by excreating some artificial story and spreading it to not just my lab mates, but other proffs in the department. This is why I left school. There are lots of science proffs like this, so if you are going into a science, particularly plant sciences in the IBC and MPS programs (SBS excluded, Clark hall and Plant Biosciences buildings especially) just be a little wary of the proffs. Charmers at first I tell ya.

Studying is a joke, Criminal Justice was one of the top programs in the country and my minors required more work than my major

I am in the Distance Degree Program. Some instructors are not too organized which makes it hard to learn. Others let their assistants do most of the work - I am paying top dollar for the instructor not a wannabe instructor. Group activities are hard in this environment because everyone's schedule is different. "VIRTUAL MENTORS" are not helpful and often are contradictory to instructor's views. It would be nice to see a picture of the instructor we are learning from, maybe a voice feed to know what they sound like. Overall experience is good- students from all walks of life and areas of the world.