West Virginia University Top Questions

The Academics are great as long as a student takes interest in it because the teachers can teach but ultimately at the end of the day it's the students who have to work hard as get good grades.

The academics are challenging but not impossible. You just have to actually apply yourself

There are a lot of classes that are completely useless and the professors suck. I've had more bad professors than good ones. The professors are all old school and expect you to do all work without any help. I would recommend this school for programs in business, engineering and teaching. The wildlife management program does not help you at all.

I pretty much covered academics before but academics are either hit or miss. You'll love the class or you'll hate it. Most 100-200 level classes are complained about but once students get in their major they love it. The only hassle is dealing with a bunch of bs classes like the general eds that are required. Some classes are ridiculously easy (soc 105, theatre 101) and some are notorious weed out classes (like chem 115, physics 111, math 155, etc.). Most classes are large and unless you take initiative, professors or TAs won't know you. Or, in my case, a professor will know you the semester they have you and by next semester, won't recognize you at all unless you really try to form bonds. This is a research university so keep in mind professors are not solely here to teach you.

Academics here are great! Classes range from underwater basket weaving to scuba diving and to physics. The professors are very welcoming and helpful. Despite having large lectures, the teachers interact with each individual student. I feel like they are personally talking to me. Professors reach out and offer many ways of contact.

The academics are a little bit different than what I am used to, growing up in a small town. The average class size as a freshman and sophomore is about 300; therefore, the professors don't really know who you are or your name until you are a junior and senior. Because the class size is so big, class participation is usually uncommon. Personally, I spend a lot of time on my school work. My major requires a lot of out of class studying and reading. I think overall, this school could be a little more stricter with the academic requirements because it would push students to work harder and limit the number of drop outs.

The academic requirements here are fair. The amount of studying you need to do depends on the GPA goal that you have. Teachers will get to know your name (in large classes) if you participate and ask questions. I'm in the Honors College and all the classes I take through it are pretty small. My teachers in those classes have always gotten to know my name. I suggest the Honors College to anyone interested. It provides a broad range of interesting courses not available to other students. As a pre-pharmacy major, I have also taken many science courses at the university and have always felt as though my teachers were there to help me with anything I needed help with.

With WVU being a large institution, many people would automatically assume that you are jammed into a large auditorium with 300 other kids listening to a professor who has no interest in getting to know all of his students. While many General Education Requirements are somewhat like this, after Freshman year class sizes are reduced to anywhere from 10-45 kids. My Professors always make the effort to learn the names of every kid in class and they are always available for help or advice. I can honestly say that I haven't had a bad Professor yet. They have all been extremely knowledgeable and helpful.

I am a double major in Exercise Physiology and Athletic Training. Exercise physiology is considered mostly as a pre-med major, it is the only undergraduate major in the school of medicine. It is a larger major with majority if classes on the health science center campus. With it being a nearly 200+ people per grade, you are challenged to present yourself in a way that will stand out to your professors. On the opposite end of the spectrum, I was accepted my junior year as an athletic training major with on 13 other students selected. This major is more intimate and required no more than 20 clinic hours per week in your assigned athletic training room. You work one on one with your assigned team providing rehabilitation and prevention of injuries throughout your clinical assignment.

The greatest advice I can give about the academics is to choose your professors carefully, if you can. People wake up at 6 in the morning to wait for the class signups to open. Who your professor is makes all the difference in how much you will learn, and what grade you will get in the class. Almost all the teachers are available after class time during the office hours. If they are not available they are willing to make an appointment to meet with you.

Academics at WVU are what you make of them. There are a lot of different kinds of classes and different kinds of students who go to WVU. Some students choose just go to sit in the back of the class and only do the bare minimum to get by, but this is not something I would recommend. In most cases, if you show your professor that you are interested and willing to learn, they will show you the same respect back by getting to know you and helping you out when needed. And if for some reason you still need help, the university offers free tutoring for a variety of subjects. I am currently an Agriculture and Extension Education major. I have taken some really neat classes for this so far. Not only have I taken the basics such as English, Math, and Biology, but I have also taken a class where I learned how to weld, and a class where we went to the university farm and worked with the animals there. I have been thinking about switching my major and my advisor along with other advisors I have met with are really helping me through this process.

Having the party school reputation that it does, WVU is often seen as a school where the students party more than they study. However, WVU is a terrific academic institution with top of the line professors. In your first few years of study it is likely that you will be in larger classrooms ranging from 50-150 students. As you go deeper into your studies the class slim down and you develop more of a personal relationship with professors. WVU is the flagship University of the state of West Virginia. The requirements to be admitted as an undergraduate student are very low but the drop out rate is very high as a lot of students do not focus on their studies nearly as much as they should. WVU has one of the best libraries in the country and you will almost always find it crowded. WVU certainly prepares its students for life after college as professional classes are a requirement for most majors. These classes help to make sure each student is prepared for finding a job following their graduation. My favorite classes were always the larger ones as it is a great way to meet other students. It is not likely to hear intellectual conversations outside of class as it is more likely that students will be talking about their upcoming plans for that night or the weekend.

Since many undergraduate classes are lecture-based, I have to reach out to my teachers but once I do, they know my name and say hi to me when they see me in between classes. My favorite class is biology because it is challenging and interesting. My least favorite class is physics, my teacher is awesome but I am not a good physics student. Students study mostly around test time and during the week. Class participation is common but attendance is sometimes off with lower undergraduate classes. If you go to the book stores or clubs, students will be having some intellectual conversations. Most students are not competitive but those that are, really are. The most unique class I have taken was Women in Movies. I am a double major with Forestry and Wildlife & Fisheries. The teachers know their stuff and I absolutely love my majors. The academic requirments coming into WVU are low but that is because WVU provides help to students who have had a hard time with school thus far.

I won't say academics are considered the best at WVU, however, I believe that we have amazing educational experiences to offer. With the business college, pharmacy school, and engineering schools all being among the top in the country, it is no wonder why over 28,000 students call WVU home. There are tons of different colleges and hundreds of majors and minors. As a political science major, I can say that the advising done by the university to make sure you graduate on time and with high grades and strong classes is great.

good, the school has very good academics and they have only become more important to the school in the past few years

I am a physical education/teacher education major. All of my professors know my name. Class participation is very common in my major. There are a lot of professors that spend time with students outside of class, bowling, basketball, etc. The requirements for my major are great. WVU really prepares you for a job, at least in my major they do.

My favorite class has to be the Service Dog Training class. I mean who doesn't want to spend an entire class period with a Golden Retriever. The best part of it is is that we actually place these dogs with clients who have mobility problems. It's so awesome. Classes at WVU can be really big, but most of the teachers are fantastic. I've learned a lot from each of my classes no matter what the subject. I've yet to have a boring class. I would definitely say that most of the education at WVU is geared towards getting jobs. Most of the professors I have had relate all the material to real life. It's a great experience. As far as the students go, it's probably 50/50. Half of the students study very hard to work and get great grades, the other half party and drink a lot. They don't really care about getting assignments in on time. So it's about half and half.

It's a big school and entry level classes can fill up auditoriums. If the student takes the time to get to know the professor, the professor will take the time for the student. WVU really has a big mix of professors. There are some quality professors and some that are far from being quality, but they do have one thing in common, they care about their students. A WVU education is a great education, especially in the engineering department. Most departments in the engineering college have 100{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} job placement ratings to any student who chooses to enter the field upon graduation.

I have had a good experience with academics here at WVU. Same with mostly everyhting in life, what you get out if it depends on how much you put into it, but learning and broadening your horizons can certainly be done. My one complaint is that coming in as a freshman I had no idea what I wanted to do and I had difficulty trying to change my major. But I found that professors and administrators are all very helpful and knowledgable. My most unique class happened to be my honors class last semester - Puppets, Masks, and Magic. It was a theater class and a fun release from all of my other more typical classes.

academics are competitive and challenging -- no matter what the program.