Arizona State University-Tempe Top Questions

I was super nervous about attending class the first day of school my freshman year because I though since Arizona State University has so many students that my classes were going to all be huge; I was nervous for no reason! Every English, math, and specialty class I have taken so far has had under 40 students in each class and I have been able to have a personal relationship with each of my teachers. My favorite classes have been all the ones that are directly related to my major because I have found them the most interesting. Students study a lot at ASU…there are some days where the library is so packed that you might not be able to find a chair! I think students are competitive with one another, however I also think everyone is very willing to help each other. I have taken so many classes where students have sent out mass emails asking for help and within minutes someone replies. I think it is really nice that ASU students are able to help one another. Class participation is extremely common! Over half the classes I have taken thus far have given points for class participation. It is awesome knowing that by showing up and being an active learner in class you are being rewarded with participation points.

The college is known for business and engineering being a business student I say the academics at ASU are very good. A lot of professors won't know your name unless you take the time to get to know them.

The professors don't know my name unless I go to their office hours and email them frequently. My favorite class is SHS 105 because it's really interesting. My least favorite class is BIO 201 because it requires a lot of time and studying, as it is a rigorous course. Class participation is only required in non-lecture classes. I have had experiences with other students having intellectual conversations outside of class. In some classes, the students are very competitive. My major is Speech and Hearing Sciences with a Business minor. I really want to have my own business as a speech therapist for those with special needs. I spend some time with professors outside of class if I go to office hours or tutoring. This school's academic requirements are on point; I have to work hard to get good grades. My classes are not easy A courses.

As far as professors knowing who you are, it is mainly up to the student to cause that to happen. Some classes are small enought (20-30 students) that the professors know all their students by name. However, in the bigger classes (100-400 students) if you want your professor to know you, it helps to visit them during office hours, and go to class regularly and sit near the front. For the bigger classes attendence is not taken regularly so some students do not attend class regularly, but it helps improve your grade if you actually attend the classes.

Academics are pretty good at ASU. One of the biggest issues though is class sizes, and some registration issues. If you're in a fine arts major, or design major chances are the majority of your classes will be pretty small--around 24-40 students. Professors will know you and actually have a legitimate opinion of you through interacting with you on a normal basis. However, if you're in business, or any of the other majors classes tend to be mostly lectures, and can number from 150-300 students. Participation is encouraged, in some courses it is considered extra credit (there's a record system for this). For bigger classes like this it's dependent upon the student to show their drive to success, by participating. Professors know those who respond, or come to office hours. Education is less taught and more learned. So the students who want to learn will learn, and those who think it's going to be handed to them won't. The libraries at ASU are always in use, and packed depending upon the time of day, and which libraries. So many students study at ASU so often, that our main library, Hayden Library is sometimes called "Club Hayden" because people spend more time there than clubbing. Conversation is everywhere. I don't mean this in a geographical context. I mean this in the range of things people talk about. It's very common to run into people speaking on intellectual topics, all the way to just normal conversation. I've had many talks with people (some random, some not) over transcendentalism, all types of philosophy, religion, politics, everything. There's no limit. At the moment I'm studying Business with an emphasis in Sustainability. What does that mean? My major is hybrid major, between the business school, and school of sustainability. I focus on the tenets of how sustainability affects business in terms of resource allocation, logistics, resiliency, and self-sustainability. Originally I spent two years in design, both graphic design, and industrial design. Both subjects are pretty different, however both schools handle their respective disciplines well. In design school there is a strong emphasis on detail, and revision. Because, in the career world for design these are the two principles we live by. In business school, competitiveness, and ambition are valued. The school is very helpful in bringing in tons of key individuals from all aspects of the industry to speak, and lead seminars. My favorite class so has been SOS 111, Sustainable Cities. The idea of sustainability is to, "meet our current needs, without destroying the capability of future generations to do the same". Sounds easy, right? Not at all. In SOS 111 we studied, analyzed, and debated the role of cities, and their futures in respects to sustainability. The course was interesting and significant to me, because first off, it was run by two professors who were the founders of our school of sustainability (the first in the country). Second, their mindsets weren't just focused on biology and sciences (like most people imagine sustainability), but also on design, economics, politics, psychology, etc. They understood and showed us that sustainability is in every facet of life, it affects everything. Third, we actually had class twice a week. The first day would be lectures, and debate, class participation was a must but not required. The second day would differ, it would be a movie / documentary, or most commonly be a guest speaker. These speakers came from all over the world. They weren't just experts on sustainability, but also professors, scientists, architects, businessmen, and others from institutions around the country, and world. We saw sustainability's wide-reaching arm is it intertwined with every career and path in life. For instance, the last speaker we had was a famous architect from Egypt, who had done work in the UAE. He discussed the design philosophy behind the UAE, their solutions, issues, and future. Education at ASU is geared towards both a future career, and learning. ASU provides all the resources, but a student must grow in maturity, and show their initiative to take advantage of which path they want more of.

There are a wide range of academic levels at Arizona State University, which I find very beneficial. The university truly cares about their students and WANTS their student body to succeed. There are multiple tutoring centers which are open seven days a week, which help with math, writing, and other challenging subjects. I also have found my advisor in being very helpful. I just recently declared my major (Marketing) and though it will be difficult, by advisor has been there for me every step of the way by making sure I select the right courses and helping me manage an appropriate work load.

The academics at my school are fair. I study a lot due to my being here on academic scholarship. There are courses on campus of over 300 students per class and then there are others which contain less than 20. If you do well, more likely than not a professor will recall your name or if you participate often in class. I've switched my major a few times in search of a permanent fit so I've met a range of professors. I began as a graphic design major, then I switched to printmaking, and then to speech and hearing science. For the most part you can tell whether the professors love what they teach or not, which is the most important factor in my opinion. If they don't have any urge or inclination to be teaching the class then what's the purpose in learning the material? I think the further I get in my courses, the more intimate my relationships with my professors will become.

I have had relatively small classes here, 25-40 students. Every professor I have had has been willing to help, easy to talk to and knew my name. Students get to participate in class often and most professors do short lectures followed by class discussion. This really allows most students to do better in the class since they can apply what they just learned. ASU holds internship fairs on every campus, every month. The school definitely uses it's resources to help students be successful during school as well as after graduation.

For Barrett students? Delibrately challenging. We are required to take a special Honors class, earn a set amount of Honors credit, and graduate with an overall 3.25 GPA. However, we're Barrett students. Not only can we take it, we chose it. This is our path, and we're determined to walk it.

ASU has such a wide variety of classes. I've been in classes with only ten other students, and I've been in classes with 450 other students! In smaller classes, the teacher always tries to learn names and teaches in a personalized environment. Even in the bigger classes, if you participate in the class, which is easy to do, the teacher will always remember and acknowledge you. Professors always welcome students to come talk to them in their offices to get specific help with the class, and some Professors even like to just talk about life and academics in general. My favorite class so far has been Psychology 101. Not only was the material and Professor very interesting, but the study groups outside of class made studying for the class so easy. ASU offers SI sessions, which are graduate student led study groups. Many students from the classes attend these, making studying actually fun.