Colorado State University-Fort Collins Top Questions

Once I got out of the huge lecture halls and general ed classes that I had to take--my interest in learning multiplied. You have the ability to choose classes within your majors that YOU want to take. My average class size would probably be about 35-40 students. All classrooms respect differing opinions and teachers do know your name by the end of the semester.

The professors are extremely friendly, they will talk to you if you run into them outside of class and are always willing to help you. My favorite class was International Marketing, we had an amazing semester project. Some of the entry level classes are extremely boring, if you can get past those, the upper division classes are well worth your time. CSU isn't a real competitive school, most people are happy with their B's, but they care enough to participate in class. The Business school is fantastic, I have confidence that I will leave college with a good job. The Political Science department is good, they have a great internship program if you are willing to drive down to Denver twice a week.

My favorite class is this class because it is fairly easy and the teaching was very good! I enjoyed it very much.

The quality of academics at CSU is very diversified. There are some classes and teachers who are amazing, and others who are a waste of time. It's all really just random chance as to whether or not you will feel that a certain class is good. There is always the teacher and class that everyone on campus knows is a great class; and yet, there is also that teacher or class that everyone will tell you to avoid. One of the nice things that can help determine which teachers are worthy, is the online database www.ramratings.com. This site allows students to post comments about a given teacher, to help other students know what is expected in this teacher's classes. That can help take away some of the randomness of finding a good teacher. Typically, most teachers that are within your major are usually a little more invested in their students and classes, but again, this is only most of the time. There is always that one teacher who doesn't teach anything that you couldn't have learned on your own; and typically, this is a required class with this teacher. One of the things that I do not like about classes, is the stipulation by the college that each class have a writing element to it. Although I do believe many students can benefit from a little extra writing practice, there are still some classes that a written paper just is not necessary. In those instances, the teachers must impose an extra assignment on students, and this assignment usually has very little value to the class itself. Plus, it is my belief that if by the time you are 20 years old and STILL do not know how to write, then making you write a completely pointless paper in each and every class is not going to teach you good grammar and writing skills.

The graduate program I am a part of is fairly small, so the professors and I have a pretty close, casual relationship. However, I have also seen the faculty interaction with undergraduates, and I would say they go above and beyond what is expected of them. I appreciate the fact that most of the professors focus their courses on the practical application surrounding the subject matter. This is extremely valuable in pursuing a career in the field.

In the smaller classes professors know my name. Its really nice to have a class of 18-25 people, I can get to know everyone and learn better. In my major (biomedical sciences), the kids are extremely competitive. It's mostly girls though, the over achieving ones that like to spread their A's around in people's faces.

Fair

I am still a freshmen so the majority of my classes are lecture halls. i don't enjoy that aspect very much but i am looking forward to getting more involved with my major in turn, smaller classes.

Most of my professors do not know my name but they are all quality instructors.

In my dorm, students study a lot! Everyone does homework at least for a couple hours per night, but most of the work is reading in the textbooks for understanding, etc. As far as class participation, many of the smaller classes encourage people to participate during class. The larger classes usually have clicker questions that count for attendance points, etc. Most of the grading scales are based on absolute scales (not bell curves), so many students can receive A's in their classes if they work hard enough, etc. Because of this, students are not too competitive about grades- there are lots of group study sessions and such. I absolutely love my major and department! The freshman classes are geared towards becoming familiar with the faculty in the department, etc. There are also clubs relating to the major, which is great!