DePaul University Top Questions

The school academics rank up there with the best institutions in the Midwest.

For such a large university, I am continually surprised at the small class sizes that I find myself in each quarter. While the College of Communications is not DePaul's largest college, it is its fastest growing college. Yet I rarely find myself in a class with more than 25 or 30 people. My smallest class had only six people in it. This small class size fosters some really great classroom experiences. I've never had a professor that didn't know my name by the end of the quarter, and I've never been in a class where I felt that the professor truly didn't care about the class or its students. The faculty, especially in the College of Communications and in the College of Computing and Digital Media, are some of the best in their field, most of whom are still active in their profession. I have been taught by a professor, and then worked with that same professor on an actual film shoot, and both were incredible learning experiences. I wouldn't say that DePaul is the most competitive school or involves the most strenuous workload, but I would say that the majority of the students in each class genuinely want to be there, and want to learn. Often times I'll find myself standing with a group of students on the train ride home from class, still discussing whatever the topic of class was that day. If that's not a testament to a good lecture, I don't know what is.

I am an English major. The English department is filled with passionate professors and intelligent students. From my experience, I have found that class participation is encouraged, and even I, a person who is normally anxious to address groups, enjoy discussing works of literature and workshopping my own writing. I recently took a December Quarter class called Scenes and Vignettes with Richard Jones. It was absolutely amazing. It was an intensive and enjoyable writing workshop aimed at making the students better at writing concretely. It also helped that it is a December Quarter class, which are more focused classes which students can take during the six week break between Fall and Winter Quarters.

Right, so as a perspective student of DePaul, I imagine that you've heard it all before. Been to university visit days and heard about their 'great student to teacher ratio' and that 'all classes are taught by a professor, not a student teacher' and the 'small personalized class sizes'. I know how these statements al blur together into a giant mush of I DON'T CARE! And as a student, this might not be your first priority in choosing a university. After all, doesn't a giant lecture hall filled with 200 plus students mean that you can fall asleep and now show up to class whenever you want? Well, let me tell you this, after three years at DePaul, I have never had a class size over 20 people. Now I can't say this is true for everyone, but in my case this was fantastic. Although the idea of coming to class just to sleep seemed promising when considering other schools, I was drawn in by the close personal relationships that you begin to develop with your professors. Professors always have your best interests in mind, and reaching out to them for help or just to chat, makes a big difference. Especially between that A you knew you should have had, and the B+ you might have gotten without the professor knowing you and your work ethic. Okay, so classes are cool being small, and professors are friendly. But is that convincing enough to make DePaul your number one choice? Maybe not, but perhaps how your classes affect you is. Each class period, with exception of labs, languages and arts, is one and a half hours long. This seems terrifying compared to the one hour periods at other universities, but considering that DePaul is on a quarter system, it all makes since. At DePaul, you will have three quarters a year of academics and one quarter off for summer break. This means you progress through courses much faster, and that extra half hour really helps for understanding the material. While some people criticize the quarter system, I think its great. For instance, as an English student, I'm not the biggest fan of math. But as it is required that I take one course in math, I suffered through. But thankfully my suffering was short lived because a quarter is so much shorter than a semester, 10 weeks as compared to 16. This meant I had freedom to live again unburdened by my weakest subject after only a short period of time. Equally, when you find a course that you love, you have opportunity to take another course that is similar, or with the same professor, without having to wait a full year to do so. So yes, your almost always having to choose classes for the quarter ahead, but that just means you have a greater freedom to take ore courses when you want to. I chose to put off some of my requirements because I wanted to be sure that I really wanted to major in English and stay in school, and didn't want to have to wait to get through all of the courses that I wasn't necessarily thrilled about. That choice is your's, and with the help of a advisor, you can have a four year plan that is tailored to your own liking, not the universities. Though there are loads of good things to say about DePaul's academics that I couldn't begin to cover in one review, the point is, its really all up to you. With small class sizes you get to talk and can direct conversation, not be lectured at for hours. You can get to know your professors and create a relationship that will be helpful to you the rest of your life. You can choose your classes with your best interest in mind. You are starting a new part of your life, and though you may not be an adult yet and know where your life is going, you can at least get in control of your education, which is more than a lot of universities can offer.

DePaul's academics reminded me of high school, only in the way classrooms functioned. Since DePaul is a private university, thus, smaller than state schools, rarely will you find a class that requires a hundred person lecture hall. The student to teacher ratio is roughly 30:1, a more intimate setting that encourages class participation and forms a familiar student-teacher relationship. I, however, am an English major with a focus on creative writing so my class sizes are even smaller (about half the students in a normal class, a 15:1 student-teacher ratio). These intimate class settings are vital to an English Major like myself, where more focus is placed on writing workshops. Receiving feedback on a paper from 15 students is more hassle-free and even more soothing, than receiving feedback from 50 or 100 people. Most of the professors I've had memorize the class roster by the end of the first week of classes. Professors constantly remind you of their office hours in case you need help writing a paper or just want to discuss a lecture. If you are respectable and have a genuine interest in the course, professors will have no problem opening up their schedules to fit your own. Many of the professors also work as academic advisers so they are happy to help if you have any problem or need something explained to you. And when that time comes to begin applying for jobs (like I so frequently lose sleep over), have no fear because the Career Center is just the place. With a diligent staff and many opportunities, DePaul's Career Center acknowledges your interests and strives to put you in the workplace at your comfort.

DePaul operates on the quarter system with each class being ten weeks long. This can be good and bad. One reason I like the quarter system is because it is face-paced, and if I don't like a class, it will be over in a short time. The quarter system can sometimes be too much to handle though, as a whole subject of class is covered in such a short time. Participation and group work seems to be a major part of most DePaul classes. Discussion, projects, and class interacting are often an important part of your class grade. Though this can be intimidating at first, I found that it is important to speak up in class or take advantage of the generous office hours most professors hold outside of class. These men and women are experts in their field of teaching and are always interesting to listen to whether it be about a certain career field, a class discussion, or pretty much anything you care to discuss!

The academics are outstanding at DePaul. Professors become close with students becase of the small sized classes. Professors know your name. My favorite class was Abnormal Psychology. My least favorite class was my sophomore seminar class. Class participation is NEEDED to get a good grade in most classes.

The quarter system at DePaul gives a definite advantage to the students. While it is extremely challenging and requires a vast amount of focus and determination, it gives students the skills needed to balance different tasks in their careers. It truly prepares you for the real world. Midterms and finals come three times a year but the support of the professors make these times as painless as possible. Because of our smaller student population, the amount of time each professor can spend with their students is far greater than what you'll find at a large scale institution. This is a key to the students' success and ensure the students learn to work with their superiors in a productive manner, thus preparing them for future careers.

I love the variety of classes offered in some areas of study. For instance, you can take history classes about the middle ages, or world wars, or if that's not your thing there is also history of games (such as chess, senet, world of warcraft even) and art history. It makes it easier for you to take classes that you are interested in, which makes the breathe of knowledge classes that much easier to fulfill.

Unlike state universities, DePaul classrooms are not packed with over a hundred students. Class sizes are very similar to what students were probably used to in high school. There are usually about 20-30 students per class. They are kept smaller this small to ensure that all of their students get the most out of their education. It's not difficult to seek help for your professors, and they great part is they will actually learn your name and get to know who you are. At DePaul you're more than just a number!