Michigan State University Top Questions

I did not take most of my basics here at MSU, I took them at a community college to save money. So the ones I have been taking have been more pertinent to my degree. They are generally smaller. I have heard horror stories though, mostly about organic chem. Profs do get to know you, and the majority of them are fantastic. You just have to show that you are making an effort. Students don't seem to be too competitive, but you will be pushed academically if you so choose to be. I feel like some of the requirements for my degree were not necessary, and I have heard things about that from people in other majors. It's just like any other college, they want to make the most money out of you that they can. I have been taking classes more for the sake of education than career oriented, but my major is pretty flexible (zoology with a lean toward environmental sciences).

One thing that I would suggest is getting to know your professors. There are some really large classes where that might be a very hard thing to do but there are also some pretty small classes. I would also suggest to study really hard especially in Chemistry. I haven't heard one person say that they liked that class or that it was easy.

not sure

MSU is a very typical BIG university. My smallest class freshman year had two hundred students in it. Having large lecture halls isn't all bad, though: no one cares/remembers who you are, so wearing pajamas and not showering is always an option, and you can get away with skipping a class here or there much easier when it's a large lecture setting. As students get farther into their programs, however, class sizes really shrink and you get to know your professors and fellow students much better. MSU is also academically competetive. We have a good handful of extremely competetive grad schools (veterinary, osteopathic medicine, elementary/secondary education, to name a few), resulting in 4 point-hungry undergraduates fighting for the dean's list. However, students here aren't as "bookwormy" and socially awkward as Ivy schools.

sometimes the library can be so packed i leave, since i dont want to spend another hour looking for somewhere to sit... it is a fair mix of the types of students in each class - you'll have people who work hard and people who don't care. students dont generally seem competitive. i have taken some really awesome classes with some memorable professors, and i have also taken some slack off ones with professors who didn't really cut it.

There are huge classrooms and tiny classrooms. The farther along you are in your classes, the smaller they get. The classes that everyone has to take might have 400 people, but in your junior and senior years, most classes will be 50 or less (sometimes 10!). Take classes seriously, this isn't high school anymore where you can slack off and get 100{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} on an exam (if if you can, you should find out by doing TOO MUCH first instead of not enough). If you qualify to get in to MSU and you try in class - you will do just fine.

Professors are too involved in their own tiny, academic worlds that they forget or just plain don't know what skills are required to survive in the real world. Too many of them have never been out of academia and don't understand that a bachelor's degree won't get you very far if you don't have it in the right field.

The profs are pretty sweet. It just sucks sometimes when it comes down to grading... say of instance that you were two percent away from a 4.0 in one of your classes, well you wouldnt be getting that 3.8 or that 3.9 that you'd get at the University of Michigan. It's reall competitive here so your grade would end up being a3.5. That's right, we're on a 0.5 scale. So it's really had, which is why you cant get behind. There are still many types of class settings, you can just be a number in a class lecture of 500, or you can stick out like a sore thumb and everyone would know your name in a class of 30. Either way, somebody knows somebody. As long as you talk with your profs, even in an email. They'll know who you are. I had one teacher that would get your pictures from the network, and memorize everybody's name to their face even before the semester started. For the past two years I majored in Human Biology, but there isnt any real jobs in that feild once you graduate, which is importaint if you want to make money. So I just switched my major to Kinesiology. It's more hands on and I think that I'm going to love it. As far as a job goes... the class loads are hard enough, but I'm sure that if I wasnt taking Organic Chemistry together with Physics and Calculus I would have time for a job.

I am a very dedicated student. I always have been and it never changed when I came to state. I take pride in my work and expect my professors to do the same, which is not usually the case. I've never once overheard an intellectual conversation outside of class, unless it has been my own with a fellow student. Most conversations you will come across have to do with weekend parties. The MSU graphic design program is horrible, but the professors as of late are trying really hard to improve it. There has been a lot of one on one interraction. Profs even try to go out of their way and get students into professional studios outside of class. It's getting better.

Every class is different. Most professors are pretty good about making themselves available outside of class. Communication classes at MSU are excellent. Basically, in class if you make yourself known to the professor they remember you. There are plenty of resources for getting internships and jobs.