Michigan State University Top Questions

Honestly, the academics are the same scene as your general take on the school. You can let size and personal interactions with a prof. (or lack thereof) overwhelm you, or you can choose to be involved, known, and learned. As far as level of education, the professors are top notch and even if you do have to deal with TAs some time, there is always a professor above them that you can choose to talk to instead. The school uses Angel to transfer most electronic files, powerpoints, and notes or homework ( and sometimes tests and quizzes). If you don't know what it's like or have anything to compare it to, think of it as an organized email account that makes everything in your life a thousand times easier. And leave it at that until you decide to come here. Class sizes can be big, but it's all about where you choose to be. A class is only as big as the number of people you sit behind. It's easy to chill out in the back of a huge lecture having a good time with your friends, and that's cool if you can handle the material. If you can't, then you can sit up near the front and pay attention and it's like you're in a much smaller class- none of the other people behind you matter because they aren't interupting you. Another good idea is honors classes and the honors college- you'll tend to be in smaller and have professors that are much more interested in helping you personally understand the material.

Class at MSU really depends on what type of classes you are taking. some of the gen. ed. classes you will have to take will be huge lecture halls of 500 students. The professor will not know who you are unless you take the time to visit them during their office hours and they will not usually take a whole lot of tiem to slow down and make sure you understand everything in class because there are too many people in the class. They do however understand that this can be tough and therefore have their own office hours plus office hours for their teaching assistants to help you as much as they can. Beyond your gen. ed. classes, you will most likely have smaller classes of at most 50 people, if that. these classes you will get to know your professor better. A key to impressing your professor - class participation. If there is room for discussion, jump in, If you don't understand much about the topic, ask questions. It will still show them your are paying attention and not just surfing the web on your lap top.

Academics at MSU are very good, as are the professors.

In a class of 250 student( sometimes)..it is impossible for a professor to know your name. However they do keep a track of your progress in class. Meeting professors after class hours can make you well known to them and they also could help you find a job or refer you to some companies. Ive seen many undergraduate International student enter MSU ( who might not have a very good high school record). However this does not mean MSU just accepts any student. Being accepted to the University does not guaranter your admission to a particular college( For example - to enter College of Business , a student needs to maintain an overall GPA of 3.3 upto 56credits)..

classes are generally pretty big, at least general ed classes. that said, i had a writing class with 10 people in it. class participation is common, and the professors are very friendly and willing to help. at msu, its easy to get a 3.0, but getting that 4.0 may require some extra studying, at least in the higher level classes. my favorite and most unique class thus far has been zoology 341, comparative vertebrate anatomy, because I felt it was most applicable to my major (zoology) and had a lab portion unlike any other class i've taken. take it yourself and find out why!

Because MSU is a big university, it's an important to create a close and personal relationship with the professors there. As you get into more senior classes, the classes tend to get smaller, which is nice. Professors are always open for questions, and are always willing to help. If you make the slightest effort, they are guaranteed to remember your name. One of the things that I think make MSU so significant is the fact that a lot of its majors require students to obtain internships. I know as a Hospitality Business major, I was required to have at least 2 internships throughout my college career. I know a lot of Education majors that are required to have a whole year of internships after graduation to prepare them for the "real world."

Go to class and study. Spend time w/ your professors and ta's and make sure you get to know them. Also, going to MSU for Packaging (which is #1 in the country!!) is really nice because I know that they will help me w/ a job. They support a career fair which is very beneficial to attend.

Most professors make some effort to learn the names of those individuals who raise their hands. If a student does not make any effort to participate in the class, the professor generally does not know the name of the student. This of course also depends on class size. In some smaller classes (language classes for instance), the teacher does know everyone's name. Conversely, in larger classes (such as science classes), the teacher does not usually know everyone's name.

MSU offers a lot. You can do all the usual studies plus more like, scuba diving, sailboating and all sorts of other topics. You'll get a variety of professors too. Some are good, some aren't so good. I've found that when I have a good professor I do better and the opposite is true as well. Advertising/Public Relations is my area. I love it. I have liked all the professors in this department and they have been great and they've kept it interesting. My advice to everyone would be to keep up to date with what you need to take and how you are doing; that way you will graduate on time and be less stressed. Meet with your advisor once if not twice a year at the least.

Professors are personable if you want them to be. It's up to you how much you want to get out of a class. MSU is definitely about getting ready for the real world - not just reading from a book. I've had some really difficult courses at MSU. It's not that easy of an undergrad.