Michigan State University Top Questions

--Classes are good and teachers are good. If you take advantage of allmsu and really try to make it a good schedule than that will make a huge difference. --Some classes are honestly ridiculously hard that you shouldnt even need for your major, and i definitely feel that the requireed classes that every student has to take are so stupid. I know they want you to be well rounded, but that is what was covered in highschool. By the time you go to college, you can decide if you want to be even more well rounded and not have it forced upon you, but lets be serious, they want your money.

Now that I am a senior and have had some of the same professors and have smaller class and have met with some of the profs some of them know be by name but all would recognize me. Students rent really competitive and are always helpful.

I liked most of my professors, even if they were strict of challenging. It feels good to be challenged and do well because I tried really hard. I studied everyday. I chose to though. I know some people who didn't have to study everyday, but I really wanted to do well. I didn't mind it. Class participation depends on the class.

Being at the graduate level and in our particular program, most professors learn who you are very soon, which is good.

Professors at Michigan State are demanding and if you meet those expectations it will show in your end grade. When you enter the upper-level courses then the class sizes become more intimate and professors know you by name. Many times at the 100-level there may be up to 250-500 person lectures and it is impossible for professors to know your name. In addition, some low-level courses are taught by Graduate Assistants, yet they are extremely knowledgeable, just make sure to respect them!

Class sizes are large (a class with 500-600 students is not unheard of) your first two years but once you get into your upper level courses the class sizes are smaller. General courses in your college are generally 100-200 students and major specific courses are usually no larger then 30-40. Even in the larger classes a majority of my professors knew who I was and participation was promoted heavily. In order to excel you have to spend a lot of hours studying but some students just get by to pass the class, so it's up to you. Classes are competitive but students usually try to help each other out rather then be cutt-throat about it.

The professors dont usually know your name unless you make a point of talking with them reguarly about class or out of class things during office hours or appointments. My favorite class was my Vet Med class this last semester. My least favorite was Chem 141 or my ISS 215 class...gag me! Depending on the class load and what you are doing a lot of people study all the time. You learn to multitask so well its great, the only downside is there is usually a lot to study and its not ususally for just one class. Depending on the class participation is welcome. In Chem unless you have a question there ususally arent any conversations going on, but in the smaller classes like IAH or WRA class participation is needed to keep the class going.

I feel as thought there are too many university requirements at MSU. I spent most of my freshman year taking courses outside of my major just because I had to get them out of the way. I also feel if they took away some of the university requirements then you should be able to take classes in your major as a sophomore instead of wait till our a junior to take them making it hard to graduate on time.

If you work hard and ask questions it wont take long for your professors to get to know you. I srongly suggest making a few random friends in the bigger lecture halls for future help in the class. Im a packaging major but i still have classes with a wide variety of people with different majors. Education is geared toward learning and getting a job.

Most MSU faculty are pretty young or really old. It kinda sucks. Not that they don't know what they're doing or don't know how to teach, but it can't get a little dry. Don't worry about it. Try getting interesting profs, like the one I got for my ISS class. I can't recall her name, but she was visiting from New Orleans and always picked great books to read. She gave good lecture as well and I felt like I had actually learned something in the end. Always be open-minded to classes. Sometimes a class you thought was gonna totally be a blow off turns into one you never want to miss. Also, don't skip classes, it's dumb and demeans the whole point of going to a university. You pay a shit load of money not to attend class, but class is where you learn the most even if you don't know it at first glance. Later you'll be talking with friends and start recalling something you heard in class or want to read a book your prof talked about in lecture. However, in the end, MSU is directed to teaching practical skills rather than thought-driven skills. By the way, if you're in Journalism, then it's very important to take your Journalism classes as early as possible. Journalism at MSU is highly competitive, if you want to get those super cool jobs. The State News, I've heard, is pretty political. They also force you to work for only them, if you get a job there. Meaning no freelance on the side. Professional Writing on the other hand is pretty lax. It's definitely a more open-minded atmosphere than the journalism classes. There's more theory in the Professional Writing major than this cold, hard kick-you-out-the-door kind of style for the Journalism major. It also is more technologically driven than journalism, which uses theory for addressing technology . So basically, journalism is ultra-structured writing style; and prof. writing is theory with some structure writing style. You also learn how to manipulate html and how to publish books under my major, which happens to be professional writing.