University of Delaware Top Questions

The professors at UD are amazing......their calibur rivals those of any ivy league professors. The only problem is that they rarely teach the classes. UD is a very research intense institution, so it has a lot of money to hire some of the most prominent researchers and professors in a wide range of academic areas - the only problem being that they're too busy conducting research and being on sabatical to actually teach the courses, that you wind up being instructed by grad students far too frequently. Students are not very competitive at UD, overall there are enough resources available that almost anyone that truly applies himself can succeed. All other academic aspects are really based on the specific department.

I'm in the honors program and I've really enjoyed the academic side of UD. I've found professors are really personable and willing to help, especially if you attend office hours. There are some first and second year classes that are really large (I had one that was 300 +) but most are reasonably sized. I wish we had better career counseling. The career services center is ok for getting started, but none of the counselors specialize in my field. You really have to seek out your own mentors and search for jobs and internships on your own.

As an English/journalism major, which is a pretty small department at UD, you get to know your professors really well, especially if you take the time out to get to know them. They're also willing to help with jobs and internships. Most of my classes were generally small and professors wanted your input.

Depending on the department, it seems like professors really invest in the students who are in turn invested in their education. Professors will go above and beyond for students who show promise, drive, or just a general interest. Class participation seems common. Competitiveness and level of outside-the-classroom communication varies among departments. The most unique class I took was Nature Writing with Professor Jenkins. Awesome. The English-journalism department was like a little family. In theory, the department is supposed to work hand-in-hand with The Review, the student newspaper, but sometimes professors become a little bit anti-Review. However, the overall experience does a great job of preparing students for the future in a multitude of professions.

Intro classes were unusually difficult, regardless of instructor or subject. Required attendance for foreign language classes was burdensome. Class participation is more common than not, and most professors do take the time to help you the individual. I LOVED the History Department and its faculty; my only poor professor was an adjunct one for an intro class. The history professors -- many of them Ivy Leaguers -- were insightful, interesting and helpful, and some even flat-out fun. Although some professors focused on job-seeking skills and advice, you're best off using the career services classes and professionals for help on your own.

i liked my classes for teh most part and found a lot of professors to be very accessible.

OK

- Professors knew my name, but I often participated in class. - Some students study for hours and hours a day, some only study when they have an exam. - As an English major, class participation was often a part of my course grade but even then some people had to be nudged to speak up. - Yes UD students have intellectual conversations outside of class. - To my knowledge, students were only self-competitive. - Academic requirements were pretty easy, just take one math, one English and several courses in different themed groups. - Delaware should require an internship and/or co-op in your field of study to graduate. - I did not spend time with professors outside of class. I think people would call you a nerd for doing that... - My journalism classes were aimed toward getting a job, whereas my English classes were much more academic.

Class size is dependent on major, but professors are mostly very accessible. Would also say that while many students take their studies very seriously, you are not likely to hear deep, intellectual conversations outside of the classroom.

I have one or two professors who knew my name. But it's an effort to talk to them, especially if you're a psych major with 200 other kids in your classes. Favorite class was expository writing. Lease favorite: measurements & statistics. Most unique class: psychopathology in the movies, we watched movies and ate pizza once a week. it was great. The psych department isn't very personal. We don't have advisors, so getting help is a bit rough, plus, the grad student I tried to see was never in the office during office hours. I think UD is more geared towards learning for its own sake, at least the classes I took were. I mean, Biological Evolution? Interesting class, not helpful for a real-person job.