University of California-Santa Barbara Top Questions

professors are a bit unapproachable/favorite class was poli sci 7-international relations because professor belkin is amazing and the class was very very good/our school is competitive within the classroom but only outside in terms of passing and getting in in competition with city college attendees/german department and trying to figure out my double major- very amazing department, small and very personable/i do spend time with my prof outside of class for german- we have lots of class extracurriculars including movies and coffee meetings/the academic requirements to get in are a lot more challenging than the academics at the actual school is my opinion/ucsb is geared towards finding what you want to do and sticking to it- there are resources for everyone so it depends what you decide to do and how you will get there and take advantage of what it has to offer or not

i've really liked most my classes. some teachers shouldn't teach, and don't even seem to really like people. others really enjoy what they are doing. the psychology classes are pretty fun, but my favorite class so far was sex and relationships. everyone became friends, and it was nice to go to a class where everyone knew your name.

classes are great. most teachers are fair and informative

Emphasis in on research here. Undergraduate education is not a priority. Research money is what it's all about.

Class is like any class I've ever had. Professor lectures, students comment and question here and there, and most it's taking in what they have to say on the subject matter. You definitely get a different perspective on your professors when you go to their office hours. They can be really helpful or really not. I know some students go out to lunch with some of their professors, that can definitely benefit them in the future.

i never got too close with my professors. i HATED astronomy. its not stars and meteors, its straight physics. so it sucked to be me. i really liked the history of black popular music by dr. earl stewart. he's the man, take anything he offers. a great teacher and an even better person. depending on the class, participation takes place, but sometimes people like to think they're really cool and know a lot of answers but that's when i get annoyed, usually from hearing their voices and dumb comments too much. i'm here to learn, not to make out with them. global studies is a great major. i like that big picture mentality, so taking a step back and learning a lot about a myriad of different topics and categories really kept my interested. i learned about international business ethics, global environment trends, regional sociology, global culture and religions and international trade. woo.

i love almost all classes i take at ucsb. of course there are always classes you dont like but overall i am more than satisfied with what i have taken from my education. I am sad i am graduating because there are so many more classes i wish i had at least another year to take. class participation is very common. as a soc major we discuss many controversial and debatable topics and ideas. so students who are interested have something to say. the sociology department has lot of diversity in it, in the classes offered as well as professors and lecturers who teach. we have some very prominant figures who are known in sociology literature and i am proud to learn from them.

Academics are solid. The math professors don't speak English, but CLAS makes up for that. Students study a moderate amount, but it isn't a competitive thing. Lectures are big but if you speak up the professor will learn your name.

In order to get a professor to know you by name, especially in a large class, you have to go out of your way to go to office hours. Other wise you are nothing but a number. Students study a lot. Many people know the party reputation of UCSB, but not that our school is actually challenging and requires study skills. Class participation is only common in small classes. Big lecture halls rarely have interaction and most people get annoyed if class goes over the time period anyway. I do have intellectual discussions outside of class. It comes with going to school with intelligent people. I have not personally taken this class, but we do have a sailing class, which I heard it amazing. The psychology department is extremely helpful with any questions or concerns. The classes are interesting and challenging, while the professors are overall very good. Plus, because we are a UC, many research opportunities come up where students can work with professors on psychology experiments, which looks great for Graduate school.

No professor has ever learned my name. Europeans, don't take anything in the Chicano Studies department if want to be able to look yourself in the mirror. Everyone in the sciences is competitive but we help each other out too. I always had the feeling that we were "in this together." That really helps, especially as a Freshman and Sophomore. Back then you are still studying too much and learning too little. It isn't until Junior year that you hit your stride, and start to have an enjoyable life on the side. I regretted my decision sometimes, but then I would be talking to a friend and we would start discussion the pros and cons of L-glutamate supplementation (no pros in my opinion) and suddenly I was proud of all the work I'd done.