University of Central Florida Top Questions

I am majored in biology, then after I am hoping to attend the physical school doctorate school. I am intending to use all ways of help I can get to succeed including professors office hours.

The difficulty in academics depends on your major. Given the math department at UCF is not efficient (thank god im not a math major), one because all math classes below calculus meet for 50 minutes ONCE a week and then you have to go to the math mall (a room where you have to commit 3 hours a week doing math work). I believe the math mall is very inefficient because why not just use those three hours in a classroom setting taught by a professor. Since i am a Biomedical Science major i am always studying and preparing myself to class but i still have time to enjoy myself as long as you set up times to study, do your work, and have fun you will enjoy your experience in college. I still workout, go out on the weekends, and hangout with friends. You just have to work hard and put in the effort to pass your classes.

My professors so far have been great. Many of the professors are available for time after or before class. There is opportunity for help on campus if a student is in need of help.

Since I have not been in school since 1972 they are a bit more harder than I remember. The education process is also much different than I remember.

The academics here are pretty great. Some programs are much more highly revered than others. The engineering and scientific research programs are particularly active and have a very respectable staff. The foreign languages and liberal arts, not so much. Still, my favorite class is definitely categorized as such because of my professor, despite my being a member of the school of Arts & Humanities. The teacher was passionate about what she did, loved to involve students, and qualifiably improved my ability to perform the tasks she asked of us. I don't know that I *have* had a least favorite class, but if I had to choose one it has to be my first history class... ZZzzzZZzzzZzZz There are a multitude of students that are particularly studious. The library is full just about open to close, with familiar and new faces daily. I don't know that the school is more known for its studious population than its fun-loving one, though. Class participation is not exactly common, but that also allows that those students who *do* participate are highly regarded by their professors, giving them an edge when it comes to letters of recommendations and such. The class participation issue also likely reflects the competition amongst students. My particular department - English - is not very competitive because it is designed to create intellectual communities, so there is more cooperation than competition. Still, I've yet to have many intellectual conversations outside of class, though my experience has not been entirely devoid of them. Sadly, I have not taken many "unique" classes because of the nature of my major and minor not allowing for much leeway or diversity in subject matter. That is not to say that there are not interesting classes for each major, just that I have not taken them. Against my advisor's and parents' advice I was able to take a History of Hip Hop class, though, which was fairly interesting and rather unique. The professors are very much available outside of class, despite the ever-growing number of students. Again, competition is not exactly rampant, so it is possible to visit a professor with questions at just about any time during their office hours, and they are most often than not incredibly thankful for the company and very eager to help. After all, how mundane would a life of planned conversation and paper-grading be? The school's academic requirements are definitely fair and reasonable. The education is certainly geared towards jobs, so their requirements are basic, and establish a need for basic understanding.

At the underclassmen level, no the professors will not know your name unless you make it a point to get to know them. As you progress, your classes will get smaller and you'll get to know your teachers more personally. Getting involved in their research is a great way to get to know them.

The classes at UCF are very large at first. Until you get into your upper level courses you may have 50-100 other students in your class making it hard for the professor to get to know each and every student. I HIGHLY recommend going to their office hours! they like to see students take an interest and are always willing to give extra help if needed. As you get into the more specializes classes they get a significantly smaller and the professors will do more to take a one-on-one approach with the students who try their hardest. I personally am a Forensic Science major, and have had the same professors multiple times. In this instance it will make it easier to get recommendation letters if one decides to go on to further education.

Being a freshman I haven't had that much experience with too many classes yet. However, with what I have had so far classes here are GREAT! The teachers are nice, personable, and want to see you succeed. The most important thing to remember is that you are at a big school so classes are probably going to be on the large side and teachers will probably have multiple sections of the class. It is pretty easy to get in contact with other students in the class but I find it best to just go to the teacher's office hours. Majority of the faculty offices are located in either Colburn Hall or Howard Phillips' Hall. This makes it easy to see multiple teachers at once. Teachers are more than willing to help you and meet with you outside of class. Like I said earlier, they want to see you succeed. UCF's academic are also geared towards success. For a lot of the majors, some internship credit is required. UCF makes sure you know what you are doing before sending you off, something I think will help with my transition after graduation.

Academics Are Great (to be continued)

Having a large campus with many students is great, but it does come with some disadvantages. Class sizes for general education courses tend to be very large. As a result professors do not know who you are. Personally, I believe it is great to introduce yourself to a teacher if put in a large class. Even though you might not get personal attention from a teacher, there are many helpful tutoring sessions held at UCF. Currently, I'm a sophomore and my major is Cinema Studies. I find that once you complete all your general education requirements the class sizes get smaller as you progress into your major.