University of Connecticut Top Questions

The academics at UCONN are very competitive, but at the regional campuses with the smaller number of students, it doesn't seem so intimidating. As a potential business major, the classes that I am currently taking are very challenging and the professors are more than willing to help.

Classes at UCONN are challenging. They certainly aren't easy, and I have to work for every grade I get in my class. I am still in my freshman year, so I know I need to continue this work ethic in order for me to get into a good habit of trying to do well in all of my classes.

The academics at UConn are great if you show some initiative. Professors will not know your name if you do not make it known. Every Professor I have had, though, has been willing and ready to assist if the student shows initiative. They will not chase after you for late assignments or invite you to come to office hours. The challenge and rigor of academics varies at UConn. You can choose a science, math, or engineering degree, or join the honors program and you will be very challenged. It is also possible to pursue a history or communications degree and skate by for four years. Class participation is uncommon except in discussion sections and honors classes. Students do not have intellectual conversations outside of class. There are lots of academic-based extracurriculars but on the casual level students do not discuss their intellectual curiosities. The most unique class I have ever taken was UCann cook at UConn, a freshman seminar class that taught cooking. I spend time with professors out of class if I am struggling with an assignment or want to review the answers to an assessment. Professors aren't just a fixture on campus. Many of them commute to UConn and you must come to office hours or make an appointment if you want to find them. The education at this school is geared toward getting a job, after all, the purpose of a state university is to enrich the state.

Uconn, Stamford is definitely a place where you will build relationships with your professors and see them again for more classes to come. You can count on them to be there for you and available to you for questions, concerns, and extra help. So far my favorite class that I have taken has been Psychology 1101 with Dr. Sehulster. He is a phenomenal professor and does a great job organizing and teaching his courses. Class participation is common in most of the courses I have taken, this include frequent discussion periods in more than one of my classes. At Stamford, you can find the recourses available to you to have fun, but when it comes to midterms week or finals week you have so many different resources available to you to help you study. The courses available to you at Uconn are straight forward and geared towards helping every student succeed once they have finished their time at the University.

1) Yes if you make the effort your professors with know your name 2) Favorite class= Calculus 1, 2, and 3 3) Depends on the student 4) Yes clickers are used often 5) Depends on the student 6) Some departments are more competitive than others ie) Pharmacy and Education 7) Spanish Literature 8) I am a physics/math major, math department is very strong, physics department is not nearly as strong- professors are very knowledgeable but cannot teach 9) Yes, I try to get to know my professors fairly well 10) I think the general requirements are a bit over board but it serves to develop a well rounded student 11) I would say it is geared towards research

The academics at UConn really depend on your major. Some majors like Engineering require a ton of work and it can be really difficult, while other majors can be pretty simple. For my classes (Both gen ed and classes in my major), most have been pretty easy with the exception of a few. Gen ed classes tend to be in lecture halls of between 100 and 350 students, which makes some people feel overwhelmed. You meet once a week in a smaller discussion section though too. Once you get into your major, classes tend to be a lot smaller...a little bigger than a typical high school class. Professors in large lecture halls won't get to know you at all unless you go to their office hours. Professors in smaller classes usually will learn everyone's name. Depending on the department, UConn uses a lot of graduate students to teach classes. A little less than half of my classes have been taught by grad students, sometimes even the large lectures. I've never had a problem with incompetent grad students, unlike some people. I have heard that some are awful and a lot barely speak English. My only complaint with classes is that UConn currently doesn't have enough professors for the number of students, so it's a very stressful and annoying process to register for classes each semester. Until you're a junior, you will probably not be able to get into a lot of classes you want because they will fill up.

There is a large variety of classes offered here, mostly because of the wide range of majors that are offered at UConn. Your general education classes will most likely be held in lecture halls and exam based, but as you get into more specific major classes, they can become smaller and offer other assignments including regular homework, papers, exams, and projects. Personally, I believe that students are competitive at UConn when it comes to academics. As a human development and family studies major, I feel as though students are there to better themselves not only as students, but as individuals and professionals. Participation is common, and many of the professors are invested in our education. Although there are some professors that fall through on organization and commitments, many of the professors here are open to talking to and helping students succeed and further there education. Even if you find that you do not care for a professor, there is always someone available to talk to. UConn also offers many events that target professional development such as workshops, meetings, and conventions in which they not only help you build you as a professional individual, but provide you with resources to take the next step.

One thing I've found at this school is that the academics are what you make of them. Professors are always happy (at least, in my experience) to meet with you both in and outside their office hours, and all seem to really enjoy what they teach. As an Honors student, I'm used to seeking out the professors and they can be a real resource. However on the other side of the coin you have students who do nothing but attend lectures (or not attend at all) and cram for exams, just getting by. Logically they don't learn as much as someone who tries. The same goes for intellectual conversation--those who like school and academics will discuss it, and those who don't, won't. But if you're looking to really learn something and put the work in, UConn is a great school. My major is actually Individualized, meaning there is no department for it: I have to make it myself. Since I've chosen International Relations, there is a rough guideline (as well as a few required courses) due to its popularity--but as long as you can justify it you can major in anything. I really like that freedom. However, this again requires that you put in the work: you have to get several advisors, write up a plan of study--even do an interview before you can officially declare an individualized major. But regardless of the work, it's nice to know there are options outside of the (many, many) majors already offered here at UConn.

Classes are huge, especially freshmen year. If you want to remain anonymous, it's easy to just be known as a test average to your professor. But every professor has office hours where they can get to know you and learn your name. As finals get closer, the library becomes a little more cramped but there's always a place to study, whether it's the library, dorm room, or study lounge.

Depending on the size of the classes some professors will no your names others not so much but that all depends on you. Professors have office hours and there is no reason why you should stop by introduce yourself, ask for help or just to talk about some interesting things that are gone over in class. Again depeding on the class, some classes are centered around participation in discussion others are too big that there is no time for that but usually there are discussions for that course so in that time participation is easy. My major is Human development and Family studies and my second major is Political Science.