University of Maine Top Questions

Overall, I've found that the academics at UMaine are great; although, the level of superiority does vary from department to department with engineering probably being the best. Like most schools, the general education classes will have a few hundred students, but even as a freshmen, the classes for my major only had at most 70 students. I can't vouch for the rest of the departments, but I've always found that my professors in the business school actually care about getting to know their students and help in any way they can. For example, many of my professors require us to use name cards in class so they can get to know our names. Also, a lot my professors have had weekly study sessions outside of class and office hours if we have any questions or don't understand the material. I've found that being in the Honors program has significantly helped my education, as well. The classes only have up to 15 students, so we receive a lot of individual attention. The classes are also discussion based, and the texts are significantly different than any I would have read otherwise.

So far at my school I've tried to branch out as much as possible concerning academics. As a Psychology major, I have a lot of room for electives and a great deal of required courses to take, which gives me a good opportunity the sample what exactly is here. When I'm really committed to a course, it shows in my work, and my Professors always seem to take notice. Its manifests itself in the form of a quick comment as I pass in a paper or exam, or when they pass back a graded paper. I keep quiet mostly in classes, but I prefer to be unpredictable, just to see their reactions when they realize I'm not the slacker they might think I am. As competitive as some schools can be academically, I find very little competition among my peers. I instead feel a sense of camaraderie, like I could easily start an in-depth conversation without having initially known them at all. Then again, may it's just Psychology. Psychology might be the best program on campus, aside from engineering, and it shines through with a great deal of learned professors eager to impart knowledge. It makes a great difference when the interest is mutual, of course.

Being in the Business dept. I feel that classes are a pretty good size. As you focus your classes more on your desired major the class size tends to get smaller and smaller. I don't mind the big lecture halls all that much, the biggest thing to keep in mind in those classes is to put the effort into going and seeing your professor. If you don't go and see the professors in those bigger classes they'll have no idea who you are. It's better to have them know who you are, and honestly it makes the class more purposeful, because you feel more inclined to preform better knowing that they know who you are. I definitely feel that the way the professors structure their classes, their intention is to fully prepare us for the outside world as best as they can. One of the classes that impacted me the most was Business Law. I though that the professors involvement of her students throughout lecture and the way she put people on the spot had a very big impact on my success in the course. It always kept me on my toes and so I'd always be overly prepared, so that I could answer her questions accurately and not look foolish. In the long run it really helped me out!

Being in the Business dept. I feel that classes are a pretty good size. As you focus your classes more on your desired major the class size tends to get smaller and smaller. I don't mind the big lecture halls all that much, the biggest thing to keep in mind in those classes is to put the effort into going and seeing your professor. If you don't go and see the professors in those bigger classes they'll have no idea who you are. It's better to have them know who you are, and honestly it makes the class more purposeful, because you feel more inclined to preform better knowing that they know who you are. I definitely feel that the way the professors structure their classes, they're intention is to fully prepare us for the outside world as best as they can. One of the classes that impacted me the most was Business Law. I though that the professors involvement of her students throughout lecture and the way she put people on the spot had a very big impact on my success in the course. It always kept me on my toes and so I'd always be overly prepared, so that I could answer her questions accurately and not look foolish. In the long run it really helped me out!

Being in the Business dept. I feel that classes are a pretty good size. As you focus your classes more on your desired major the class size tends to get smaller and smaller. I don't mind the big lecture halls all that much, the biggest thing to keep in mind in those classes is to put the effort into going and seeing your professor. If you don't go and see the professors in those bigger classes they'll have no idea who you are. It's better to have them know who you are, and honestly it makes the class more purposeful, because you feel more inclined to preform better knowing that they know who you are. I definitively feel that the way the professors structure their classes, they're intention is to fully prepare us for the outside world as best as they can. One of the classes that impacted me the most was Business Law. I though that the professors involvement of her students throughout lecture and the way she put people on the spot had a very big impact on my success in the course. It always kept me on my toes and so I'd always be overly prepared, so that I could answer her questions accurately and not look foolish. In the long run it really helped me out!

In my mind, the academics are the most important part of the college. The good quality of education at UMaine is aimed to educate the students as well as maintain a good name the school. All the professors that I took classes with are always eager to help acquiring knowledge in the particular discipline. The professors have pictures of the students to learn the students’ names faster and encourage participation. Also the professors place an emphasis on teambuilding and teamwork. Furthermore, as long as the students express desire to learn, the professors are open to scheduling outside class meetings and appointments. The students are motivated and excited about the academics. You can find people getting together outside of class to work on projects and assignments. Moreover, you can encounter intellectual conversations in the dining halls concerning classes or other “hot topics” related to the academics. My major is business, but I have also taken a couple of classes at the computer science department. The most unique class, I have taken was an on-line class. I had never taken on-line classes before, so at first I felt uncertain about how to handle the class and whether my approach was correct. The professor made the class a piece of cake. She announced her office hours for students to come in and ask questions; moreover, she always timely replied to the students emails answering every question in detail. The Business School has a special place in my heart. I enjoy the classes and support the activities that are organized by the school. Homecomings, job fairs, and volunteering projects link the school with the community. Besides, the Marketing Association and Spiffy (the Finance Association) gather the students with similar interests and prepare them for the future career challenges. The academic requirements are fair enough to not make classes too easy, but at the same time avoid overchallenging average-performing students.The Business School gives the students an opportunity not only to study the theory, but also stimulates the students to apply their knowledge in practice. As a result, most projects and assignments are designed to reflect real-life situations. Some of the tasks to be accomplished during the course could be called “mini-internships”. For instance, in Marketing Research class, we did a project that called for working with the real company. At the end of the semester, the class presented the findings to the client. Working for the actual company was an exclusive and rewarding opportunity.

Academics at UMaine are very respectable. All of my teachers know me by name and are very helpful when I am in a bind or just need to chat. I am a Political Science major and I always smile when I see my adviser being quoted on NPR or by the AP. Classes are usually either a lecture hall format (usually for intro courses) or classroom oriented. Class room sizes are usually 25-40 students per. In my experience, class discussion is encouraged, and can sometimes be so lively that it carries on into the hallway after class. Also, if you can handle waking up, or like to learn from the comfort of your dorm, UMaine offers a large variety of online courses.

Most of my professors actually do know my name. Mostly because I'm done with the huge 100-level classes, or I took CLEP tests to skip them anyway. I was also in the Honors College my first two years and that created wonderful opportunities to get close to professors and other classmates. Academics aren't cut throat at all, but many students do strive to have perfect or near perfect GPA, but also many students never pick up a book, so you will see both sides of the coin here. It is not uncommon to see a student talking to a professor in the Union or coffee shops, however these are usually the professors of upper level or Honors classes. I am a Psychology major and I have to say, when I first started here we had a great program with great professors and research. But it has definitely gone down hill with many of our best professors leaving to work at other schools, and we've yet to replace many of them. Education requirements here are not unreasonable, but they also aren't the best either. No school has perfect requirements though, Gen Eds are always a pain. And if you take the first 4 classes of the Honors curriculum you will be excused from most Gen Eds. Our professors definitely stress getting a job for the most part, but it does depend on your program. For example if you're an Engineering major you will be working towards a job from day 1. If you're more of a liberal arts major you will get to detail your studies how you'd like and learn for the sake of learning if that's what you want.

The class sizes are great. Since I've started taking classes within my major, my class size have decreased dramatically. My professors know my name and when I see them outside of class, they even greet me! My favorite class by far was Women's Studies. It was a closely knit group that after the first couple of weeks, students and the professor were able to speak freely about their opinions without judgment. My least favorite class however was Biology 100. I'm not much of a science person but I utilized my free tutoring and the free drop in study sessions and was able to pass the class. Typically, students study quite frequently. Fogler, the library is constantly busy and full of knowledge-seeking students. The school's academic requirements really make you strive to have a well rounded education. Ive taken countless classes outside of my major and have loved learning new things that I otherwise wouldnt have taken. UMaine really wants you to be successful which is why they're constantly have job fairs aimed at graduating students that way they can put their major to work and will be happy with their outcome.

Since the University of Maine is a big university, introductory level classes are rather large and they generally feature four multiple choice tests that are 50-80 questions that are graded by machines on bubble sheets. These classes can really test your will power because attendance is rarely taken, participation is hard to monitor and there are few assignments. However, as you progress into upper level courses your classes get smaller, your professor know you well by name (especially within your department) and you earn well-deserved credit for your academics. Professors are good about offering extra credit, study sessions before exams and if your course is big and demanding often times there will be a Teacher's Assistant (TA) to offer even more availability than your teacher could provide. The University of Maine offers a nice big variety of courses and majors and by your senior year you will have the opportunity to take courses that you want to take, not fulfilling any general education requirements. The faculty at UMO is highly esteemed and compassionate towards helping you succeed.