University of Nebraska-Lincoln Top Questions

Academics and University of Nebraska-Lincoln hold a wide range of opportunities such as study-abroad programs, numerous majors and minors choose from, and leadership opportunities. This allows students with a chance to pursue so many different things to build their resume and prepare for the real world.

Nebraska is not only good at athletics but students also graduate with a strong education in whatever field they want. It is extremely easy to find a study group in any and all of your classes. The professors are very welcoming and easy to talk to. They hold office hours where you can go in to get help. It is important to have a relationship with the professors on campus and I have noticed in my first year here that the teachers really do care about connecting with their students. Everyone that I have known who has graduated from UNL has found a job within their first year. After joining the Big Ten this year, Nebraska holds itself to even higher standards and has received extra attention and funds toward making UNL better in the future.

I am currently a senior, marketing and economics major and feel very comfortable in saying that I have received a high quality education at UNL. My professors know who I am, have office hours that they encourage students to use, and are experts in their field. Being a research institution opens a lot of doors for students as well. UNL not only provides you with excellent professors and professional faculty/staff, but they are there to help you before you enroll and after you graduate. Our Career Services office on campus helps numerous students find internships and jobs for post-graduation. I have personally had numerous classes where the professor has brought in their past students to present on professional opportunities available for students. UNL is very invested in students and I have found that to be true firsthand.

When talking with friends in various majors the amount of studying seems to largely depend on what your major is. I am a Business Administration major and my classes have varied in just about all aspects- class size, amount of class participation required, amount of studying needed, etc. If there is a certain style of instruction that helps you learn most you can talk with other students or an academic advisor and find out what professor you should take.

Class size can range from 120+ to 20 students. Professors of smaller classes will know the names of their students, however large lecture halls professors most likely will not. Participation is common in smaller classes. Lecture classes mainly consist of the professor lecturing and viewing a powerpoint. Attendance is taken based on professors preference, participation is encouraged in all classes I have taken here and some professors have participation points as a part of the overall grade. The student union and libraries are popular places for students to study outside of class. I am a part of the College of Journalism and Mass Communications. I have had group projects in many of my classes within my college and the union is a great place to do group work. Professors and advisors in the College of Journalism and Mass Communication are very open and willing to help students in and out of the classroom.

Academics here are pretty challenging. Sometimes you will get a TA that can barely speak English and gets mad when you can't understand them. My favorite class this semester was my english 151 class. It was real laid back and personal. Our professor knew all our names after three classes and she treated us as equals. The assignments were tough, but they paid off in the end. Most of the professors on campus obviously are enthusiastic about what they do, but again, classes are challenging. Being a freshman, I have not had a lot of experience yet with academics here, but there are many advising centers around campus set up to help you when you get stuck on something. They are also there with advice for getting a job and selecting classes.

It depends on the classes. Once you get past your general your classes become a lot smaller and you get to know the teachers on a more personal basis.

The professors here are really approachable and make it easy to go talk to them between or after class. Most of my classes, excluding lecture halls, we all manage to learn everyones names by the end of the semester. You'll see them on campus and say hey and it's not weird at all.

The professor-student relationships are highly dependent upon the department of the course in question. For example, the English classes are capped at a fairly small number, and the English teachers are wonderful about knowing all the students' names. On the other hand, a discipline like psychology requires larger lecture classes, in which the teachers rarely know the students' names. The Honors Program provides a great opportunity for an intense learning environment with a small class. All these questions are so highly dependent upon the individual student or program in question that they are difficult to answer. In the English department, class participation is very common and usually required. With students of my major, I have had multiple intellectual conversations outside of class. The students are more collaborative than competitive. The English professors are generally very friendly and available outside of class. The academic requirements occasionally seem like a lot of red tape. Some of the requirements make little sense. But, overall, it's fairly easy, as long as you follow the guidelines. Education is an excellent balance of preparing students for the "real world" and creating an intellectual environment where learning can take place.

Most professors make themselves available to anyone who asks. Every department is different, the business college, in which I am enrolled, has a strong support system of faculty at the ready to help students succeed. The trick is, the student must ask and put forth an effort.