University of New Mexico-Main Campus Top Questions

Good

It depends on your major and department. I am somewhat aware of liberal arts programs which I like. They are fairly well rounded and challenging. Most students seem to major in exercise science and STEM programs. Teacher education is popular as well, but this program, like most teacher ed programs in the country, are not comprehensive enough and do not prepare predominantly white female students to work in urban schools that are have predominantly Black and Brown students. The STEM type of classes seem to just stress students out-I get the impression that they rely completely on memorization. I was a tutor at the center for academic support and there seemed to be a lot of confusion of what was required of the assignments. I don't know if teachers were just lazy and unclear or if students just could not understand what their teachers wanted. The good thing is that there are a ton of majors available. I don't know what are the strongest departments, but there are many ways to design programs so that they work for you. There are a lot of options for what students can study, which means that there are opportuntities for students to learn new things through elective classes and interdisciplinary programs.

Hard but rewarding. Professors really want you to learn the material and understand the concepts they are teaching.

Academics are pretty good in my opinion. I keep hearing that the medical programs is what the university takes pride in. Lots of resources like tutors and teacher assistance available to students. Classroom settings 200+ are fair sized, giving more student-instructor interaction.

The academics are outstanding, in most areas. Specifically, the medical, BA/MD, business, and social science programs are excelling in ways that most University students don't have the opportunity to experience.

Academics are given various opportunities to thrive at UNM, and some students even have the opportunity to be a part of the Honors College and take classes such as Philosophy, Greek/Roman studies, etc. Aside from that, no department on campus has been left without a sense of rigor to their curriculum. For instance, I am in the college of Arts and Sciences, and as a freshman, I am preparing to take several upper division (300 level) French classes working towards my Foreign Languages major. There is plenty of opportunities for academic achievement here with enough commitment!

At the beginning of the semester, the professors don't know my name unless they have had me in a class of their's before. Usually, the professors start to remember my name as the semester goes by. I find that class participiation is quite common, especially when the professors try to get everyone to participate. I always find students studying for upcoming tests. Students have intellectual conversations outside of class; and, they are on various topics.

The sports, the food, and the tradition, the culture, and almost everything

The academics are very good for being a public college. Many of the programs UNM has are nationally ranked, like our medical school. I am in the biology department, which is very well organized for it's students. Professors work with students in work study or TA relationships and provide lots of experience for students going into different areas of biology. The curriculum at UNM has given me the chance to take classes I otherwise would not take. I have taken world religions, women's study classes, and a variety of communication classes. All of the classes facilitate intellectual conversations among students, which tend to carry into conversations outside of class. The professors show that they really care and most are very interested in giving us the best education they can. They are very welcoming in office hours, and rarely give a power distance feeling to students.

My majors are sociology, and English. I have found that both of these departments are phenomenal. The classes are interesting, and the teachers are extraordinarily knowledgeable about their subject. My favorite class has been Victorian Studies with Professor Hunt. I have found that most teachers will work to learn your name and get to know you. The exception to that is when you take a class of 100+ people. Teachers encourage class participation, and students generally participate. But there is not an air of completion. Most students want to help their fellow students, and will always lend some their notes and the like.