Western Michigan University Top Questions

In my exeperience most classes are too large for professors to know your name. I have had a couple of classes where they did though. I loved Dr. Johnson's Psychology class. He was an absolutely amazing professor. Most students do not study a lot in my experience. Class participation is semi-common. Some students have intellectual conversations outside of class but not a lot. Students are competitive...AT BEER DRINKING! Thus far the most unique class I have taken was my genesis and devlopment of rock and roll class. It was a really fascinating look at the roots of American music. I have spent time after class talking with professors and I have never had a professor who was not willing to talk to me after class for as long as I wanted to about a subject. I wish they would clamp down on the academics here. I feel it would help a Western degree be looked at more favorably.

Western Michigan University is a top 100 school in the nation and is as competitive academically as any other state school in Michigan. If you believe the stereotype that Western is a party school and that you don't need to come to class and still get by, you are sorely mistaken.

My professors did know my name except for in one class. I had the benefit of having smaller class sizes, all being under thirty so it wasn't exactly a challenge for the professors to learn their students' names. My favorite class was calculus. I had never taken it before so it was extremely challenging in my first semester of college, but nothing feels better than knowing I completed and passed that class. I love math so I enjoyed the class overall and was really able to engage and push myself to achieve the grade I received. Students study different amounts based on their schedules. Most students have homework everyday and depending on the class have at least one test or quiz in each class per week so studying is required often but not so often it's unmanageable. Class participation is encouraged and common. Professors look to students to contribute and everyone's there to learn and everyone has opinions so why not share them? Some classes develop intellectual conversations after class more than others. With such a large university if a student wants to have an intellectual conversation they can find people to do it with. Students can be competitive but I haven't run into any problems. It's healthy competition if anything. It provides a way for students to motivate each other but in the end they usually support one another as well. The most unique class I've taken was the first year seminar class entitled "Arts in Action." My professor taught in the school of music and showed us Indonesian art, music and helped us Discover Kalamazoo as well as taught us basic skills to succeed during our time at Western. My current major is Undecided, however I am in the Business School. I am leaning towards a major in either Management or Nonprofit business. In the next semester I have signed up for classes that will hopefully show me a little more in the world of business so that I can narrow down and declare my major. The Business School has been very helpful in advising and always welcome questions and work with the students well. I do not spend time out of class with my professors too much, but I have stayed after to discuss what we talked about in class or grades. I feel that the academic requirements are appropriate for the different majors and departments and ultimately fairly determined. Education is geared toward both getting a job and learning on it's own. It mostly depends on the class but in today's society the amount of jobs are minimal and so it's important to be qualified. Professors provide real-life situations to prepare students for jobs in the real world but also teach them the basic information needed to receive a degree.

Western has a range of classes from huge lectures so no more than 16 people. A lot of the prerequisite classes are in huge lecture halls. Since so many students have to take a the same classes, this is what is necessary. The majority of professor's I have had, even in huge lecture halls, are more than willing to help you. I have been struggling academically in a course before along with 200 other students and my professor dropped what he was doing to help me. You have to make the extra effort to attend their office hours but it is well worth it. Students are friendly and willing to get together to help one another with classes. Even if you don't know the person you're sitting next to, it's easy to start up a conversation and get a new study buddy. There are constantly people in the library at all times of the year so if studying is your number 1 priority, you aren't alone. My favorite classes have been the ones with funny and charming professors. No student wants to sit through a 2 hour lecture but I've had professors that have made it well worth it.

Academics at WMU are awesome! Classes range from large lecture settings to small classrooms. In my two years at Western, I have had both small classes and big ones and almost every class has made me feel like I can go to the professor with a question and they will be there for me. My favorite class at WMU was my COM 2800 class. It is an organizational communication class. The material was not even my favorite part about the class, but the lecture and the professor. My lecture had about 85 kids and still my professor knew about 60{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the kids by name. She made class exciting with her power point slides and she even showed Youtube videos to help us relate to the material more.

Great school academically, and geared to prepare students to find a job upon graduation

Any degree from Western is a solid investment in my opinion, but there are many programs that stand out nationally. The Aviation program is unrivaled, the College of Fine Arts is surprisingly impressive for a Midwestern school, and majors like Nursing, Engineering, Education, and Business are also popular and competitive. Professors in smaller classes always know my name, or at least recognize me outside of the classroom and professors who lecture in 100+ person halls do seem to genuinely care how the class is learning and grasping the material. Some people are better students than others, but study groups are common and people are willing to help, including your professors so go to their office hours! I am a Business student in the Haworth College of Business, which is competitive. To give myself an edge and supplement what I learn in the classroom I stay involved with student organizations. Many of my professors recommend getting involved, which can be great preparation for life after college (networking, people skills, having leadership roles.) Getting an education from Western is ideal for someone looking to immediately enter the workforce, but also for those who want a solid undergraduate background for graduate level programs.

Any degree from Western is a solid investment in my opinion, but there are many programs that stand out nationally. The Aviation program is unrivaled, the College of Fine Arts is surprisingly impressive for a Midwestern school, and majors like Nursing, Engineering, Education, and Business are also popular and competitive. Professors in smaller classes always know my name, or at least recognize me outside of the classroom and professors who lecture in 100+ person halls do seem to genuinely care how the class is learning and grasping the material. Some people are better students than others, but study groups are common and people are willing to help, including your professors so go to their office hours! I am a Business student in the Haworth College of Business, which is competitive. To give myself an edge and supplement what I learn in the classroom I stay involved with student organizations. Many of my professors recommend getting involved, which can be great preparation for life after college (networking, people skills, having leadership roles.) Getting an education from Western is ideal for someone looking to immediately enter the workforce, but also for those who want a solid undergraduate background for graduate level programs.

Any degree from Western is a solid investment in my opinion, but there are many programs that stand out nationally. The Aviation programs are unrivaled, the College of Fine Arts is surprisingly impressive for a Midwestern school, and majors like Nursing, Engineering, Education, and Business are also popular and competitive. Professors in smaller classes always know my name, or at least recognize me outside of class and professors who lecture in 100+ person halls do seem to genuinely care how the class is learning and grasping the material. Some people are better students than others, but study groups are common and people are willing to help, including your professors so go to their office hours! I am a Business student in the Haworth College of Business, which is competitive. To give myself an edge and supplement what I learn in the classroom I get involved with student organizations. Many of my professors recommend getting involved, which can be great preparation for life after college (networking, people skills, having leadership roles.) Getting an education from Western is ideal for someone looking to immediately enter the workforce, but also for those who want a solid undergraduate background for graduate level programs.

Western attracts great professors like a hummingbird is attracted to a flower. We have amazing professors along with great class sizes and lecture halls and rooms. Many classes are contained to less than 100, and if we are enrolled in the Lee Honors College we can bet all our classes are under 30 students. We are driven by success and learning, along with knowledge. Students strive to learn more and want to grow as a person by experiencing the moment when someone shares that perfect piece of knowledge that makes the light bulb go off within our minds. Class participation is expected, but often over exceeds the professors expectations. The conversations are deep and insightful and we can walk away knowing something that we hadn't before. It is a great feeling to know that we are getting what we are paying for and will take what we learn away when we graduate and go on with our lives.