Academics at CSU are great! Of course, being a larger school class sizes can get large but typically these are the introductory, lower-level courses. My largest class had almost 500 students, yet I never felt lost in the crowd. I've been fortunate to have nothing but amazing professors who are not only available to me personally, but really engaged in the material their teaching. The passion and commitment that the professors have is truly inspiring, I don't think that this is something every school has and I suspect it comes from from our status as a Research One institution. Because the professors are actively involved in research, their attitudes towards the subjects they teach are full of vibrancy and relevancy. Studying outside of class is convenient as there are many places on campus or throughout the community that provide quiet, studious atmospheres. Most of the students on campus are seriously dedicated to their education and it's not hard to find other students to create study groups with. Additionally, students are often very engaged in class, though it's not expected for everyone to speak up, often the classroom environment is interactive and exciting - providing lots of opportunity for laid back and constructive participation. These types of conversations are often continued outside of class as well - I feel smarter just walking around on campus and over hearing the many intellectualized conversations going on around me. I supposed that everyone's interest in their academics may be competitive, but as far as I've seen on campus, everyone is really encouraging of one another. I've had countless conversations with other students across majors, and though I've expected judgement I've only ever received insight and been encouraged to share my own as well. The most unique class I've ever taken examined the evolution of humans and plants together and showed the influence of the two populations on the growth and development of one another- I learned so much about the interactions between species that I still bring up in conversation today. Being an English major I'm so privileged to have multiple published and renowned faculty within my department, it really makes my education worth that much more to me! CSU's academics are definitely geared toward the success of each student, whatever that might look like for them!