San Diego State University Top Questions

Academics all depend on the type of student. Some get involved, some don't. Professors here are willing to talk and get to know you if you reach out to them during office hours. The education here at the general requirement level is average,which is the extent of what I have experienced so far. I really enjoyed an introductory theater class I took here, it was extrememly interactive, but the professor is not teaching here anymore. The Television , Film and New Media classes are not bad at all.

Academics are very interactive. Whether it is from a student to professor or student to student, there is always conversations being sparked.Professor are especially more than happy to have students ask them questions, and they even provide plenty of office hours were you can get complete one on one attention. I'm majoring in Chemistry, and I am liking every bit of it. There plenty of research opportunities in my field and classes are very flexible.

All of the professors that I've had so far have been really nice, but as far as "knowing my name," it varies between each class. If you're in a big class (100-500, they do exist!), then the professor will not know your name. But I do have a few classes of 20-50 where the professors try really hard to be personable and memorize names when possible. I can't speak for other students, but I try to study whenever I have a free minute. Class participation is very common! And the professors make it very easy to want to participate. The learning environment is "friendly," so you can feel comfortable talking even if you aren't sure about your answer, and even if you end up being wrong about something. I haven't really seen much competitiveness as far as grades are concerned. In high school, there was a lot of that because everyone knew each other and we were stuck together all four years. In college, people in classes don't really carry over, so you won't have too many classes with one person. The most unique class I've taken is probably MIS180, Principles of Information Systems. It's unique to me anyway, because all the other subjects I've taken so far (biology, writing, geography, world history) are all things you would have come across in high school, but MIS180 is really specific to business information systems. My major is Accounting. I'm liking it a lot so far. The head of the accounting department provides a lot of information about upcoming job fairs and internships and so on, so that I think I'll be prepared when it comes time to think about that. The academic requirements seem a little tedious at first because "I'm not going to need to know the angle of solar declination when I'm computing taxes" but I think the school's idea is just to give us a well-rounded education. That way, we have some knowledge about everything. As far as the university's goal (getting a job or learning to learn), it really depends on what YOU are after. If you're looking to get a job after graduation, then you'll get to learn the ins and outs of the career you're hoping to enter. If you just want to learn, then you can do that too.

The academics at my school require a lot of studying, but with the right classes with the right professors, you will have an enjoyable first semester. There will be prerequisite classes for your major that you have to take, and then there are the GE course that you choose to take (those are usually the more fun ones!) Personally, a lot of the large lecture professors will not remember you out of about 500 students that they may teach times a week. It is up to you to make a positive impression on them (some know me because of my "interesting" first name). As for being a Pre-Nursing major, I still need to apply to get into the program my junior year. Therefore, I need to maintain high grades and be overall a better candidate for the program.

The Film program here is great, everything else is pretty terrible I think.

Many of the classes that I have taken at SDSU are very large and the professors don't usually know your name unless you visit their office hours regularly. My favorite class this semester is an upper division GE called Sociology355: Minority Group Relations. It is very fun and interesting. The teacher is very laid back and down to earth. We discuss really difficult topics, but can always laugh during class. My least favorite class this semester is my Biology100: Introduction to Biology class. It is very impersonal and involves a lot of busy work and time. Students at SDSU study a lot, however it depends greatly on the student. Class participation is common in smaller, more intimate classes. Large class usually never involve participation. Yes SDSU students have intelligent conversations outside of class, but that also depends on the people you are talking with. The most unique class that I have taken so far at SDSU was my Spanish211:Conversation and Reading class. We went on lots of field trips and had a very fun and involved class. I am a Public Administration minor. So far, I have had little to no contact with the department or professors outside of class. I feel that the requirements for SDSU are very fair, however, they make it very difficult for students to actually get into the major that they prefer because all of the majors are so impacted. I think that the education at SDSU is definately geared toward getting a job, however, many classes teach real life experiences in the classroom setting.

I like most of my professors, and all the important ones know me by name. Each professor is great and special in his/her own way. My German teachers have a great sense of humor when saying the word 'acht' (eight). And my Chem teacher had a pretty real personilty. My physics teachers mangage to keep my interest in my field, I have to give them props for that. One thing I like about this school is that it is not crazy competitive, every one does the best they can.

I like most of my professors, and all the important ones know me by name. Each professor is great and special in his/her own way. My German teachers have a great sense of humor when saying the word 'acht' (eight). And my Chem teacher had a pretty real personilty. My physics teachers mangage to keep my interest in my field, I have to give them props for that. One thing I like about this school is that it is not crazy competitive, every one does the best they can.

Most of my professors don't know my name, but they know who I am because I'm one of the few black kids in the class. My favorite class has to be my Physiology class because my teacher is very dynamic and great. My least favorite class was Physics, because my teacher never taught--teacher should be used lightly to refer to him. Students study the most when there's a test approaching, especially during mid-terms and finals. Class participation is only common when the instructor is stimulating. SDSU students don't have intellectual conversations outside of the class, that's what I personally think. The students aren't that competitive. They just want to get a grade and get the hell out. The most unique class I've taken so far has to be my Physiology class, because my teacher teaches things traditionally: no Powerpoint, no videos, all just a marker and him, you listen, he talks. I'm a Pre-Physical Therapy and Fine Arts major, both of which are impacted in the College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts. I don't spend time with my professors outside of class. I'm either rushing off to my next class or meeting. SDSU's academic requirements are ok as they are. SDSU is geared toward getting a job. I only feel like I'm learning when I'm being taught sensibly by competent non-boring teachers, which comes once in two years.