Stony Brook University Top Questions

Most prof know my name. If you want good grades, itz best to seek out prof. My worst class is wst 103 with cromer (arghhh!) best would be clt 220 with mannir

Professors from my smaller history classes know my name and only some of those science professors from large 500 person classes do. I have made it a point to become involved in certain courses such as being a TA for organic chemistry and that has been a great way to get to know the professors. The students in my science classes are tremendously competitive. I feel that the academic requirements are fair, but I can see how they would be a little demanding for students who have not come in with credits from high school. The most unique class I have taken was Human Reproductive and Sexual Behavior. The entire class was based on that fact that human's are unique because of their evolved ability to throw. I feel that the History department offers a great amount of specific classes in a much smaller environment than my other science classes. I can't say that I have spent time outside of class with my professors except those that I am a TZ for and my research professor. I feel that Stonybrook is geared towards getting a job and moving on to higher education.

If you want to get to know professors, they will get to know you. Most students do not approach professors in lecture halls, or even smaller classes. You can get to know your professors if you try. My favorite classes are the DECs or the diverse education curriculum, they are the general education classes. Stony Brook requires you to take different categories of classes, and I loved my philosophy, sociology and theater classes. Many students study a lot, but an equal amount barely study at all. It depends on the circles you hang out in. There are students who spend most of the time in the library or other lounges studying. Class participation levels depends on the class attending. Some DEC classes which are fun and interactive have high participation levels, whereas some science and math class have little to no participation. SBU students often study together for tests or do cooperative work, outside of that I am not sure how much of an intellectual forum there is. My major is Physics. It is one of the founding departments at Stony Brook, and has a lot of very accomplished professors, postdocs, and graduate students working on innovative research. But on the undergraduate level it is quite small. I do not spend a significant amount of time with my professors outside of class. Stony Brook's requirements for most science majors are quite rigorous and you can get a good education if you try. As far as the education being applicable to jobs, I think that step you have to take yourself. There are internship opportunities offered to Stony Brook students which better prepare you for "the real world".

Professors don't exist here and even if they don't they don't care. Stony Brook is not intellectual at all. Don't Come here!

I think academics are good, most professors get to know your name, at least in smaller classes. There are some cool classes out there, like Soc of Reproduction or Family Violence. Both have down to earth teachers, and seem to encourage students to think about things that apply to us and that leads to discussions outside of class. Soc department is trying to offer more interesting classes.... there is emphasis on getting jobs, lots of workshops for job or grad school prep, which is good.

Sometimes I find that professors really care and really want to get to know each student, and other times it’s definitely not like that. In my major (Linguistics) majority of the classes are small, so a lot of the professors tend to get to know your name regardless. They are all usually extremely available and helpful in office hours and in general. However, I will be declaring a double major in Sociology, and in those classes, it’s very easy to blend in. You learn to take initiative whenever necessary. Stony Brook’s academic requirements can be a complete pain. You have to take different classes and each class fulfills a different DEC (Diversified Education Curriculum). Sometimes you literally get stuck in classes that you would never take otherwise and have to suffer through them just because you can’t graduate without completing the DEC. That definitely does not cover all of it though, because I cannot even tell you how many times I was able to find a DEC that was so much easier than my other classes. It can be like a complete breath of fresh air. Who knows, you might even find a subject you really like through it. One thing that always drives me crazy- I always have work to do. I don’t understand how there are always people who say that they have absolutely nothing to do and get to sit around playing video games. I’m not sure if they actually do not have work or if they just don’t do any of it. I have to admit, though, I’m more of the perfectionist type. I would still say not to expect to not do anything if you come here.

Many of the classes taken by students in the first year or two are very large, anywhere between 70 to 400 students, so it's hard for professors to remember students by name. As soon as I started taking classes within my major, though, class sizes became much smaller and more personal relationships with professors developed. I've had a lot of classes that I have enjoyed, both in my major and not. If I had to pick one I would say it was marketing. The professor always had a personal experience to help relate the concepts and even if he told the same story two or three times he still managed to keep it interesting, although I suspect he may have embellished a bit. There have been a few classes that I haven't enjoyed at all. They were core classes that we were required to take and found hard to focus on, but that happens to everyone. How often a student studies depends on the student I'd say. I know students who would study several hours every day, and I know students who might dedicate that much time to studying in a fortnight. Class participation is very common. There are always students who actively participate in class without the professor requiring it. The conversations often spill over class time and last well into a meal afterwards. Although debates can often get heated and are rarely solved it's not competition that drives the students. There aren't any gold stars handed out so there isn't any reason to fight for the professor's admiration. The most unique class I have ever taken was a writing class. A lot of the class time was spent outside the classroom. A typical assignment would involve walking around campus and looking for inspiration for a poem. This was nice on sunny days, but rain is not conducive for the creative spirit. Professors always have a good amount of students come to them during office hours and there are a handful of professors who can routinely be seen having lunch or holding special luncheons with students. The academic requirements at Stony Brook are tough, but certainly not unachievable. There is a minimum GPA to stay enrolled, but it's probably takes more effort to fall below it than above it. Classes are both geared towards getting a job and just learning for its own sake. Professors often use real world examples to illustrate concepts and also allow us to discuss ideas that may not be applicable while seeking a job. Class discussions often adapt to what the students want to talk about regardless of what the aim is.

Professors typically do not know your name, as many of the classes have 100+ students. In order for a professor to know your name, you have to put in a strong effort to participate in class and meet with the professor during office hours. There are some classes at Stony Brook which are smaller, I think I just happened to take many of the classes that are bigger. Another good way to let a professor know who you are is by doing research for them or being a teacher's assistant. That's probably a wise move for your academic future anyway, because those are great ways to get a letter of recommendation for grad school. My favorite class so far has been CFS 308: Violence in the Family. I loved that class because Rachel Kalish, the instructor of the course, had a way of making each class engaging. The class always went by so quickly because the material covered was actually interesting. My least favorite class has to be one I took for a DEC, which was AAS 220: China: Language and Culture. My friends and I all took it together, thinking it would be fairly easy. It ended up being really annoying. The teacher wanted everyone to do group presentations (the class was probably about 100/110 people). These presentations were originally to be 5 minutes long, but of course the first group to present went on for 10 minutes, which set the bar for everyone trying to out-do each other to look like they were better informed. It got to a point where some groups had to be presenting for at least 20 minutes, and I'm sorry to say, but the Hunan Province can only be entertaining for so long. The teacher kept changing the syllabus, and in the end, I have no clue how I got my grade since my teacher never handed anything back. Some students study a lot, some never crack open a book. I think it just depends on the individual. There are dorms on campus where it is quiet 24 hours a day. I have no idea who would elect to live in such a place, but to each their own. Class participation depends on the type of class. Some professors never make it part of the class, whereas other professors encourage it, even if the class is large. Often, it is the same few people who participate in class. Sometimes the people who participate aren't very helpful to the flow of the class, and ask questions that are pretty much irrelevant. I think students do engage in intellectual conversations outside of class, I know I do. Some students are competitive, but I'm sure it depends on what major you are. The most unique class I've taken so far is PSY 346 Health Psychology. The class is a lecture sized class, and yet the teacher has the class split up into discussion groups and minicourses on certain days, run by the UTAs. The students get to sign up for whichever group they are interested in, and participation and attendance to these groups are actually part of your grade. It's confusing at first, but it's really a great way to learn. I took a discussion group on stress management, so I got credit towards my grade for learning about something that is beneficial to me anyway. I am a psychology major, and my department is heavily research oriented. There are plenty opportunities to become a research assistant, and in the Honors College for Psych, you can even create your own project. I personally find my department advisor to be unhelpful, as anytime I have visited her office in the past, I was treated as if I was inconveniencing her. I remember when I was looking into internships and I went to the psych dept for help. My advisor gave me one reference, and it turns out the person she told me to contact no longer worked for the agency. I have spoken to other students who also have had bad experiences with the advisor. It just seems like she doesn't want to advise students at all. Lucky for me I know how to read my course bulletin, or else I'd be completely lost as to what I need to do to complete my major. I do not spend time with professors outside of class, I don't think I ever have, except for office hours. I think there are too many students on campus for professors to try and fraternize with. Stony Brook requires each student complete a set of classes known as DECS. They are labeled A-K, and certain ones require two courses in order to satisfy the req. I understand the reasoning behind DECs, but I find them to be annoying, and just one more thing to worry about completing in order to graduate on time. There has been one DEC, which is on european traditions, that I finally took this semester. It has been haunting me for the past four years and I just never found one I could tolerate until now. I think Stony Brook's education is geared towards both getting a job and learning for it's own sake. Stony Brook provides plenty of internships on campus, and linkages to ones offcampus. Stony Brook has pretty much everything you can want in an education. There are so many classes to choose from, you can certainly seek out whatever you are looking for in the college experience here at SBU.