The University of Texas at Austin Top Questions

The classes are too crowded. Most of the professors are solid. Some of the ones I have had in the business school are blow-off professors. However, the reputation of UT as a premier institution still seems to be holding up somehow.

The classes at UT are for the most part pretty rigorous. There is a lot of competition between students to get good grades. While some classes don't really seem geared toward helping you in the future, there are also many classes that give you real world skills that will help you when you graduate. I don't talk to my professors much outside of class but they are almost always available if necessary.

UT is a very good school. Professors are generally nice, caring people that are looking out for the students best interest.

You really have to try hard for your professors to know you. Students are very competitive, but because of large class sizes, you might not know this at times.

They are very tough but also very informative

Freshman year classes are all pretty big so most professors don't know the students but as you get older that changes. All of my professors know my name and I am a second year engineering student.

The classes at UT are rather large in the sciences. The professors do not know your name unless you go to them. This is good though because it causes you to take an interest in your own education and causes you to step out there. My favorite class t UT was interviewing principles and practices with Gary Beck. This is because he made the class very interesting with hands on experiences and projects. The knowledge I gained in the class I know I will use again. This I cannot say is the same for my science courses. I feel as though the science courses are for learning for learning sake and that professors and TA's are okay with students getting C. "That is what we shoot for" as one professor stated. I feel as though this can be better handled. We all cannot make A's I know that but those of us who study and prepare for an exam should not be burdened with a C just because the professor makes the test really hard just to fill her own quota of a C. If a C is acceptable then one needs to ask what they are really walking away with after the class. Med schools look for students who love the field of medicine and are logical and can think on their feet. Some of us don't even get looked at because biology or chemistry courses that have little relevance to the Medical field cause our GPA's to fall. This is unfair. I have a desire for people and medicine. Not cells and DNA. Give me a class in which I can learn about the basics of being a doctor. Sometimes I think we could pass the whole undergrad thing and just go straight to Medical School. I know plenty of doctors who have said that they do not use the things they learned in Organic Chemistry and Genetics. So why am I taking them?

I am an economics major and I feel like we have good professors. Some classes have good class participation and some don't, it is kind of hit or miss, it just depends on class size and the professors style.

-large classes=not very much personal attention -but there are ample apportunities to help yourself in these classes -as everybody gets more specialized in their majors the classes get smaller

I enjoy my department at UT. Being one of the smaller schools, petroleum engineering feels more like a school within a school. Once in major sequence, professors begin to learn your name and develop working relationships.

My favorite class has been PHL304 with Krecz.

Academics at UT are good. While there are lots of classes with over 500+ people, the teachers still make themselves available to ask them private and specific questions. In some of my smaller classes, the teachers learn our names. There is also a lot of student participation. I am in the Business school but I'm also doing pre-med. Business is pretty easy but pre-med is not. It takes a lot of studying to keep up.

I'm a business major, and I don't study very much. While the business school my be the hardest school to get into, it's one of the easiest to graduate from.

My favorite class was Architecture in Society, taught by Larry Speck. He is an incredible lecturer, and I really enjoyed the subject matter. Physics has been my least favorite. I just transferred into economics, so I can't say much about that major yet. But, UT requirements are great, and are geared towards education and occupation.

Teacher rarely know the students' names unless it is a smaller, upper division class.

School is hard but worthwhile and interesting.

UT is very academics focused. There are people at UT that turned down 4 years at Ivy League colleges. All honors programs are amazing and if you excel here, you can get a job working for any company that hires Ivy Leaguers. Easy for the first few years and harder within major specific classes.

EXCELLENT. I chose to go to UT because of the academics. Not to brag, but I was a very prestigous student coming from high school and could have attended almost any university I wished. I chose UT because I felt it would be the best choice academically and would allow me to branch out into other fields.

The academics are challenging. The classes tend to be a bit to big and make it difficult for discussion but they do give you a great opportunity to learn a great deal.

I love small classes because you get to be very personal with your classmates and teachers. My Advertising Management class with Gene Kincaid was awesome and we were about 40 students in the class. However, this is not the typical case in UT, usually classes are huge and they have the TA structure, where you meet in smaller groups with a TA, which helps a lot, but it's not the same as smaller classes, where you can give your opinion and interact directly with the teachers.

I know all of my professors personally, and they all know my name. Most students study on a fairly regular basis, and it's certainly necessary. I don't know about most students, but my friends and I have intellectual conversations.

Students are competitive. You will learn very quickly that you are average. If you are set on making A's throughout college, well Texas is not the school for you. The only people who I know that come out of here with 4.0s are freaks with no lives (or those who did not have to work through college). You will make Bs and Cs in some classes, and you will be a stronger student in the long run for it.

Profs will get to know your name if you go to office hours, it's easy to get lost in the crowd if all you do is go to class then go home. All the Profs I've talked to are extremely intelligent and helpful if you take some time to get to know them. I feel like UT's academic requirements are hard enough but, not restrictively so.

Our school is a very large one so for the first two years, getting to know your professors personally is something you must work on. Once you progress into your field though it is easy to get to know your professors, and find those favorite classes. Most students focus on class while in class, and then participate in their extracurriculars and extracurriculars outside of class. UT has over 1000 active student organizations so there is something for everyone to do.

Great--many intro classes are big and inpersonal, but you get used to it. Favorite class so far--Interpersonal Communication with Dr. John Daly

In my major, students are extremely competitive. One of the reasons that I have decided to not go to medical school, at least not right now, is because of the over-competitive atmosphere. In general I have had really good professors that seem to really care about teaching. I have two favorite classes that I have taken at UT. The first was this year, a course called the Biology of Birds. It is taught by Dr. Peter English, and although I have done more work for that class than any other I have taken, he truly wants students to learn, and takes hours and hours of his own personal time to make sure each student understands and learns. My other favorite class I took sophomore year. It is called Human Sexuality and was taught by Dr. Larry Brownstein. He speaks about personal relationships a lot in his class, which really made me feel like I could apply the knowledge to my personal life.

The professors are amazing for the most part. I suppose a better teacher to student ratio could really improve the academic experience, but if a student puts for the effort and really wants to get to know a professor all they need to do is attempt to create that relationship. At UT you can find genius level students and you can find the other side of the spectrum which is students of average and lower level intelligence.

academics are good and the students are intelligent. business and engineering are great schools and so are all the honors programs. classes are big so take that into consideration too

Great class selection. Some are better than others though. And some are amazingly hard to get into because they are so good.

Hard but rewarding material taught her

My favorite kind of class at UT, is the kind in auditoriums with stadium seating. It reminds me of the feeling I first had on the first day of school, walking into the huge room like "oh my gosh I'm in college!!"

Good and bad. Be sure to check out national statistics on your area of study. Also, check out professors before you take a class.

Academics at UT are what you make of them. You could easily not go to class all that much and just get by. Or you can take classes that are more challenging, actually go to class, go to office hours, get to know your professor, and ultimately have a much more gratifying experience. I found myself somewhere in between because I worked and didn't always have the time to go meet with my professors all the time.

Professors dont know my name! well it actually depends on the size of the class( if it is upper division they will know it otherwise they wont). My favorite class was calculus ! and my least favorite acc311!. Class participation is only common if its mandatory. Students are really competitive specially in engeneering, business and plan II. Education in the BUsiness schools is geared toward getting a job, but i think other departments are gear toward learning for your own sake.

Professor are very good. Most of them enjoy teaching, and all of them are highly qualified. All my professors know my name. In engineering you HAVE to study, no matter how clever you are. There is always tons of homework and projects. Engineerings always talk really intellectual topics outside of class, at least most do. UT is just awesome! it really prepares you for the reall world, getting a job!

UT has wonderful academics. I have gotten to know each and everyone of my professors personally, no matter if the class had 400 students or only 20. I think UT students have a perfect work/play balance as far as studying goes. The students at UT seem to know when it is time to play, and when it is time to crack down and get to work. My favorite class was human sexuality.

My particular major is the Masters of Professional Accounting program. It is ranked #1 in the country for the best accounting program. I take a lot of pride in that and I get a lot out of it. When you tell someone you were an accounting major at UT and they are in business they know exactly what kind of program it is.

The first couple of years the classes are huge, teachers don't know your name, and it is easy to get behind. However, as you get further into your studies, teachers are more active, classes are smaller and there is more intellectual competition.

I study about 12 hours before any test I take- except sciences, those require more like 36 hours. I don't know a lot of students at other colleges that would have that kind of dedication for their undergrad classes.

Keeping in line with my previous statement, I feel two specific courses should be more publicized. In the social work department, they offer SS W 325, Social Justice, which is a very thought provoking class. The next is in the sociology department, SOC 321K-W Development and Global Social Change. This has been one of the most amazing classes I could have imagined. It has been one of the most intriguing and I have grown a lot because of it.

The upper division classes at UT are pretty small. You get to know the professors and the professors get to know you if you try a little. Students definitely study more when tests approach. Thats when they get worried. Some majors teach students how to get a job while others focus on learning for learnings sake. I don't spend time with professors outside of class other than an occasional office hour.

I might have a biased outlook being in honors programs where the class size is smaller, but we attract great faculty and have challenging academics. the education has been great, and I will be well-prepared for finding a job.

I am part of a small school, the School of Architecture, and the largest school at UT, the College of Liberal Arts. In the small school all of my professors know my name, as do some of the administrators. My Liberal Arts major is Spanish, so those classes are small and the teachers usually know my name, but I don't know any of the administration personally. Students definitely have intellectual conversations outside of class. The most unique classes are the design studios in architecture because the assignments are all projects, not tests and readings. Also, the professors work with us one-on-one every day. The education is not geared toward getting a job, but the resources are definitely available. Learning for its own sake is definitely encouraged in these two schools.

Classes start big and get smaller. Don't be too intimidated in the beginning.

UT is ranked top ten in several programs. Im in engineering so most of my experience is in that. It is very competitive and most students study a lot... I dont think the smartest students get the best grades tho but the ones who study the most.

If you have a class you really enjoy going to, try to get to know the teacher. Class participation is usually shy, and with an encouraging professor that can change. If it doesn't, DON'T be afraid to speak up and ask questions. You're not incompetent. Half the kids are probably wondering the same question, and if they're not, you only did them a favor. In my economic classes, I would always ask questions and I loved that when I got an answer, everyone in my class would write it down. See, if I hadn't asked it, they wouldn't have that little bit of knowledge. It's a little cocky but, class participation is really valuable - and your questions and inquiries have value too. In all honesty, I've never been one to procrastinate. I made an effort not to pick up that habit also. And so far I'm pretty successful. WORK FIRST, PLAY LATER. It's difficult, but when you finally get to play, it's SO MUCH MORE FUN because you don't have those obligations and burdens boggin' you down. Course material really depends on the professor. It's not bad if you can manage your time well. See above. Be assertive in class, but not annoying.

My favorite classes are those in which professors care about my progress and write personal comments on my work. Implications of this are definitely smaller class size and a professor who really believes in teaching. My hardest classes are those with the large class sizes. It is intimidating for me to approach professors, and it is nice to have professors bridging that intimidation by showing they really care about you through personal comments.

Academics are very challenging here, but the teachers are also very accessible.

most of my professors know their students by name; favorite classes - structural analysis, water/wastewater, air pollution, ballroom; class participation is common as well as a good amount of studying; not too competitive; academic requirements for engineers is quite high; fairly balanced when it comes to learning for our future career and learning for the sake of learning

classes are interesting. i wish i had more time to take classes for fun and for my own learning enjoyment. i think the academics are a good balance between challenging and having fun.