University of Arkansas Top Questions

What are the academics like at your school?

Kelsey

Most of my professors know my name. My favorite class was World Literature; least favorite was World Civilizatoins. Students study all of the time, or maybe it just seems like that because I'm in the honors dorm. Class participation is common, but so is skipping class. Arkansas students do have intellectual conversations outside of class. Students aren't overly competitive. The most unique class I've taken would have to be Math Reasoning. I have yet to declare a major. I do not spend time with professors outside of class. I feel like the academic requirements are perfect for me. My personal goal at Arkansas is to get a job.

Kathryn

Most of my professors know my name.

Emily

Half of my professors know my name.

Jack

professors, if the class is small, know kid's names. as freshmen we have to take the core classes that have tons and tons of kids in them, but the classes that we take that are specific for our majors are small and the teachers are able to learn all the student's names and spend a lot of time helping and answering questions. kids talk about scholastics outside of school in respect to homework and studying. we talk about each others opinions on things we have read and such. i think its about normal. kids everywhere do that.

Alex

My favorite class is biology and my least favorite class is government. Students tend to study a lot at least I know I do. Class participation is extremely common. Students are extremely competitive in Greek Life. I spend time with my professors outside class during office hours.

Brittany

most of my professors, with the exception of my really big core classes, know my name. the classes are smaller than they would be at like UT or one of those really big schools. students seem to be really good at balancing studying and social life. students here are very studious. lots of students HAVE to keep their grades up to be in their sororities, fraternities, and keep their scholarships.

Casey

The most unique class I've taken is On Death and Dying. It's a course about death education. It was very interesting and you learn a lot, while earning elective credit for most majors. I have taken some big classes where a professor wouldn't recognize me if we passed each other on the street, but the majority of my classes are relatively small for the size of the student body. My classes for my major have about 45-60+ students in them and this semester all my professors know my name. It's great to actually be recognizable to a professor because when you go to talk to them about the class or are having trouble and they've seen you in class everyday- they know your progress and what you are doing and want to help you. A lot of classes encourage class participation! It's always a good idea to go to class because many of them take roll or even give extra credit for being in class. All my classes this semester have attendance, but last semester two of them didn't. It varies by instructor, but if you go to class, you will understand the subject a lot better and get to know your professor. Once again, a professor that knows you is more willing to be lenient if you ever need help. The professors in my department, journalism, are very down to earth and really want you to do well. Once you are a junior, they become your advisors and can help you with figuring out your schedule. This strengthens the bond between you and your professors. The academic requirements for my department aren't hard to fulfill. You have to have 2 years of a foreign language, but I actually enjoyed doing French at Arkansas- my instructors were great!

Bailey

I'm in the honors college, and all of my teachers are great and are super accesible. A lot of the time the problems you run into in the classroom involve other students. Either they don't talk and you feel out of place continually being the only person who speaks to the teacher, or they are outspoken only when you violate their extremely conservative ideals. Most people here really aren't intellectuals, they are here to get a degree. But that doesn't mean there are no people here to start up an intellectual conversation with. There are people in every major from every background living in the same building, and you get a lot of diversity and a lot of different experiences out of that. The only professor I spend time with outside of class really is my debate coach, but I spend a lot of time with him and our debate TA and they are awesome, they hang out with us and act like there is no differentiation between us as students and him as a tenured professor.

Jessica

What some people don't realize is that the creative writing program at Arkansas is one of the best in the country, and I am proud to be a part of it. As a writer, my experiences in workshop classes are priceless to me as they helped me grow and mature in my craft. My favorite teacher in the program is Molly Giles. Within Fulbright college I've had a variety of classroom experiences from the huge auditorium classes, to intimate five-student classes. While undoubtedly, several teachers will never remember my face, there are still others who want to keep an open channel with me. My Italian teacher, Dr. Rozier, I have known for three and a half years, and sitting in her class every semester is like coming home. Besides these classes, some of my favorites have been Egyptology, Equestrian Industry, Folklore and Cultural Anthropology. There was enough room in my schedule to venture from my major for a few classes and I found the new experience invaluable.