University of California-Irvine Top Questions

What are the academics like at your school?

Chantal

The academics are really great here. They are all about trying to have each student succeed and be able to learn in a comfortable environment. Academics is very important here.

Edwin

The academics are great and some are hard depending what your major is.

Andrea

What is so great is that the professors here on our campus are currently doing research on their field of study. That means that when they teach classes, they will be incorporating recent findings that they are working on in their research. Mainly the lower division courses are the typical 200 to 400 students to 1 professor ratio. Many of the Upper division courses are very small, which allows you to create a relationship with the professor. In the bigger classes, it is a bit more difficult to create connection with the professor, but the great thing is that every professor is required to offer office hours, which allows students to go ask questions about the lecture or just even talk and get to know the professor. So either way, there is a way to get connect with professors. Many of the Students here are competitive. It all depends on the major you are in and the courses you take. One of the most favorite classes is Abnormal Behavior with Professor Jamner. It is such an amazing class. It is just mind blowing and the professor is super chill and funny. The one class that I just regret taking is History 21A, which was just world history. First of all, I'm not a fan of history and then the professor was not the best.

Natalie

There are usually a large amount of students in the libraries either studying or doing classwork. Class participation really depends on your professor. However, in my experiences so far, it is rare for class participation to be part of your grade. Sometimes I do hear students having intellectual conversations outside of class. For the most part, the students are having these conversations with their professor, but sometimes students do have these conversations. Students are not really competitive, unless you have competitive events then they will be. I enrolled as an undeclared student. I am now a mathematics major and I want to go for a psychology minor. Mathematics majors have to take one year of physics or chemistry, and a lot of math. There is free tutoring for physics and math courses as well as chemistry. The School of Physical Sciences is extremely helpful. Before I even I was able to sit down and talk with one of the advisors and talk about my plans and ask any questions I had. The math department sends out weekly emails and there is a list of events and extremely helpful resources you can take advantage of. The school's academic requirements are doable in four years and the education is geared more towards learning then just getting a job.

Oscar

General Education is just that: general. But upper division course are completely different! Professors here care about their students, every department has someone that students can count on! And one of the beautiful things about our school is that students MUST do research to graduate! While some students dread this, the majority of them are grateful, for this is one opportunity for students to venture out, to gain that experience while making those connections that will be necessary to make a living out of what students consider their dream jobs: that career that they can happily claim theirs until retirement.

karlee

I am in the nursing major at school and our class is only 45 students. This is nice because the professors try hard to learn our names and get to know us since we are such a small group, compared to the 400 student lecture halls. My favorite class was anthropology with Mr Murray. He is such an amazing professor. He is entertaining and young, yet you learn a lot in class at the same time. He makes it fun to attend lecture. My least favorite class was writing 39C. It was such a tedious class and there was so much work involved. I wouldn't have minded the work except it was on a subject that I was not interesting in writing about, the war in Iraq. Students are very competitive at my school. In the huge biology classes, many students will not answer a question that you ask simply because they don't want to give you an advantage of knowing more than them. That is one thing I enjoy about my nursing class, that no one competes and we all help and encourage one another. Our nursing professors are willing to spend time outside of class with us. I have met many of them for office hours. They are willing to help and want us to succeed. I feel that learning at this school is geared towards both getting a job and learning for its own sake. If you don't choose a major, then you are able to just learn for the sake of learning. If you have a purpose and a goal, you are able to learn for fun, but also take classes that will help you get a job in the future.

Leo

I had a pretty positive experience with my professors overall. Of course it depends on what major/program you do. Do some research on what programs are good at UCI. I spent most of my time in the humanities school, where the teachers are quite excellent. It gets pretty good when you hit upper-division classes because that's when they get smaller and you can make connections with professors and other students easier. In regards to classmates, I don't want to sound like a jackass/smartass but I didn't find most of the students to be very smart or open-minded. Maybe it's just the bubbly environment of the OC. Overall, UCI students aren't what you would consider to be overachievers. The atmosphere of the school is quite laid-back and this is reflected in the students too. It's a different story for engineers, compsci, and bio majors, who you'll find probably studying at least twice as much as other students. The education at UCI, like the other UCs, is not very practical and is focused on research/learning. Well duh, they're all research schools. I just wished somebody made that more clear to me beforehand. Because of this, make sure you put the effort into getting internships. That is probably one of my biggest regrets. You'll have a tough time finding a job afterwards without practical work experience. If you want more practical job skills, go to the upper-tier Cal State schools (Poly, SDSU, SJSU, SFSU, Fullerton, Long Beach, Sonoma, to name a few).

Ren

UCI is an enormous school. There are so many people here that you'll have trouble meeting professors. I had easily 150-200 students in my intro seminars, in which the professors read off powerpoints for the duration of the class. I didn't even go to my Humanities Core lecture for the second half of the year because I could access all the notes online, and got an A on the final. The smaller classes are only upper division, which usually requires fulfillment of at least 3 lower divs...which means you'll be waiting until winter quarter of sophomore year before you'll get to have a discussion in class. Everything is standardized. Exams, the way students are treated by teachers, and the administration. This is a very hands-off approach to education, in which they try to squeeze in the maximum amount of students so they get more revenue. Students frequently complain about the lack of support from professors. More often than not you'll be taught by TAs, and incompetent TAs at that. Many are upperclassmen or grad students (yes, I had an upperclassman teach me in Lingustics) who don't particularly care about being there and are just looking to make some extra money. The administration makes it extremely hard to get anything accomplished. When I transferred out, there was nowhere to go to get help on my applications or paperwork. The academic advisors are nice but they don't know you--there are six per department and they serve thousands of students.

Monique

Professors can get to know your name if you want them to know your name. I actually kind of liked that since I had the tendency to fall asleep in the boring classes. For the professors that I really did enjoy, as long as I just made even just a slight effort they were quite helpful. Some of them I even considered to be my friends. As mentioned before, UCI students are pretty chill. We go to class in our pj's and flip flops on a regular basis. I was a polisci and international studies double major in the school of social sciences and I liked the scope of the classes. I got a lot of freedom to take a wide variety classes that interested me. Some of the more serious classes i liked were Law and the Drug Trade, Black Politics, Radical Traditions of the Philippines, History of Revolution in Cuba, and Economic Anthropology. My most favorite for fun classes were Biology and Chemistry of Cooking, Sociology & History of HipHop, Performance Art, and Latin Music Appreciation. I took all these classes three or more years ago and still remember a lot of what I learned in them so I consider it money well spent. I think the curriculum in the social science department prepares its students to go on to some kind of graduate school as opposed to getting a job. But I think thats the nature of most social sciences. Most people go on to get a Law degree, MBA, MPA or some other kind of Masters. I know of several people including myself who went Ivy League for grad school after UCI. Either that or they work for some company or organization doing something to pay the bills whatever that may be. A lot of us go into teaching.

Hunter

My guess is 90{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the courses at UCI are tough. As an art major, I had mostly small classes of fewer than 14 students, and my professors all had high profile professional reputations. UCI students can be very intellectual AND athletic; competitiveness varies with majors. Most schools are highly selective; many majors are extremely theoretical, including Evolutionary Biology, Social Ecology and Critical Theory. Most students speak a foreign language as well as English. The campus is very tech-savvy, and most student have no problems finding a job after graduating or gaining admission to graduate and professional schools.

Ann

i see general apathy regarding politics and issues outside of classroom. I wish students have intellectual conversations outside of class. Students are not that competitive within the School of Humanities, and certainly not among History students. I spent time with professors outside of class. The education at UCI help students hone their skills from writing to critical thinking.My favorite classes were Humanities Core, Gender in 19th century America, and Introduction to Law (Sellgren). I enjoyed Humanities Honors classes tremendously. Again, I really like the interdisciplinary aspect of the classes. My least favorite has to be Calculus. I disagree with one of the academic requirements. Students, outside of School of Humanities ,do not have to study foreign languages. I believe that they SHOULD have some mandatory language requirements because we live in highly global society that requires constant communication and understanding about the world we live in. I did wish that School of Social Sciences had less school requirements so I could double major in Anthropology or Political Science.

Lindsay

Academics at UCI is completely dependent on your major. My experience as a Political Science major (and Accounting minor) has been positive, but would be very different than that of an engineering, biology, or dance major. My classes have generally been large and un-participatory. However, through office hours, honors programs, seminars, and campus resources students can choose to make their academic experiences more engaging and personal- students have to take initiative though to seek out these opportunities.

Brett

Academically, UCI has so many great resources available for its students. But many times it requires students to be proactive to really be able to take advantage of these resources. For example, class sizes may vary from very large (over a hundred) to an intimate setting (thirty or less). Despite these varying circumstances, it is possible to develop strong, meaningful relationships with professors. I for one became very good friends with several of my professors and keep in touch with them until this day. Not only were they my professors, they were my mentors. Though my stated major in this survey is "American Studies," my actual major was Asian American Studies. I was and still am very passionate about the field and found all of my major classes to be fascinating. Some of my favorite courses also included classes offered by the Film & Media Studies Department (as I was minoring in Film & Media Studies). I loved watching full-length films in class and then analyzing them. Who knew watching movies could consitute "studying"!

Alex

If you just blindly go through your classes, no professor is ever going to know your name. There are just too many people in the classes usually, especially the intro classes or required classes for science majors. There are some freshman seminars that have limited enrollment to encourage professor/student interaction, but there is usually little reason to have a bond after the class is over. However, I did get to know a few professors well through being the tutor for their class or through showing interest in their subject. Most students start out as bio majors, and by the end, most of them end up in other majors either because they couldn't cut it or because they weren't that interested in the subject. As a result, non-science majors get a lot of the science (and also some engineering) rejects. Students aren't usually too aggressive with the exception of the premed people, which constitute a large proportion of the school and of the bio majors. Although I never experienced having notes stolen or pages torn out of books as I've heard from other institutions, the premed people are pretty hard core about making the grade, establishing connections with professors for letters of recommendation, getting in the extracurriculars, etc. Many classes also grade on a curve, which can encourage competition, but I was always helped by the curve. Biology is a very popular major at UCI as the majority of the students start out wanting to be doctors. As the years go on, though, many realize they may not have the stamina to do so, but at the end, a lot of people do end up following through to medical school. If you don't have priority at registration, it can be hard to get the classes you want, but there are waiting lists. Academic advising can be hit and miss in the biology department. A few of the academic counselors have been very helpful to me, but everyone I've talked to has had some traumatic experience in the biology student affairs office. With the huge number of students they serve, I can kind of see how that could be, but they can be kind of harsh if you're not the best student. Most of the professors are very accessible with office hours and through email. On-campus housing also makes a conscious effort to get professors into the housing complexes to interact with students. However, most students probably have very little interaction with their professors outside of class time. On the other hand, if you engage in undergraduate research as I did, you'll probably develop a very strong relationship with that professor with whom you do research. I know I've been out to eat with my PI (principal investigator=head of research lab) several times and have kept contact with her even after graduation. UCI has a laundry list of breadth requirements, which are kind of a hassle, but I suppose they are a necessary evil. Probably the most well-known breadth class is Humanities Core Course, which is a year long class that involves reading lots of literary works and writing lots of papers but also fulfills a lot of requirements. The school builds it up to be a great thing, and I suppose if you're into the humanities, it is. If you don't really like all the reading, writing, and analysis, it's really not that great. I guess I strengthened my writing skills, but I wouldn't really recommend it to someone unless they did like the humanities.

Dale

Professor O'Connell is the BEST professor on campus.

Evan

UCI has some of the best professors and unique classes. I was an Asian American Studies and Studio Art major. Since both majors are small, it wasn't too hard to stand out. If you do your work well, the teachers will notice you. I took Chinese and my teacher was so fun and fresh, she invited us to her house to have dumplings to celebrate a Chinese skit performance. I feel that all my teachers really cared for my education. They went out of their way to write recommendation letters for us and meet us after class. There are several professors I feel comfortable visiting outside of school for lunch or just to talk. There are several core classes like Humanities Core and Studio Art 1ABC that is well designed but many freshmen can't appreciate it. I have to say I was one of them, and in retrospect, I could have a stronger scholar if I took in everything as seriously as they wanted me to.

Steph

A lot of my classes were really big so it was hard to develop a relationship with a professor. If a student went out of their way to introduce themselves and go to office hours and ask questions then the professors would have more of a chance to get to know them, but I wasn't that kind of student. In some smaller classes it's easier to get to know the professors, but on the whole most professors won't know who you are. I really enjoyed the criminology classes that I took, especially those with Professor Dombrink, it was a nice break from bio stuff. Biology is a really competative major, but with crim people are more interested in hearing how someone else would interpret something rather than the "right" and "wrong" of things. I feel like the academic requirements at UCI are pretty high. The point of college is to teach you to test yourself and to perform to the best of your abilities. If you weren't challenged I think it would be a waste, you might as well start at a junior college. Instruction is fast-paced, but if you are having difficulty, there are ways for you to get help which is comforting. Chances are you won't be the only one struggling.

Julia

Academically I was very challenged at UC Irvine. I was very undecided about what I was going to majoring in while in school. Over the course of year and through various classes I found my niche and passion which was anthropology. Classes such as Humanities Core challenged me to become a better reader and writer, skills necessary to do well in any class. Most of my classes for the first two years had large lectures (200 people) with smaller (20 person) discussions and are fundamental to your existence as a student. As I began to take classes smaller and more specific in nature my love for going to class began. Not to be a dork but I loved the intellectual stimulation that I was gaining. Many of my classes had large amounts of reading and papers that allowed me to explore the field of anthropology from many perspectives. As an individual naturally inclined to ask a lot of questions I did not find it hard to get to know my professors. I went to their office hours to talk about my papers, ideas and concepts, and the possibilities of going to grad school. I feel like if you show your interest in pursuing and understanding the material you will be able to do well in any class. In terms of studying many students are concerned about doing well. Many classes I was able to take with friends which was even more enjoyable. A lot of people study of campus, Gateway commons, Langston Library, even outside. I feel that the people I surrounded myself with did study a lot, but just as in any other schools there are people who just mess around and are just there for the social part of college.

Cameron

Professors vary from class to class. Some professors like to get students involved, and others just like to talk. The really good place to have conversations is in discussion section. There you can talk to the other students, and the grad-student T.A. about the material. Also, all Professors have office hours, and usually, they really enjoy talking to students who attend them. The Economics Department is pretty good, they aren't anything special, but they teach pretty well. Some professors have heavy accents, but that is to be expected at a University that recruits internationally. UCI is a great University to have on your resume. Many companies recruit from UCI and the career center actively attempts to pair students with jobs. I already have a job lined up for after I graduate, and it is only the beginning of the year. As for how hard the school is academically, I am told that people struggle in the Bio department, but in Economics, the classes are ridiculously easy. I would wager to say that I am of above average intelligence, but if you do the readings and go to class, you are sure to get at least a B.

Robyn

After I completed my general ed. and finally started taking the classes in the subject I was interested in, school became a lot more interesting. I started getting more involved and introduced myself to faculty whom I enjoyed. By my third year I got the courage to walk up to a professor and talk to him about his research lab. Since then I have been doing research with him and was able to quit my job and get paid for being a research assistant. Through this I was more connected with my peers, found out what my interests were, and made the decision to go to graduate school. I have found the Psychology and Social Behavior major very informative and I feel I have learned a lot.

billy

Classes are too big and not too personal. It can be really competitive with all of the asians deciding not to use the four years of college as the last chance to have wreckless fun but to study and make everyone else's life a hassle

Jonathan

Yes, professors know my name. Most Favorite: Soil Mechanics, Least: Mechanics of Materials. Class participation is not that common. Rarely any intellectual conversations outside class. Bio students are competative, engineers are cool with eachother.

Torry

In the larger classes, it is extremely unlikely that your professor will know your name unless you go to office hours and suck dick/ perform cunnulingus (God, how I love office hours!). If you want to make a lot of money and have a clear career path, go to a Cal State and major in business or nursing. If you want a Social Science degree from a "superior" institution like the UC, get ready for grad school before you are able to make any money aside from what you make as a street-walking tranny in Hollywood.

Kelly

awesome.

Alex

UCI will definetly prepare you for the "real world" and we offer those opportunities to you students even before they graduate. We have career fairs every quarter and the career center on campus is always willing to help students. Besides the career fair we have teh grad school fair where grad schools from across the nation come to tell you about their various programs.

Jason

It's not too hard, some people think they're really smart, and I'm sure they are, but it isn't Berkeley or anything.

Ryan

Professors do not know my name as most biology lectures have more than 300 students. If you go to office hours you can get to know the professors and some are very welcoming to students. My favorite class was biochemistry because I found the information very interesting and my least favorite was physics because it is very difficult. Some students study all the time, while most "cram" a few days prior to exams. In biology, especially upper division, students get very competitive as grades are very important for grad schools. Student conversations often involve classes that you are taking and professors that you may have had. UCI has fair academic requirements and the biology department tends to be one of the largest and most popular. I have had mixed experiences with the biology department counselors, the most recent being good. The education at UCI is geared toward learning, but has some relevance in biology towards getting a job in a health profession.

Troy

The academics at UCI could not be better! We are the number 13th research university and if you look into some departments we are in the top 5 if not number 1! Professors are incredibly easy to seek out, in fact I am currently overwhelmed because I have too many collaboration projects with professors and recently I have gotten to CHOOSE between which WORLD RENOWNED professors I am going to work with. I am actually writing this report right now in one of my labs and behind me are the materials for a study that changed the face of a field of psychology. This morning I went and saw a speaker and with grad students actively critiqued a high profile court case in a way that no one has every critiqued it using well proven cognitive psychological argues. After that I had a discussion with my lab and was delegated the role of creating the most integral part of study that will maybe one day pervade the psychology literature and students will be reading my words for the next 50 years. And ladies and gentleman I am only junior and it is only 10:15am. ALSO!!!! UCI has is NOT a just a theory institution. Let me repeat myself, UCI is NOT all about theory. They have an amazing career center and faculty members that are interested you future whether it be academic or professional. In writing class they teach you how to write, not just how to analyze writing. In psychology they teach you how create experiments and how to use this information practically not just the theory. UCI does not just teach you, it trains you. And with amazing Study Aboard and internship programs across every departments and between departments, you are good to go! So as I was saying it’s 10:15am, later today I have an application to finish for a job in Washington DC this summer as part of the UCDC program to work at the Nationals capital with a congressman.

Kirsten

My personal biggest complaint about the school is that b/c it's a research university, sometimes (not always) professors are more interested in their research than teaching. Don't get me wrong, some professors are great! But it's been experience that many are amazing researchers, and much weaker teachers (simply b/c teaching is not their priority). So make sure if you're coming to UCI, you are at least somewhat interested in research. It's also pretty difficult to get to know your professor on a more personal level...in order to do so, you really have to put some effort into it. But perhaps this is great prep for the real world! Professors are generally very approachable and would love if students took more initiative in getting to know them. Students here take academics seriously and spend a lot of time studying. Class participation is common if the students like the professor and the class. I would say that one of the things I love about UCI is that students DO have intellecual conversations outside of class. Students aren't competitive in ways that I've heard other universities (like Cal Berkeley) are. For the most part, everyone hopes that everyone else succeeds. I have loved Psychology and Social Behavior. It's given me the chance to take some really fun classes. I'm also a double major in Criminology, Law, and Society....a very interesting major, but with some serious organizational problems. I have not spent too much time with professors out of class, but it's not b/c the opportunities haven't been there. I have done research with a professor and that was a valuable experience that I would recomment to all UCI students. I think UCI's academic requirements are reasonable and they offer a lot of help (academic counselors, peer academic advisors) to help students along the way. The education at UCI is geared towards gettings job, I think...except for that nowadays students should not go to college with the expectation that undergraduate experience is all you need to get a good job. The career center is definitely helpful in terms of future job possibilities and it's one resource on campus I wish I had used more.

Emily

UCI is all about academics. Not so much in my major, PSB, but the sciences for sure! I never took the time to get to know too many of my professors but I think students should do that more. They do offer some interesting classes such as "The Simpsons," "The Sociology of the 60's."

Stephanie

No and yes, it's up to the student. Favorite class was a small upper division theatre writing class--really intellectual and eye-opening. Least favorite are the intro to... those are so easy. Some students study a lot and do well, other don't and don't do well--50/50. Class participation is minimal, but that still depends on the class and its people. Intellectual conversations are far and few. Students are not too competitive--depends on major. The theater department is quaint and very competitive. Professors are really good and it is possible to spend time with them outside of class, they are really good about that. The requirements are just right. The educaion is well-rounded, but ultimately it is up to the student to decide what kind of education they want and/or need.

Amanda

Professors only know your name if it is a somewhat smaller class and if they call on you a lot. If you sit in the front, it is more likely that they call on you. The class sizes are really big in your breadth classes, so it is hard to really pay attention sometimes. There are only those few students that raise their hand a lot in every class. The most unique class I've taken is Sociology 69. It has been the best class so far and I encourage everyone to take it. The class is fun and not just about school and learning, so it makes it fun and exciting to go to. UCI career center website really helps you to get a job as long as you try. Also, get involved in clubs because that can really help you network.

Blake

A couple of professors do know my name. My favorite class was the French Revolution and Napoleon because I love Napoleon. My least favorite was Multicultural Education because it was anti white and diminished effort as a factor of success. Depends on the student. Some study a lot. Most of my friends don't. Class participation varies depending on the subject. There is also a lot more participation in discussions than lectures. Student's aren't really that competitive in History because papers aren't graded on a curve so there is little reason to be. I can't speak for biology. The most unique class I've taken was History of the Devil. I'm not sure history is renowned at UCI or anything, but I have taken very few history classes that I haven't liked. The professors are good, the assigned reading is good, and the subject is interesting. Isn't that taboo? UCI's academic requirements should be much stricter. It is way too easy to pass classes here. I feel that the low academic standard of UCI diminishes the value of my diploma. For history majors, it's mostly about learning for its own sake. I would imagine it's different for things like engineering.

Derek

I had some good professors who left me with the impression that UCI was a great learning environment. The students were active participants in class. I never fel intimidated by my classmates or my professors. Professors were often seen interacted with students.

Tate

I changed my major to Anthropology because there are so many interesting classes. I did just find out that UCI has the highest requirement of General Ed classes in California which sucks because I feel like half of my classes have been pointless busy and tedious work for nothing. I would like to take a bigger variety of classes within my major instead of something I am doing just to satisfy the state. Students are competitive in certain majors, School of Social Sciences, not so much, and I have made a lot of friends in my classes. I do not spend a lot of time with my Professors outside of class, only when necessary but I am sure they are willing to help. I would say some majors are geared toward getting a job, Anthropology not so much, although I receieve a LOT of emails with opportunities for internships, jobs, etc. My favorite class that I´ve taken is what made me change my major to Anthro, but that is soley because of the teacher and I don´t know if he still teaches. Anthro 2D was very interesting but Professor Boelstorff was equally incredible. Anthropology offers a LOT of different classes and encourages students to study abroad and I now have the travel bug which will make my Anthro degree and future a lot more interesting. I am not sure how much research I would like to do, (most majors at UCI are research based) but I definitely want to travel and see the world and study other cultures. Class participation is somewhat weak, I´m not much of a talker but there is always that one student that will dominate, just like highschool. But I have learned that you should always say what you feel, you learn so much from other people´s opinions.

Mel

I think one of the things that I love so much about UCI is that the classes aren't that competetive actually. You always have that one person that raises their hand every five seconds and brown noses the professor, but I feel like everyone else in your classes are pretty chill and they understand that sometimes you just don't intellectual. it is very rare that I have intellectual conversations with my peers outside of class unless it's about class. We are usually talking about other things like sports, things going on on campus, gossip, etc. Personally I am a little afraid of my professors and don't like to interact with them outside of class and that's just because I'm scared like that.

Parker

Some professors will ask your name if you raise your hand during lecture and ask a question, but others don't really care for it, unless you go to their office hours. I loved International Studies 11 with professor Douglas. Least favorite, Sociology 1. Students study A LOT. the libraries are always packed. Class participation is somewhat common. I guess students have intellectual conversations outside, mostly the Bio and Engineer kids. Students are DEFINITELY competitive, but you'll find a lot that will help one another out, despite curve and whatever. The most unique class i've taken has to be social psychology. i really liked it. I'm an international studies major and its basically the study of global issues that are of the world's concern. I sometimes go to office hours, so i guess that'll be outside of class. I think its not as easy as it seems. I think education at UCI does both.

Ross

Class sizes are big for all the main classes but when you get a chance to work in a lab and participate in smaller classes you get to know the teacher.

Madeline

Humanities Department at UCI is the way to go! My classes are small 10-30 people, and my Professors make an effort to know my name and are welcoming in office hours and outside of class. I don't know about other departments, but the Humanities Department is wonderful! The Honors program is also amazing. Education is geared towards learning and research. Students are competitive though and the great ones seemed involved in tons of things at one time. The courses are intellectual and stimulating, but some Professors and students take themselves too seriously and are too competitive. It is up to you to find the balance and not let yourself get overwellmed.

Kelly

Lecture is usually anywhere from 120-400 students, although each lecture is accompanied by a discussion, which is a more typical class of about 20 people. It is hard to start going to talk to professors unless they are very good in class, but once you start it is almost addictive and provides you which a huge understanding of the class. It really depends on the professor as to which class becomes your favorite or least favorite. Ratemyprofessors.com is usually pretty accurate and I would definitely recommend it as a necessity before signing up for any class. My favorite class is currently my Managerial Accounting class- the teacher picks on a few people (me being one of them) and draws them into the class, which engages the rest of the students. He has a good sense of humor and plays a professor role, but also relates to the students on a collegiate level. Depending on whether or not the class has 2 midterms or just 1, usually students study pretty frequently- there are a huge number of study rooms available not only in the newly-built Student Center, but also in the Science Library, and the housing complexes on campus. There is also both Engineering and Social Sciences Gateway, which are 24 hour study lounges available to students, not to mention the Starbucks we have on campus (where you can use flex dollars!). In short, excepting of Thursday nights, it is not an uncommon occurrence to find students studying on a regular basis. Students are competitive in this nature, and most of them fight for elusive grad school spots right out of college. There are a numerous amounts of career fairs and different opportunities for students to be paired with a job that suits them. In this they are more competitive than others but the Career Center offers great resources and peer counseling for students to easily get an edge, particularly in resume-writing and using the online system of Zotlink, to get a job or internship. A fair amount of UCI is gearing students towards getting a good job; there is a multitude of business associations and job-seeking clubs and organizations on campus. UCI does also encourage its students to actively seek a learning path. They have free reign over classes, and while it is sometimes hard to get the classes needed for your major, the system allows it so that you can take breadth classes so you aren't only restricted to a certain aspect; this is one of the things I like most about UCI's class system.

Harper

Professors know my name, but because I make it a point to see them during office hours. My favorite class was Vietnam War with Professor Duncan. Students do have intellectual conversations outside of class, and they were competitive. My international studies major was interesting. I spent time with professors only sometimes. They were always very busy. UCI was geared towards learning, or maybe towards a job where you can follow orders.

Tim

Professors used to know my name. I'm an alum, so now i'm not so sure! My favorite class was the Hardy Approach to Stress taught by Prof S. Maddi and Prof D. Khoshaba. They are wonderful educators, especially Dr. Khoshaba, she would listen to you intently if you had a question, and somehow knew like half of the class's name. I would spend time with professors if I wanted to learn more about their subjects and what they research on campus.

Bryant

Some of my professors did. Most didn't. I only cared about that when it came to a MAJOR-related class or if the professor could assist me in my career endeavors..other than that, they didn't care and I didn't care. Class participation is rare...only in a few classes were there a LOT Of discussions, etc.I hated the engineering dept. I spent 2 years there and got kicked out because of academics....i think it's sad because i asked her, yes i know i messed up but can i come back AFTER i finish my econ degree tofinish what i started and she was straight up mean and said NO...absolutely NOT!! in an almost yelling tone. .... Way to encourage the future of America... (sarcasm)... I'll always remember that and if i ever donate back to UCI, i'll DEMAND not ONE PENNY go to the engineering dept. I don't want even as much as a paper clip to be bought with my money for that dept. Econ department was nice (social sciences)...the counselors (err at least mine) was super helpful and responsive. Like anything in life, you need initiative...we have a GREAT career center and as more and more BIG companies set up shop in Irvine/OC area, we, as UCI students have more opportunities than ever. I wish they would offer a Life Course...because too many times, students will lack street smarts or just the know how of "how to balance a checkbook, how to save, 401k's, etc..."

Kara

In a large lecture, a professor will never know your name unless you take the first step to introduce yourself after class or during office hours - it completely depends on you. In smaller classes or discussion groups of 20-30 your teacher aid and classmates usually know your name. Again, you have a lot of control over how anonymous or well-known you are depending on your participation. I had several favorite classes, and the common theme between all of them was the eccentricity of the professor. I think that UCI is bursting with intelligent professors, instructors and researchers, but it takes a sense of humor to really make a class fun and engaging. I think that UCI's academic requirements are incredibly flexible and reasonable. Instead of having to take a typical mathematics course, I was able to substitute linguistics. I loved that I could take Anthropology and Sociology to meet certain graduation requirements. Also, for my science req. I took classes like Rainforest Biology and Environmental Sustainability, while a lot of my friends at other universities were forced to take chemistry or statistics, regardless of their major. As for "competitiveness" you will come across students of all kinds - from the slacker to the curve-setter. I think that the education at UCI is what you make it: if you have a certain job in mind, you can certainly prepare yourself for that. If you're interested in a certain area, you can explore it but not necessarily graduate with a specific job waiting for you. The career center is great and I definitely recommend membership in the alumni association.

Anto

Professors: I graduated in 2005 and I still remember my top professors and I am in contact with some of them as well Favorite class: too many to list Least: Anthro Study: I studied a lot because I was going off to graduate school Participation: a lot Conversations: Yes for sure especially during political season Competitive: YES! Unique class: Politics in the media Department: the School of Social Sciences was a huge school and sometimes you felt lost as an individual. It was hard to get advising especially because I wanted to attend graduate school. Spent time outside: YES Academic requirements: They are reasonable Education: Learning and preparing me for my MSW as well as to continue on for my PhD.

Megan

As cliche as it may sound, I feel that the experience one gets at UCI, whether it be academically or otherwise, is completely what each individual wants it to be. If you want to get to know your professors, they are generally open and willing to have conversations with you. If you want to remain annonymous, you can do so too. In certain majors or subject areas, students are more competitive than others, especially starting from Freshman year. I find that as you reach your third and fourth years, students are competing not against each other, but rather for their own future -- whether it be for grades for graduate school, a job, or just a letter of reccomendation. In my opinion, UCI was a challenging experience but nothing that couldn't be tackeled with a few nights in the library and a few cups of strong coffee.

Rob

Some professor do know you by name, some professors don't. I guess it depends on the class. Some professors are there to teach, while other are there to fund their research. Students are very competitive. From the extensive science programs to the diverse arts, there is amazing talent all around. Some of the education was helpful in job searching, but really, the best help I ever got was by going to the career center. They gave me a small book on how to write a good resume and where to find what I wanted. It won't guarentee you a job, of course, but it will at least give you the confidence and direction to get what you want.

Lindsay

Professors in my department knew me. My favorite class was Acting Theory with Robert Cohen. Least favorite was Writing 39C. Definitely intellectual conversations outside of class. Students weren't competitive so much as ambitious - no animosity between students. I repeat, the UCI Drama department is amazing. Outstanding professors and although there is more focus on the graduate students, there were still a myriad of opportunities for the amibitious undergraduates. The academic requirements were fine. The school attempted to offer creative alternatives to general requirements and I appreciated that, such as the AIDS Fundamentals class and Brain and Behavior.

Paul

I never had to work very hard for professors in my smaller classes to know my name but in larger ones I just asked a lot of questions and soon they knew me by name. My favorite class was Principles of Civil Liberties because I was forced to learn some extremely technical case information that influenced me in a lot of my other classes. My least favorite was an earth science class that was a requirement to graduate--it seemed like the teacher taught to the standardized test too much. Students study about 15 hours a week. Class participation is common but most common in political science classes where topics can get heated and often incite opinions. Students aren't competitive. Serious, but they let their work speak for themselves. I took a music writing class my senior year where I got to read a lot of pieces about everything from punk to gypsy jazz. I was a political science major and english minor. The political science department was excellent and prepared me with a solid foundation in the many parts of how the political system works. My english classes were tough but worth the work because my current job requires a lot of writing out of me. Whenever I needed to speak with a professor outside of class they always made time for me. My friend told me one of his professors invited the entire class over for dinner once. The academic requiresments can seem tedious but are good preparation. The eduation is geared toward learning for its own sake and I would never have it any other way.

Devin

Yes i love the history department they are the best