University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus Top Questions

The academics are really good at the University of Colorado Denver. I love every professor that I have had so far in college. Some of my classes get to be as large as 120 people. If you ask and answer questions in class, the professor will usually remember your name. Class participation is not required but is often expected from professors. Since there are three colleges on the campus, there is the option to take "pulled courses" from the other colleges if a specific class is not offered at your college. This actually counts as part of the tuition for the school you are attending and the credits apply towards your degree even though your professor is from a different college! Students are not only competitive, but they are also willing to help other students succeed. Many do so by having intellectual conversations after class, discussing things related to their field of study and how it applies to recent events in the world. Not only do most students learn the terminology, they are expected, and do, apply that knowledge to the real world. It is an interesting balance between the two. I see students studying everywhere, and most students on my campus take education seriously. The university is geared more towards learning for learning's sake, though some professors and counselors will stress the importance of getting a job. In my experience, that has not really been the case.

My favorite classes at CU Denver are Introduction to Philosophy and Introduction to Creative Writing. An example of the caliber of students I've met: in creative writing, as a collective, I and my fellow students decided that we would workshop our assignments together when class was out of session. I was inspired that I met a group of people who felt as passionately as I do about writing...

Though I have had 1 lecture class last semester and 1 this semester with around 90 total students, most my classes are relatively small and most my teachers know me by name and also remember me from my first semester. My major is Recording Arts, and UCD has amazing music recording studios with lots of access available to students. I currently have 9 classes (17 credit hours) and had 9 classes last semester as well. One of the nicer things is UCD offers classes for the college of arts and media students in the liberal arts that aren't as rigorous as other classes so it allows me to focus on what I want to learn and gain a higher education in all other subjects without getting killed by them.

My professors all know my name and names of my fellow students except maybe in the large lecture sessions. But, I always reach out to my teachers during the first week of class to be sure that they know who I am. This is important at any school, in any class! I have been fortunate in having many great teachers that are invested in student success and are very fair. I have engaged all of my teachers in discussion outside of class usually by approaching them at the end of class and walking a bit with them. One of my favorite teachers in Dr. Dunghana, my Astronomy and Physics professor. I try to have a question or current event for him at the end of each class either lecture based or from current physics events. I am an Ethnic Studies minor and as well as having been the President of the Ethnic Studies Student Org for 2.5 years (I'm still an active member but had to give up the Presidency because I was appointed Chief Justice in Student Government), I attend many department events and volunteer community related events through the Department and engage in many discussions outside of class. The school encourages learning for the sake of learning and self-improvement but also encourages keeping site of your career track. There are many internships and workshops/seminars geared toward career as well as many opportunities for student jobs.