University of Denver Top Questions

Classes at DU are small enough for your teacher to recognize you outside of class, but building upon the initial familiarity is really up to the student. I have become good friends with some of my teachers; I know my FSEM (required freshman writing course) teacher better than some of my relatives. Of course not all teachers are like that, but for the most part teachers are friendly and want to get to know their students. Students study for tests, but for the most part the student body is not known to be study worms. It varies between majors though, for example, biology (my major) is probably the most studied for major, along with the other physical sciences + engineering. I also hear that the President Coombe wants to create a medical school at DU, but the idea is still in the making (I get the inside scoop from my research supervisor! ;)). I would say about half of the students in my class are intelligent and want to get somewhere in life, while the other half are just going through the motions. The coolest class I've ever taken, was Acting 1 taught by Anne Penner. My favorite teacher and class by far. That is the positive thing about the undergrad requirements to take classes in different disciplines, you take classes you wouldn't typically take. For the most part, the classes are competitive but not insanely competitive like other schools, so you are given the chance to really learn the subject, not just struggle for a grade.

My overall opinion is pretty positive. After studying abroad twice through DU programs, I realized how grateful I am for this school and what is made available to me. First of all, the size is just right. As a private school, the classroom size is generally 20-25 students, unless it is an intro class lecture. It is a great way to meet friends and the teacher make it his/her duty to remember each student's name in the class. One of my best friends from DU is a girl I met in my freshmen writing class - it really is a convenient way to meet friends that share your common interests. Another strong point that has changed my overall opinion about DU is the study abroad opportunity that it provides to students. To state it simply: as long as one has a GPA of 3.0 or better, has completed enough credits and has not been under probation, it is easy to study abroad for one academic quarter or the entire year. Students may go abroad to almost any country for the same price as they would pay while attending school here on campus, utilize their financial aid while abroad, and apply to be a Cherrington Global Scholar to receive even more financial aid benefits! Overall, a great opportunity. DU highly encourages this travel opportunity and it has definitely changed my experience here, as well as my global perspective as a student. Yes, DU has interesting people, classes, and travel opportunities - but what does it lack? No one school can be considered perfect, especially with today's standards. Personally, don't find this next complaint to be that substantial, but I have heard a lot of gripe about the on-campus dining options. I lived in two different dormitories my first and second year of college and had to experience the cafeteria-style meal plans - they were pretty average. Although DU has tried to adopt more vegan and vegetarian options, the food is questionable and more importantly unhealthy. Pizza and burgers are guaranteed every day, a mediocre salad bar, and at least one type of soup in the corner of the cafeteria. I don't mean to be a Debbie downer, I actually liked quite a few of the meals that they served, but I think that students' main complaint was the food provider known as Sodexo. The quality of the food was sacrificed for this low-cost provider, which is the same company that caters to jails across the U.S. Lastly, the cafeterias around campus always close at 7pm, which is pretty early for college students. For these three reasons, I would say that the University could improve its dining options. Overall, I would say this campus has a lot to offer. There are a variety of clubs and campus organizations, club and intramural sports teams, Greek Life, community and volunteer opportunities, strong academics, a diverse student body, Living and Learning communities and more! Personally, I have found ways to involve myself and keep discovering more along the way. One more advantage that I would like to mention is it's close location to the mountains. Not only do they serve as a beautiful backdrop to the city of Denver, outdoor adventures are easily accessible to students. Some of my fondest memories include snowboarding with friends and family, hiking through the Colorado mountains, and of course coming back to what I would call my "second home" at DU! Since my first year on campus, I've been encouraged to try new things and discover new characteristics about myself - my time here has ultimately changed my life in a positive way and I would encourage anyone to at least check out the school, if not talk to myself or another DU student about their experience. Good luck!

the academics vary from major to major. I have heard that the sciences are extremely fast paced and difficult. The business degree plans all have a common curriculum until the last 2 years of study. Accounting is thought of as the hardest because of the structure of the classes and management is often referred to as a joke. While I don't necessarily think accounting is hard or management is a joke, those are the labels that are most often used. I am majoring in Finance and I really like it so far. The professor seemed engaged and knowledgable. I do feel that we are not adequately prepared to go up against finance major from east coast universities. We are trained to be analyst or support but not groomed to shine in the investment banking arena. As with all DU classes I feel that we learn just for the sake of learning and there is very little real world application. Students are not the most intellectual but they are often opinionated. They will speak their mind without having adequate support for their argument. My favorite class was my introduction to finance course. This course was one of the first classes that I believed would help prepare me for the real world. My professor gave real world examples to class and did not try to over complicate the topics in class.

My academic experience at DU has been incredible. Since freshman year, I have had one class with over 20 kids, and that one only had 90, which is as big as it gets here. Every professor makes a point to get to know you, and they will definitely notice if you are "sick" and not showing up to class. They are upfront and very understanding. As a student, I feel welcome in every class, which is good because most are discussion-based and call for a lot of stimulating in-class participation.

My academic experience at DU has been incredible. Since freshman year, I have had one class with over 20 kids, and that one only had 90, which is as big as it gets here. Every professor makes a point to get to know you, and they will definitely notice if you are "sick" and not showing up to class. They are upfront and very understanding. As a student, I feel welcome in every class, which is good because most are discussion-based and call for a lot of stimulating in-class participation.

My academic experience at DU has been incredible. Since freshman year, I have had one class with over 20 kids, and that one only had 90, which is as big as it gets here. Every professor makes a point to get to know you, and they will definitely notice if you are "sick" and not showing up to class. They are upfront and very understanding. As a student, I feel welcome in every class, which is good because most are discussion-based and call for a lot of stimulating in-class participation.

As an English major, learning at DU is a positive experience. Professors are accessible and for the most part ready to work with you. They tend to be very knowledgeable on their respective subjects but don’t flaunt superiority. For about half of my classes the class size tends to be a bit too large for my liking (25-30 students). The other half are a more comfortable size (15-20 students). Since the school runs on a 10 week quarter system classes can be fast paced and sometimes both professors and students can feel that not everything gets covered as it should. The short quarter also makes for some intense weeks especially around mid terms and finals. You have to plan ahead on studying and paper-writing or else you can get behind and have little breathing room to catch up. The upside to all this is that classes rarely ever get boring and after 4 years you’ll have taken a broader range of classes than your peers at any semester school. For some people, the quarter system is simply too stressful and doesn’t work for them, I totally understand. For a majority of my classes, my fellow students are well engaged in the coursework. There is an eagerness in many students to learn and share ideas. This creates some dynamic and challenging class times that I always savor.

One of the best things about the University of Denver is the relationships formed between the students and professors. Most of my classes that I've taken during my time at the University have had a very low student to professor ratio making it extremely easy to connect with the professor. Even in larger lecture classes if I needed help or had questions I found it very easy and was comfortable emailing my professor or going in during office hours for help. All the professors are extremely flexible and work hard to help you succeed. The professors at the University of Denver work with you with your best interests at heart. If you work hard and use all resources available it is a very rewarding and positive learning environment here at DU.

I decided to come to DU because of the academic opportunity it provided for me. The classes are small, interactive, and interesting. Students participate often because of the comfortable and engaging classroom environments. Each professor I have had has been extremely passionate about their topic, and knows every student's first and last name. I am double majoring in English and Philosophy and have had intellectual conversations about these classes outside of the classroom. The most interesting class I've taken so far has been "Theatre of the Absurd". The themes within classes apply to life outside of the classroom to provide real-life knowledge.

The academics are challenging. We are on the quarter system which means we have 10 weeks of classes then a break in between. Because of the small class sizes the professors know everyone by name and that encourages healthy debates in class and one sees a lot of class participation during classes.

The academics at DU are similar to any other university. Of course there are the core curriculum requirements, but they make it easy to get those out of the way and begin taking classes in your major almost right away (sooner if you have AP credit). The professors are amazing, and I have often enjoyed going to office hours with my professors not just to talk about class material but also to simply have conversations with them. I have never called my teachers "professor", it's always been their first names. One professor even introduced himself as Bob, and if that wasn't formal enough for us, we could call him Dr. Bob. Often class discussions continue with my friends as we walk back to our residence halls or go get coffee or lunch after class to keep talking about the material. While most class material has practical applications, the professors make sure to make it applicable to your general development as an individual rather than just as a (insert major here).

All of my professors know my name which I think is a great aspect of DU. I've had one big class here, and it's my science class, which is about 100 people. Everything else is less than 40 people, which is so awesome! Class participation is pretty good and most students take their academics pretty seriously. I've had a professor invite me over to dinner at his house with other students in my class and it was really great! This quarter I'm taking a Buddhism class and it's been really awesome, but my major is specifically history and international studies. I love how the two majors really overlap, it's really unique, and I feel like I've gotten such a better understanding of the world through my majors. Professors really encourage you to take them up on coming to their office hours, which I probably should do more, but it really tends to help when it comes to papers. I've had professors read over mine before turning them in and giving me some general guidlines on things that I need to work on.

The small class sizes at DU are definitely a huge bonus. Even freshman intro courses are under fifty students, and usually around thirty. The professors genuinely love to teach, and they all make an effort to make class personal. My favorite class is Hard Choices in Public Policy, taught by former governor of Colorado, Dick Lamm. He is a very dynamic professor who knows his students very well and teaches a class that he wants to be meaningful. In all at DU, academics are very important. Very few students are here because they are good at sports or because their families are current or potential benefactors of the University. Most students are here because they were successful in high school, and plan to be so in college too. The Common Curriculum requirements are reasonable, though perhaps a little more rigorous than at other schools, and they really do make sure you have exposure to all departments and areas of study.

One of the reasons I came to DU was because of the academics. There are many unique and interesting areas of study, so pretty much anything you are interested in is available at DU. The International Studies school is ranked top in the nation and offers some of the most interesting classes, in my opinion. My favorite class was called "Paradise for Sale" in which our professor, who had done extensive research in the Dominican Republic and Bali, taught us about sustainable tourism in developing countries. The fact that DU is a research university, in which almost all of the professors do outside research, really adds to the classroom experience because professors have exciting stories and experiences to share with their students. The professors also are required to have office hours every week, so it is very easy to talk to them either after class or during office hours. The classes are also pretty small, which I love becuase you get to know your classmates and professors and create relationships that aren't possible in a larger class.

If you study something you love, then all of the work will be interesting and not seem that hard. BUT, on the flipside, when you take a class you aren't interested in, it will be painful to do all of the work. You can make your course load as hard or as easy as you want. With that being said, my friends that are in the sciences seem to have the largest work load because of lab requirements, but I'm pretty sure that's a universal truth in college. Classes are small (my biggest class right now is 16 students), so you get a really personal experience, which is good if you do the work and pay attention, bad if you just want to sleep and cruise through classes. Professors are really accessible, through office hours, email, or phone, which is great when you have a big paper due and have a last minute question! They also really want you to succeed and have no problem calling you to talk if they are concerned that you won't.

DU academics are rigorous but prepares students for our futures. While classes are intense on the quarter system, the professors at this university truly want to help. Most professors will meet with students anytime, including outside of office hours just to talk, edit resumes or help before a test. Not only are the professors helpful, but resources like the writing center provide students with every opportunity to succeed. Another great aspect about DU classes is that in small classes, most students participate and enjoy not only talking but listening to the opinions of their peers and instructors.

Sometimes the classes are very challenging and require a lot of outside-the-classroom work. Other times, the classes are very easy and fun. It depends on your class schedule/major, but for the most part, it evens out. Some classes will be hard and some will be super easy!

I have never been more excited and passionate about classes than I have at DU. More that 95{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the classes have less than 40 students and the teachers really take the time to get to know you on a personal level so they can apply the subject to what would pertain to your life. The classes may seem rigorous for those not that interested in the subject but once you're in a class you're passionate about, it becomes the most fun you have had in a school setting in a longtime. Being a business major, I was dreading taking the required science class. After an entire year of science, it has been one of my favorite classes I have taken at DU.

Academically, DU is okay. From mere obvservation,it seems that students who major in Political Science, Public Policy and International Relations are the most content with their academic experiences. Other liberal arts majors, business majors and students in the applied sciences seem less enthusiastic about their classes. In my short time at DU, I had some very good professors. But the assigments and in class discussions were geared heavily towards students with no real intellectual curiosity. It felt very much like high school.

It is a very business oriented school, which is great if you are a business major. However, not many of the school's resources go into the other departments.

Overall the academics at DU are outstanding, every once in awhile you'll get a complete moron for a professor but for the most part I love the professors I've had. Since the class sizes are rather small, this allows for individual interaction with the professors and students. This can be viewed either as something negative or positive depending on how you look at it. Professors learn students names and are able to relate to them on a personal level. I like the fact that most the students at the University are intellectual beings, when it comes down to it everyone is pretty intelligent.

The professors are top-tier, especially for it being such a relatively small university. I took a public policy class taught by a former Colorado Governor (he even ran for president!) and got the chance to sit in his office and have an hour-long conversation with him about politics. Professors teach something like 95{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the classes, I've never had a class taught by a TA or grad student. The work is pretty hard and the students are all pretty motivated and intellectual. Of course there are exceptions, but this is a pretty rigorous private university. You really get what you pay for. I love the academics.

All my professors have been awesome. I had this one professor who was absolutely awesome. He was just really loud, provocative and effective and I never missed one class of his. I can always talk to other students about academics and have intellectual conversations. The classes, professors and content make going to class the best part of my day at the university.

I reccomend the accounting program at DU but can't say I would reccomend anything else. I do know people who are happy with international studies and the music program. Generally the school seems to utterly lack a focus on academics. DU is run more like a Univeristy than a business.

Students eventually live in their respective departments. The International Studies' faculty are top notch in the upper levels. Most unique International Studies course I took was "War and Masturbation" by Art Gilbert.

Overall I feel like the professors genuinly care about their students. I have had several professors e-mail me when I was sick to make sure I was doing ok and e-mail students extra powerpoints to view to clarify material. Most of my professors also made themselves available for office hours or by appointment and for the most part they really do want to help. The most unique class I took was 'movement improvisation': we would act with our bodies to impersonate objects, spell our names through movement with our bodies across the floor, and experimented with stillness, movement, dynamics, and working with partners. It was one of the strangest classes I have ever taken, but it really required me to think outside of the box challenge myself to be open and not care about what others think.

The academics are personal, they could be a little more challenging. We have alot of requirement classes that are made for the studens who barely made it into school, and no one else needs to study for them. It is fusturating, I took advanced classes and two languages and the fact that I actually studied made me feel like an outsider. I wanted to go to the mountains with everyone else, but couldn't because I was the only one who had homework. What if DU raised the bar a little? I have a friend who is an English major and she was so happy when she recieved a C on her paper, it was C quality but the professors tend to have so much confidence in us they will give us A's for effort. It is nice, but that is not what real life is like and I think alot of students do not put up a fight because they don't really care about the big picture.

Most professors have a personal relationship with their students. There will be large intro classes and lectures for sciences, but other than that most classes are very small. Teachers are willing to meet and I have had great experiences with mostly all of my professors this year.

I love the size of the classes at DU. Not only do the professors know your name, but the level of instruction brought to the classroom is higher than any other college that I have gone to. You can find students studying all the time everywhere from the library to the local coffee shop or middle eastern all night. The students at DU are competitive and this was different from where I had gone to school before. The competitive nature of the students pushes you to excel. I have spent numerous hours after class discussing ideas with professors. They are always will to talk about ideas in and outside of class topics. I feel the academic requirements at are set high and should remain that way. These requirements raise the level of learning at the school. The education is top tier all the way. The curriculum is geared for getting a job right out of school. I go to the University College, The school for professional and continuing studies. I am majoring Leadership and Organization Studies. My classes have been small and the instructors are wonderful. Many of them are teachers from the School of Business or instructors from the college of interest of the class. For example my global studies courses are taught by an industry professional and graduate from the college of global studies. Another class on entrepreneurship was taught by an instructor from the Daniels College of Business who is a consultant for entrepreneurship companies.

The great thing about DU is that it is a smaller school. At the large state schools students can feel somewhat anonymous. At DU there is a stronger connection between students and teachers. Our campus is beautiful and the business school (the bread and butter of DU) is modern and with all of today's conveniences.

Not so hot in the gen-ed department, which is a large consideration because DU is a liberal arts school and requires that you study a broad spectrum of subjects to graduate. Some students DO have great conversations outside of class, but the general gist is that the support network from other students is lacking. DU provides awesome research grant opportunities - Cherrington Scholars, Partners in Scholarship, but teachers are not informed OR do not inform their students of the opportunities.

i think my experience may have been a bit different from others, because i was in arts and humanities instead of buisiness or some of the other things du is reknowned for. most of my classes were very small. all of the professors knew my name and were very willing to help outside of the classroom (many were even willing to meet with me to discuss things like my thesis or graduate school). du is quite well rounded. i think the requirements make all students delve into many different subjects. my favorite classes were what they call core classes- a requirement that all students must take. many of the topics were so interesting and were nothing that would be offered in other departments ( for example, the multiracial individual or jack kerouac in denver). the only problem was that since they were requirements many kids did not take these classes seriously. also, these classes were much bigger, at around 30-35 people per class so it made it more difficult to have class discussions that were stimulating. my major was great but uncommon- cultural and critical studies. i did not know any other person with the same major. but it was amazing and i would definitely encourage people to do it so the area of study can expand and have a great influence on the campus. many of the professors in the major are also professors in other areas so they are very knowlegeable and passionate about what they do.

The academics are great. Class sizes are mostly pretty small and professors actually know your name and tend to remember you even after you finish the class. Most classes do have a relatively tough course load because of the quarter system, but it's nothing that someone who was qualified to be accepted to DU couldn't handle. In my first year at DU, I definitely learned a lot!

An up and downside is the quarter system, it doesn't allow for down time, which can be bad or good. I like it because I'm always doing something, but you do sacrifice the real "bond" you might have with your teachers, but again, if you want them to know your name, they will, the classes are small but go bye quickly.

The class sizes are just right, intimate enough to create a valuable learning experience every day. The faculty are great; there have been very few instances when you solely deal with TAs for class. The professors are affable and approachable, always available to help.

The classes are extremely small. This leads to teachers knowing your name and being willing to meet you outside of class to give extra help. Daniels employees tend to be a bit more qualified than the average DU teacher. Expect to be in at least 2 classes where the guy in front of you wrote the textbook. Real world application is key. Buy a suit if you are an HRTM major.

Take the AP English tests to get out of the WRIT classes. They're taught by lecturers/professors who half the time think they know everything and will criticize even the best of papers. Do the same for the NATS classes. I really enjoy the business and HRTM classes, though, probably because they relate to my major. Also, there are a lot of really cool electives like Northern Indian Dance. Professors are really interested in helping students out and I've gotten to know mine quite well outside of class. While learning is often geared toward getting a job, there are some professors who just want to teach you so you can learn. Students vary in competitiveness; because it costs just under $50,000 a year, there are a lot of kids whose parents are paying for college and don't really care how they do but there are a lot of kids who really want to do well too. It just depends on who you choose to hang out with.

Small class size, interesting classes, too many Core and foundations courses, not enough participation and interest from students. Rarely will you sit in on or participate in intellectual conversation outside of class. It's hard enough to get students to have them inside of class. The English department is very helpful and fairly well organized. I feel as if the classes are geared more towards learning for its own sake than towards getting a job, but with English its always subjective. As I mentioned before, there are too many Core and foundations requirements.

Most of my professors here are awesome, but there are definitely a few to steer clear from. The professors in the language department are amazing. I learned more in 2 quarters of spanish here than 4 years of spanish (including AP) in high school. There are a lot of required courses, but they vary the subject matter of each

Most of my professors know my name, especially if I take the time to approach them. My favorite classes have been through International Studies, with Kevin Archer and Woj Wolfe. Least favorite are some of the foundations, like music because I have no interest in that. Students are very dedicated to studying, and participation in class depends on the teacher. There are frequent intellectual conversations outside of class, which is nice because all of the students have a high level of intelligence. The most unique class I have taken is International Politics because we did a real UN simulation. I love all the IS classes and professors! The classes open you up to so many opportunities! They also broaden your knowledge of the world so much. I do not spend time with teachers outside of class, unless I see them walking and walk with them or say hello. The requirements seem do-able and okay. The education is both geared towards getting a job and for learning.

DU has a fantastic international studies program. All of my professors have been a lot of fun, and have all made efforts to get to know me. Some professors will even invite classes to dinner at their houses. Even in larger lecture-based, university-required classes, participation is highly encouraged. DU runs on a trimester/quarter system, meaning that you get to pick classes three times instead of two, allowing for a greater variety each year. While not all DU students could be described as intellectual, it certainly isn't hard to come by those who enjoy intellectual conversation. Most often, these students are in the honors program or another living and learning community. The director of our honors program is awesome, and British to boot.

Yes, things in our classes are very personable. I enjoy my Chinese class very much. My least favorite class in my Natural Sciences class because I hate science. All of my classes are very small in size. Students study very much since DU is pretty demanding. Yes, class participation is important in most classes. Yes, I believe DU students have very intellectual conversations outside of class sometimes. Also, students are quite competitive at times. I am an International Business major. I don't spend any time with professors outside of class. Sometimes I think that we are given busy work as students and that we are "learning for its own sake," but I am sure that some much of the information that I am given will help me in my future life.

So far the biggest class I have had has been 75 students and still the professor knew everyones name. The school is very challenging but the quarter system makes it manageable because you are only in a class for ten weeks. The learning undertaken at the university is innovative, we are learning things to help us in the future not the past.

I only have 2 professors that know my name because they are very small classes. A lot of the general classes are big, but never huge. Class participation is great. There are geniuses in some of my classes. The students can be quite competitive, but there are also those who don't care or have the money to pay someone to do homework for them. There are some really cool unique classes, like next quarter I am taking "paranormal phenomena" and "international mobsters". The international studies department is great. People in this dept tend to be much more open minded and less conservative than the other departments. I have spent time outside of class with one professor.

All of my professors know my my name! Even in my bigger lecture class of about 75! It is a great feeling to know that teachers know you by name! Class participation is very common, in fact it is required and it is a good thing! I am majoring in sociology and I love it. My freshman seminar teacher also happens to be teaching two of my sociology classes next quarter! He is a great teacher and makes learning easy! I think that getting a degree at DU gives you a VERY well-rounded education, seeing as how you have to take at least one class in almost every subject. I think that the requirements at DU promote learning for its own sake, but obviously prepare you for getting a job!

I think teachers are wonderful, and very well qualified, and interested in what they are teaching. most teachers know who i am class participation is not very high, and can sometimes be frowned upon, as in other students are annoyed when you participate one of the best classes i have taken was on latin american dependency i major in biology and spanish, there are many classes, but sometimes it can be difficult to get into all the classes, and i wish there were more research opportunities, and contact with advisors students are competitive in they want to do well, but also supportive, and hope that other people do well as well i would like the opportunity to spend time with professors outside of class i think the academic requirements are fair there is a mix of job focused learning and learning for its own sake. job focussed learning is especially common in the business school

Academics are good depending on your major. The business school is awesome and everyone is there to help you succeed. Political science is not so good. They don't offer many classes and aren't very helpful. The only thing I have a real issue with is that they make you take three quarters of science with a lab which seems a little much to me.

The small class sizes help to make students accountable for the course material and to allow more people to participate in class discussion than would at a bigger school. The school is very business oriented, and as such, the Gender and Women's Studies Department, in which I am a student, is a joke. If you are interested in Gender and Women's Studies, I would strongly recommend that you consider a different college.

Academics are great. Professors are awesome and yes we talk outside of class.

I just declared my major so I don't have a good insight into communication with each department, however, you will discover that all the professors are extremely helpful and have amazing backgrounds in their area of teaching. They are passionate about teaching and are always available to talk to and for questions. The campus runs mainly off of wireless internet which makes getting grades, information, and class schedules or assignments extremely easy, and also makes communication with professors and classmates no problem. Email will become your favorite means of communication with the campus. Students are very interested in their academics and work hard, but they also play hard. They get their work done when it needs to get done and then they hang out around campus or in downtown Denver, by using the lightrail system that runs on the north side of campus. DU's education gives each student a very well rounded experience, and enables each student to leave with unlimited options.