University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras Top Questions

What are the academics like at your school?

Zuania

Professors sometimes remember your name. My favorite class is Biology. My least favorite is calculus. At my faculty the students study often and class participation is common. I am not aware of students having intellectual conversations outside of class unless their studying. Students are really competitive. The most unique class I've taken is "Ciencias Sociales". My major is in Biology and my department is ''Ciencias Sociales". I do not spend any time with professors outside of class. The schools academic requirements are challenging for my department. My school's education is geared toward getting a job.

Mónica

Professors are very warming. They give off their office hours and will personally attend any doubts or worries about the class. Class participation is extremely common as well as asking the professor any doubts while in class. I study with many friends depending which classes I'm taking. I share many educative and intellectual conversation with many friends especially topics about the future of our country and the university. Being in this campus, has been one of the greatest experiences of my life.

Heriberto

The academics in my university is top notch, our facilities may not always be the best; as we are not a fancy private school but there is no doubt we have amazing professors, talented students and a dedicated staff. The students are all highly competitive, and although it might seem rough sometimes, competition always brings out the best in all of us. The most unique class I've taken is probably a ceramic class I took as an elective. It was very different going from a classroom to a wide open area where I would create art, or at least try to. My major is molecular biology, it is arguably the most competitive department in the whole university because of the high standards to get in and stay in that faculty. But I love every minute of it, because it is something I deeply enjoy studying. I am also working on a second major in Nutrition and since this department is now part of natural sciences now it is also getting more recognition and in the process getting more competitive. I would say the education in my university helps us get a job because of how prestigious the univeristy is, but the curriculum itself is geared more towards learning for the sake of it. And I thrive in this environment because they give you the tools to be a sophisticated, well rounded human being, who can function in many roles in society.

Frances

The University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras campus, offers courses that range from molecular biology and advanced accounting to ceramics and dance. The university is recognized for its high level of education and dedication from its staff towards their students' education. There is a constant invitation for students to participate both in class and extracurricular activities, either with an individual project or a student organizations.

Esperanza

The professors do know my name because I tend to participate in class and some of them give more than one class so you may take various courses with the same professor. Regardless of this, if you don't make your presence known, they may not even recognize your face (outside the classroom), much less know your name. It also helps that I'm a graduating senior so I've been around long enough for them to get to know me. I tend to like laboratory courses more than the conferences so my favorite classes so far have been the Ecology and Industrial Microbiology labs.My least favorite class was organic chemistry because as interesting as it was, my professor for the second semester thought we were graduate students or something and it was really hard to keep up. I think he made the class more torturous than it actually was and that's saying a lot when talking about organic chem! Fortunately I passed so crisis averted! :) I'm doing a double major in Molecular and Cellular Biology and French. I have to say that in the Humanities they tend to be a little more laid back but in the Natural Sciences I feel like everyone is always studying and stressed out about the next test. Class participation, it depends. In the languages courses it's a must and it's easier because the classrooms are smaller. In the biology courses, it's a little bit more difficult but if you're outspoken and learn through discussion, professors will be receptive to in-class participation because it creates a great dynamic. Yes, people do discuss scholarly topics outside the classroom. i've seen it the most with people interested in political sciences, philosophy and literature. Yes, the UPR-RP is very competitive because it's a very selective school. We're always sizing our competition for internship spots and other academic opportunities. Also, the best students have bragging right ;) The most unique class was the first part of Introduction to French Literature. Not because the topics on the class were unusual but because of the strikes we had the last sessions in our professor's house. It was kind of weird to get an inside look of your professor's private space. He was a great professor and his home was totally him! I have two majors: one in Molecular and Cellular Biology and the other one in French and Francophone Studies. I love taking classes from both and I don't get why most people think those two majors don't mix! I think they will be very useful in the future. I have spent time with professors outside of the classroom but not in a personal way. I have obviously met with them during their office hours and during school-sponsored activities that have been off-campus. The academic requirements at my school are tough but they prepare you well. I think my school is mostly geared towards theoretical knowledge but with the new curriculum they're trying to incorporate more classes that prepare you better for the industry and give you more practical skills.

Esperanza

The professors do know my name because I tend to participate in class and some of them give more than one class so you may take various courses with the same professor. Regardless of this, if you don't make your presence known, they may not even recognize your face (outside the classroom), much less know your name. It also helps that I'm a graduating senior so I've been around long enough for them to get to know me.

Stephanie

As a Natural Sciences/Cellular and Molecular Biology student we tend to have a lot of classes in which the total student number is around 150, that is why not always the professors know your name; however, in most of the classes the professors learn your name and spend time with you outside of class. About the class participation, it depends of the size of the whole class, but in most classes the students speak freely and make a lot of questions. In Natural Sciences all the students tend to be very competitive, they indeed study everyday until late, as a consequence we tend to have intellectual conversations outside of class to learn all the stuff we need to learn in a funny way. My favorite class of all I have taken is Neurobiology, it is a graduated course and it had all I like about a course: interesting topics, small group, challenging tests and evaluations. Right now, the most unique class I'm taking is called Neurobiology and Drugs and we are learning about the neurobiology of different drugs as opiates, antidepressants, psycho stimulants, hallucinogens and others. I feel the academic requirements of my major are just right to feel prepared to get a job or pursue graduated studies.