University of South Florida-Main Campus Top Questions

Academics is probably the main reason why I chosed this university, their finance major is one of the most well structured. Giving you a competitive view and the right tools to open your own path.

The college experience is what you make of it. If you regularly participate and are involved in class the teachers will know who you are. There are a lot of great opportunities that USF offers to help you grow as a person such as the Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement. If you are looking for something chances are you will find it here.

I like the academics here. Not every teacher is going to know you name, but that is how it is like with almost all colleges. In your lecture classes, it is impossible for the teacher to know every students name. In all of my regular classes, the teacher knows all the students names. I feel as though students study a decent amount. We don't have our head in the books all the time. We find the perfect balance of fun and studying. I think that the school's academic requirements are fine. They aren't too extreme and they aren't too easy. I believe the academics here overall are great.

Classes are very impersonal. Most professors will never meet you - though they do make themselves available if you have any questions. My favorite class was Business Law - the professor didn't make us memorize things we didn't need to know, but instead focused on the core of the class and taught us through his experiences...it was more interesting than reading hundreds of pages of irrelevant topics to cram for an exam built on content we didn't care to remember. It was a 3-hour night class, but I did not mind attending - and laughed frequently. My least favorite class was Business Management - the professor was awful. He made us learn all these useless facts about management that were obvious to anyone and made us attend every class - offering over 400 points of extra credit to attend. He did this so every student would evaluate him well despite the fact that the university is pushing to have him kicked out of tenure. Tied for this is Japan Today - class taught by a Chinese professor who had absolutely no knowledge about Japan and wasted time in pointless Japanese language lectures where he incorrectly taught the language (corrected by students). He also tried to buy students off with As...and was reported in the news for stealing money from the university recently for research grants where he was actually vacationing around the USA and in China. Most people attend class the first day and then it varies depending on the class structure. If the classes are lecture dependent, then students attend, but many classes are easier spent studying outside of class with notes posted online. I would say plenty of students have intellectual conversation outside of class. They aren't super competitive - most people are more concerned with doing well personally than beating other students. I'm not too happy with the Business department - they have been somewhat unhelpful in my academic career at USF and I wouldn't really recommend the program to incoming students. I have never spent time with professors outside of class. The academic requirements continue to increase every year - which I think is a little unfortunate, but a reality of a more competitive high school field of students and the drive for the university to build a better alumni base. I think education is more for learning for its own sake here.

Academics are very accommodating to a student's interest. There is flexibility about degree change; and the classes are mind stimulating and quite challenging. USF Honors College is extremely helpful and motivational. Students are exposed to guest lecturers from different fields who are willing to take in questions from students. The students are competitive but it is healthy competition; where everyone wants to do great things, but not necessarily harming others. Professors have plenty of office hours, although not all of them. For the majority of time, professors are readily available. As far as knowing the students' names, professors have a hard time because of the number of students in a certain class. For example, Honors classes are usually small, so the professor ends up learning your name; however in large lecture classes, there can be up to 150 students; it is up to the student to go to the professor's office hours and establish a relationship.

Classes on campus range from being a huge lecture hall with 350 students where interaction with the teacher is limited to office hours, to small classrooms with anywhere from 10-30 students where you get a more personal relationship with the teacher and other students. Students are motivated by the teachers to do the best that they can. I feel like the teachers here care about us and our academic success. My department is the psychology department. I feel like because its one of the largest on campus, its important to spread yourself out and get to know as many teachers and students as possible. Its important to keep your grades up and get involved in academic clubs for your major. I feel like the school in general has great requirements that need to be met. They insure that you are going to learn more than your major and encourage a minor. This is good though because you'll learn more!

USF offers a wide variety of majors from Marketing to Psychology to Biochemistry. Its students are dedicated and studious, and benefit from a very prestigious faculty. USF's academic standards are high and push students to be the best that they can be.

Like at any big university you're going to have those large lectures. To get to know the professor you're going to have to make the initiate to be known by them. It's kind of tough but worth the effort because you never know when you'll need a recommendation letter for grad school or an internship. I see a lot of students at the library and I like going there myself. Academics do depend on what field you're entering. I'm in the College of Arts and Sciences with a major in Psychology and a minor in Gerontology. I feel, for the most part, the curriculum is challenging. I feel like our faculty is very proficient in whatever subject they are teaching. Even our grad students who teach, I feel, are very knowledgable in their subject areas too. Each professor I have had likes to incorporate some time into helping students figure out what they can do with the degree they are seeking. This I find very useful.

Academics are excellent. Great professors who care and take the time to make you interested in the material. I love my Spanish class tho most. It is common and frequent that students can go to the professors office hours.

Most of the teachers that I have had at USF have been extremely helpful and do what they can to help you out in the class and prepare you for the future. A lot of teachers will post test scored of the entire class online, without student names of course, so that you can want to excel and do better in the class or be proud of the grade you received; this allows students to get a feel of how they are doing compared to the rest of the class and if they need to step it up a notch. All of my teachers are very responsive through internet or on campus during their specified office hours. I am an Accounting major and I could not be happier with the teachers that I have had; they are all providing us with the material we will need to know in our future jobs and also for future exams we may need to take(CPA.) USF if also known for their outstanding health department and MBA programs. There is always there fair share of teachers that just aren't as helpful or do not teach in a way that you can comprehend; luckily you have a few weeks from the first day of class to figure this out and drop the class for a full refund. I have been lucky enough to only have one incident like this.

At USF I have been in classes with as many 250 students and as little as 20 students! Once you get into your major upper level courses there are less students in the classes, and some electives have smaller classes. Large/tough classes are manageable because most of these classes have break out sessions where you are in a smaller section to review the material with an instructor. USF also has a FREE tutoring center in many subjects (the maths, sciences, etc.) Professors have weekly office hours where you can go to them to ask them questions one on one, and they are actually very approachable. It's very easy to get to know a professor, even in a large class.

Most of the undergraduate courses especially in science are larger 250 seat classes. Other more liberal art classes are the smaller 30 seat classes. Professors in the science departments will most likely not know your name unless you are showing up to office hours or staying after class regularly. However most of them say hi to me and others since they remember seeing our faces during the lecture. Class participation is very common in our classes and is usually graded with what we call clickers. They are little remotes that allow students to answer questions asked by the professor during class. This works well and they are easy points to help raise your grade. It also helps you stay focused on attending class.

I would say that students place academics very highly at the University of South Florida. Students are always studying in the library. In the past year, we've even had to make it so that the library is open 24 hours Monday-Friday, as opposed to closing at midnight. There is also a new study lounge, called the sky par, in the student center that has a nice vibe for students who don't necessarily like the library. My favorite class has been Social Psychology because I find it fascinating and had a great teacher. My least favorite class is Principles of Finance because numbers are not my cup of tea, but it is necessary for my minor. Class sizes are generally large, so students have to make an effort if they want the professor to know them by name or have a relationship with them. The most unique class that I have taken is Life After Death. It was very interesting and eye-opening to see what different cultures believe after the after-life. I feel that the school's academics requirements are fair, and that students are more supportive to each other than competitive.

We all know each other and are dealing with current economy all in the same way.

As is the case with every college/university, there are some people who don't take school serious, but I feel that the great majority of those students end up either dropping out or learning from their mistakes and work towards fixing their GPA. With that being said, I think that most of the students at USF take their academics seriously and I noticed that the harder and more demanding a class is, the more involved the students are.

Academics really depend on your major and your willingness to communicate with your professors. My favorite classes are definitely the ones for my minor in leadership studies because it's small classes, very hands on, and they get you talking and networking with peers and faculty. Then there is my major classes (biomedical sciences), these classes are intimidating at first, huge lecture room with a few hundred students. What you must remember is that your professors are always there for you just visit them during office hours, which every professor has, they also usually have TA's who always have office hours, and help sessions which breaks the class up into small sections to review the information in smaller groups, very helpful!!!

mediocore in some majors. good in medical, engineering and business

I have enjoyed most of my classes at USF. The professors are always willing to help with any questions.

I have had a good academic experience at USF. All of my teachers have been pretty good, although some treat students like they are in middle school. Most students have jobs and lives outside of school, if an emergency comes up I don't feel teachers should question students and make them prove the emergency that came up. We are all adults. I have learned a lot while enroled in USF, although like many students I wonder what I am really going to do when I graduate. Not sure if USF has really prepared me for a career.

Yes all of my professors know my name and seem to be extremely helpful in keeping themselves available for help outside the classroom. My favorite class so was my Spanish 2 class. The professor was AWESOME. you could tell she really wanted the students to learn the language. Yes I beleive students are competitive and that helps make other students work harder because no one wants to be the dummy in the class. At my old school, that was seriously not the case. The students were mostly lazy and that attitude rubs off on you.

Class participations is common in smaller classes. I guess since accounting is straightforward, not much to talk about just questions :) Requirements are adequate. Education for most teachers is geared toward learning, that way you are guaranteed a job.

Yes professors know my name. Favorite class is basically all of them this semester. Most of the Communication classes are a pleasure. Least favorite is Intro to Comm as Performanc. Class participation is VERY common. LOVE my major, the department and the professors. Visit every so often with professors outside of class. Some classes are just learning for its own sake. Others are geared towards getting a job, especially any class with Dr. Pettegrew.

Yes they do, but more easily if the classes arent lectures. Depends on the students whether they study or not. People skip if they know they wont get marked down for it. Yet again it depends on the students whether or not they have intellectual convos. The requirements are ok. I say hi sometimes to my professors outside of class if I like them enough.

My professors make an extra effort to know who the class is and help them on a personable matter. One class, Algebra is a very large class, but twice a week we meet with a TA that can really help us understand and it's such an informal and easy class. I love it. My band director knew who everyone was by the second day. I'm taking Gerontology now. It is very interesting, and a lot of fun. You can take about anything you are interested in, and most likely it will somehow fit into your major.

All of my professors know my name and are very willing to answer questions. There are a lot of unique classes in my major- i often run into professors or TAs in the library and we have a cup of coffee

My professors were generally really good. All my professors know my name, and the class size is great. The students aren't that competitive and at least in the undergraduate classes, students don't care to much about the actually application of their degree. I still affirm that USF needs to encourage its professors to set high academic standards and to enforce them.

All of my professors know my name. My favorite class at USF was Race, Class and Emotions. My least favorite was American History. Participation always occurs in my classroom.

My professors do know my name, my favorite class is persuasion because i learn new aspect of persuading. I hated Enviromental Science, i had a bad TA.I stusent a few hours a day.In most classes participation is common.Students do have intellectual conversation outside the classroom setting.I do not think students are not really competitive. I am a Communicatin major, and the epartment emphasize on different theories kf communication. I do spend a lot of time with my professors The USF requirments are strict and will become tougher to control student population.

There are some very bright and engaging professors at USF; you just gotta know where to find them, and which classes to take. I think classes out here are just like classes elsewhere- some great, some okay, some you can live without. USF need's to do better at preparing students for careers, instead of just letting students go through the motions of getting a degree and no advice or guidance for getting further ahead.

My favorite class was Communication as Performance. The teacher I had was so great. We spent a lot of time outside of the classroom. The weather is nice down here all year, so it's great to be outside! The professors here usually know your name, unless you're in a big lecture class. Most students end up in one of these classes a few times, but if you go to class on a regular basis, the teacher will definitely get to know you. Class participation is very common among USF students. The classes with debates are really fun because everyone gets involved. You can tell that students usually come prepared to class, whether it is doing the reading or the worksheets. You can always tell who hasn't come prepared because of the teacher-student interactions in class. The most unique class I have taken is my Communicating Gender & Identity course. We're currently discussing the concept of identity and what it means to classify yourself under certain categories. The topics are really controversial, but the material is interesting. I am in the Communication Department. My major is Interpersonal/Organizational Communication. I LOVE this major. All of the comm students are like a big family. We collaborate on assignments and do a lot of groupwork. You can definitely count on the students that study this major. I am also minoring in Psychology. They just built a brand new Psych building. The staff in this minor is also fantastic. You get to choose from a lot of interesting classes. The professors are always available for office hours when you have problems. They are there to clarify concepts that you don't understand. Also, they are great about missed classes and assignment make-ups. Every college (business, math, science) at USF has different academic requirements. You have to take core classes, but once you get into your major (which can happen quickly), the classes are interesting and practical. USF combines post-college prep and a good learning experience. You get to learn about a lot of "real-world" issues, but you also have a great opportunity to prepare for the working world.