University of Vermont Top Questions

I think UVM has one hell of a faculty. I deal a lot with the administration, as well as chairs of specific departments and have had very few instances where I have been unwelcomed. Too, the majority of professors and lecturers come from impressive backgrounds of either thier fiel of study, teaching, or unique life experiences that have brought them to UVM - which they refer to in order to create a really good classroom dynamic. In several instances I have been able to create a one-on-one relationship with an instructor, so much that I am able to have coffee on a week day morning, or lunch at a cafe downtown. This is something that I do not think is a necessarily unique experience either, and something students take a great deal of pride in.

students arent too competitive, so if you want to do really well its up to you. it seems the professors are really good, but i dont really have anything to compare it to personally. UVM gives you opportunities to get into classes with really good professors, you just have to look for it and avoid stacking your whole schedule with huge lectures.

All of my professors know my name. My favorite class is environmental conflict resolution. It's engaging, thought provoking and very interesting and the class size is small. I don't have a least favorite. Student study at least a couple hours a day. Students are opinionated here and always have something to say. There are intellectual conversations outside of class. Students tend to be not extremely competitive.

ive had tons of awesome professors, and i always try to participate in class. it doesnt make sense to me why people would go to college if they dont even want to be in the classes they are taking. it's a huge waste of time and money. i dont buy the whole "im getting the degree to make money" idea. it's seems shallow. im down with the requirements. they aren't hard to fulfill, and they give you a good scope of the spectrum. some people want to focus more, and i can hear that too.

Academics are great. There's a perfect balance between school and social life in my opinion.

The academics here are pretty great if you're in the right classes. There are some courses where the professor knows who I am and will even joke around with me and there are others where I'd be surprised if he recognized my face. The teachers do tend to be very open though. If you want them to know you it can be done. There's also a great variety of classes. Right now I'm in Tolkien's Middle Earth, The History of the English Language, and History of Jazz Dance. It's great to be able to study random specific things. Of course we're required to get a certain level of diversity in, but I don't think that's too hard and it's easy to still take fun classes if you plan ahead.

Academics at UVM really depend on what school you're in. I know people that have certain majors and they barely do any work, while on the other hand I'm in the business school and have a lot of work. The teachers I found are much more engaging and willing to help as I began to take classes for my major. Not to say that teachers outside of major specific classes aren't any good here, but I did notice a change for the better as far as the quality of teaching goes when I started taking classes within my major's school.

The majority of my professors know me by name. My favorite class that I have had so far is BSAD 040 with Professor Thomas Chittenden. Students study very often and the ones who study are the ones who stay. Yes class participation is common but only in certain types of classes, large lecture classes often consist of teachers just talking and students taking notes. Yes intellectual conversations happen in all atmospheres. At this point in time I have not taken any extremely unique classes because i am blocked in by the requirements I have to finish for my Business degree but a few of my friends are taking a history of rastafarianism class which sounds really interesting. Im a business major with an undecided concentration but it will probably be Finance or Investment. I have established a very good relationship with many professors but my best relationship is with my favorite teacher and now my advisor, Thomas Chittenden. I feel as though UVM's academic requirements are very fair. I feel like UVM is very interested in giving their students a life experience while there here but they dont neglect the objective of getting their students ready for the real world.

All of my professors know my name. Following my passion for art and politics, I chose to double major which has been difficult, but also rewarding. Both departments are strong, students are competitive which is a vital aspect of college. Senior Seminar has been my favorite class, as well as my political science seminar focusing on voting rights, both for the challenge they offered. Senior Seminar in studio art, which I am currently taking has been my favorite class, taught by a brilliant professor, Frank Owen. We meet twice a week in which we get to discuss our self designed body of work, and sometimes continue our discussions downtown at dinner as a class.

Academics at UVM are on a class by class basis. I wouldn't say that all classes are insightful and challenging, and i wouldn't say that all are boring. some professors can teach and others make you wonder how they got there in the first place. I've found that the student teacher relationship is a lot more personal once the student reaches higher level courses.

Only some of my professors know my name. My favorite class this year is Moving Toward Sustainability. I think that UVM requirements arent that hard to comply with and can easily be done. I am in CALS which is the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. I really enjoy that college because its perfect for me.

I've enjoyed my studies here at the university but wish that it had been more challenging at times. I came from a very competitive school where class participation was as natural as breathing so it was hard for me to adjust to a school environment in which students do not participate as much and can at times resent those who do. The truth is, I don't think that this problem is unique to UVM, i think that it's common in many colleges filled with students never pushed to participate in high school. I'm happy to report that the problem is much better when the classes are smaller, which is somewhat of a problem considering UVM is only growing in size.

I've had almost all really talented and personable professors who are interested in getting to know students. But most of the classes I've taken have been small.

Professors - lots of great professors, a few crappy ones. But they're all very interested in your well-being, and are always cool with meeting outside of office hours and making special arrangements.

All but one of my professors knows my name. This is a testament to how hard the teachers try to get to know everyone of their students by name. My sociology professor has an introductory class of 160 and already (6 weeks in to the semester) knows everyone who raises their hand or talks to her after class. My favorite class is biology... I'm not fond of lecture-style teaching (in fact, I'd never had to sit through a lecture until my first semester here), but it somehow works. Because we have 9500 undergraduates, there is a mix of everything. If you want to party every night of the week, you can. If you want to study every night of the week, you can. There's always something going on during the week and weekends, but there are also plenty of people studying. The reason that I'm at UVM (aside from in-state tuition) is that it is one of the best preparatory universities for medical school in the country. I had to decide between UVM and University of Rochester (waaaaaaayyyyyyyyyy more expensive) and chose UVM because it also has a terrific reputation for getting students into medical school. An added bonus: the medical school/Fletcher Allen Health Care (a level 1 trauma center) is a two-minute walk from most dorms. The academic requirements are really easy to fill. I know everyone says that when you're visiting schools, or they don't have a "core"/gen-ed requirements... But, as a second semester freshman, I'm done (with the exception of my P.E. requirement, which they're thinking of getting rid of) with the requirements.

-Yes. -Most: Applied Ethics seminar. A discussion of abortion, euthinasia, and death. Least: Latin -Often enough. -Yes -Way too many intellectual conversations -Not really -The above applied ethics class. -The Poli Sci department is moderatly well off, but the Philosophy Department really shines. You have classes with philosophers that are currently publishing articles on topics you are discussing in class. -Sometimes -Adiquate -Learning for its own sake

The Political Science department is one of the best in the northeast! The professors often have impressive resumes. It is really nice to find a department that cares about the quality of undergraduate teaching. The major itself is divided into four disciplines: political theory, comparative politics, international relations, and American government. Each of these disciplines allow for a comprehensive view of politics.