<p>I know if varies b/w departments and individuals, but in general, how available to Penn professors make themselves? My one worry is that if I got accepted to Penn I’d be just another face in the crowd, and wouldn’t be able to have many one-on-one, memorable experiences with professors. Can someone develop a friendship with professors, even though there are ~10,000 undergrad? Would I be better off at a much smaller school?</p>
<p>In general, they're easy to meet. Most departments have a variety of get-together events, colloquia, and so forth. My department, Classics, holds weekly colloquia. </p>
<p>Once you get to the 300 level classes tend to be very small - though I had a LATN309 last year with 34 students, largely because the prof. who taught it (Joseph Farrell) is a world class scholar on Augustan literature and Propertius, the author we studied. More typical was CLST328 last spring - also taught by a world class scholar (Brian Rose) with 8 students. </p>
<p>Most departments also have opportunities for independent research where you'll work one-on-one with a prof.</p>
<p>It all really depends on you!</p>
<p>All my professors post their office hours which are times you can go in for individual help. I was a little skeptical about going in during office hours but I needed help in my Korean class and I went in during office hours and my professor was really cool and helped me a lot. I'm a freshman and my writing seminar only has 16 students. And as WilliamC said once you get to higher level classes they tend to be really small and you get to know your professor well.</p>
<p>I'm going to be a pessimist on this one, but I have to be honest. </p>
<p>At any research university (Read: pretty much all top tier schools with the exception of Dartmouth and LACs), the professors are often focused on their own work. I've found that you can get to know a professor personally, but only if YOU are the one who is doing the pursuing. You have to go out of your way to attend office hours, speak up in class, and get to know your professor outside of watching him read off of powerpoint slides.</p>
<p>My boyfriend goes to a top LAC, and his teachers all know him by name and know about his interests, etc. They have genuine class discussions, not just lectures. They'll branch out off topic, plan activities outside of class, and joke around. From what he's told me, the atmosphere can get a lot more intimate when you're attending a college rather than a university. </p>
<p>This of course varies by department and by professor. In language departments, English department, and others, the classes are a lot smaller and you get that same environment. Also, even in large classes, some teachers will have you sign up to go out to lunch with them so they can get to know you. </p>
<p>Think about your personality type very carefully. A large class can be great for being anonymous, and if you like a more straightforward approach to learning. If you enjoy a more active setting, and think you'll thrived in a more high school-esque environment, you may want to seriously consider a LAC. </p>
<p>I never really looked into them, but I think I would have if I could do it all over.</p>
<p>eighteenforluck, what grade are you in? if you're freshman/soph., aren't a lot of your classes impersonal lectures? I understand that, but don't things get a little more personal in upper-level courses?</p>