<p>Schools boast of low ratios to impart how intimate their classes can be. They also publish the % of undergrad classes with fewer than 20 students.</p>
<p>Both of these numbers have some merit but I do college info sessions for my HYP alma mater and I find the student to prof ratio to be somewhat misleading in terms of actual student face time with instructors. Here's why: even if a school was 1:1 ratio, it still wouldn't matter if the student was a wallflower and never engages his/her instructors. What is the student like in High School?</p>
<p>To argue that material differences exist between a school with a 6:1 ratio versus one with an 8:1 ratio is pointless IMHO. It 95% depends on the confidence and initiative of the student.</p>
<p>I find the % of classes fewer than 20 to be a better no. in terms of student experience.</p>
<p>So the next time a college rep boasts of the amazing student to faculty ratio, I say take it with a grain of salt.</p>
<p>I think the amount of access a student has to the faculty is what these ratios are trying to get at. There are better ways to figure that out though.</p>
<p>1) Large grad student population on campus: That almost always means that the undergraduates are competing with graduate students for face time, research opportunities, and access. Figure out the ratio of grad students to undergrad in that dept. relative to the number of faculty.</p>
<p>2) Check the size of intro classes in the departments you are most interested in: Some departments, like Econ and Bio, tend to have large, impersonal intro classes with TAs handling most of the questions and discussion. Sure, the advanced seminars are small, but will you get there if you are a face in the crowd for two years?</p>
<p>3) How many kids are majoring in that department? Again, big departments mean the faculty has less time to cultivate personal relationships. A physics professor at UMD mentioned that he and his dept. colleagues treasuer the non-engineering physics majors because there are relatively few of them and they share his passion.</p>
<p>4) Do they offer freshman seminars? Its an opportunity to be in a small class in a subject you care about so you can form a personal connection with someone on the faculty.</p>
<p>5) How personalized is the advising? Is it all about filling a list of requirements and getting a quick sign-off, or does your advisor take the time to get to know you, your interests, and your strengths and weaknesses? If all you get is a signature on your schedule for next semester, you are missing important educational guidence. </p>
<p>Yes, shy students will make fewer connections than those who speak up-but some schools stack the deck in favor of the quieter types and others require sharp elbows.</p>
<p>I’m resurrecting an older thread. I found these two posts very interesting, and I am interested in more opinions regarding teacher:student ratios. It’s rare to find schools that are lower than, say 7:1, or higher than, say 16:1. So they are all pretty much in the 7-16:1 range. Is there a sweet spot? Is this a misleading statistic? Any thoughts?</p>