<p>We are located in California and my son has been accepted to UC Davis, UC San Diego and Boston University. I am trying to figure out if we should visit Boston University, and I have a question on how students are supported in large lectures.</p>
<p>Yesterday, we toured UC Davis and I learned that for the large lecture general ed classes (where there can be hundreds of students attending a lecture) . . students are also assigned a class called “Discussion Group” in their schedule, where they regularly meet with a TA (teacher’s assistant?) and approx 10-14 other students, to discuss the lecture that take place in the lecture hall. In addition, at the main floor of each of the on-campus housing buildings, they have free tutoring ('til late in the evening) for many general ed classes (math, science, chemistry, etc.) All of this would be GREAT support for any student. (My son’s friend at UC Berkeley has told him about these discussion groups that he is in. So I know it’s at UC Berkeley and UC Davis. Maybe it’s at all UC’s? I don’t know . . )</p>
<p>Anyway . . my question: What support does Boston University offer their students in large lecture classes? Is it anything similar to this (“discussion groups” as an assigned class time, plus free tutoring at the dorms).?</p>
<p>Hi! I’m a freshman at BU and from what I’ve experienced, most large lecture classes do also have separate discussion sections that are mandatory for students to attend. As you get in to classes that pertain more to your major, the class size gets smaller and usually eliminates the need for a discussion.
For example, this year I had to take Calculus and Microeconomics my first semester, those classes both being MWF, but they each had their own discussion section to attend, in my case one was on Tuesday and the other was on Wednesday. Not all lectures have discussions, but I believe ones that have 100+ students do. My Microeconomics class had about 250 people in the lecture and my Calculus class had about 125.
There are also office hours from the professors and the TA/TFs if students need help or have questions, and BU also has great free tutoring services, from what I’ve heard from others. Some departments even have their own places to go for help, like the Economics department has the Principles Center, where students can go and get help from and speak to TF/TAs.
Hope this helped! </p>
<p>I go to BU and I’m from Los Angeles so I know the UC system well. In general, I have taken courses where you are in a classroom setting (20-40 students). Other courses may require a lecture hall. But none of the classes I’ve taken are ONLY Lectures. The school knows that students will be able to learn the material better if they discuss the lectures on a less ratio basis (professor:student). Also, UCSD and USD are both great schools! Congrats! I got into UCSD too! If BU is a top choice, and money isn’t too much of a factor, I would consider visiting. The Boston life/culture is very different than the UC system. Hope this helps. </p>
<p>(We happen to be at UCSD today and tomorrow. (He got into Muir). It’s a beautiful campus, area, and has wonderful weather! He bas lots to think about.)</p>