<p>Hey, I am a current senior who is into Tufts and wondering about class format. I know that Tufts is relatively large and will have some lecture-based classes. However, I'm wondering how prevalent discussion-based classes are. Do you only get them when you are an upperclassman?</p>
<p>Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>Tufts is not relatively large! Not if you consider that its student/faculty ratio is 8:1, which is the same as liberal arts colleges like Amherst and the like!</p>
<p>After my three or four intro classes freshman year, about 50% of my classes have been in the range of40-20; the other 50% have been in the seminar range of 5 to 12. I've even had a class with only one person -- an independent study.</p>
<p>The answer, then, I think, is that most of your classes will be 40 and under.</p>
<p>(Freshman talking)
Even my lecture classes have had professors who focus on discussion. Crazy, I know. If you take the classes like intro to IR, Psych, premed Bio, etc, there are going to be big classes (which are nice because there's less pressure during class to pay attention, as a sidenote). But I've taken a couple of intro classes that were moderately sized and the professors really encouraged participation.</p>
<p>Actually the lecture classes are often times the most rewarding classes!</p>
<p>English classes are always kept small 15> while poly sci classes are understandably larger. Languages are generally kept small as well, at least in my experience; there's 6 people in my Russian 2 class this semester. Small classes are prevalent enough so you can sign up for them when you want to, but big lectures are so there and can greatly relieve you of the stress of having to prep for a discussion class every day.</p>
<p>You could definitely take small, single-digit-student classes your freshman year if you choose to. My Prototyping home robotics class had 14 students and my English 1 class had 8.</p>
<p>But I generally prefer large, lecture classes. They are MUCH less stressful. The professor doesn't know who you are so you don't have to go when you don't want to. I didn't go to Physics for 2 months last semester, crammed for 3 days straight in the reading period, nailed the final, and got an A. It beats getting up at 8 in the morning everyday for class :)</p>
<p>In a typical premed Biology lecture freshman year, how large would that lecture be? 100-200 people?</p>
<p>bump. (10 characters)</p>
<p>About 100-200 yes. I think those classes are in Braker 008 which has about 150 seats in it (I'm estimating here). It's a big room, but not as big as lecture classes at a much larger university.</p>
<p>I thought the premed Bios (13 and 14) were in Cohen and had more like 200-300 in them? I haven't taken them myself, though, so I'm not the most reliable source.</p>
<p>You're probably right.</p>
<p>My daughter's Bio class had about 100 students in it. Her intro art history course had about 100, but other art history courses have about 35 students. Her freshman writing classes had under 15 students. Most classes at Tufts are fairly small.</p>
<p>Intro classes tend to be pretty large, but it doesn't really matter because you usually have recitations where you can ask the TA questions and go over the material if you're too shy to approach the professor. Then again, at bigger schools the intro classes can be like 1000 students, so this is really nothing.</p>