<p>Is it just me (or maybe just my school?), or are almost all professors incredibly arrogant and very unhelpful.... ?</p>
<p>...or is it me?...</p>
<p><em>sigh</em> I'm just so tired of being made to feel like a nuisance by some quirky academic who would rather be chairing conventions and getting his name in journals than (gasp) actually talking to (and being half-way kind while doing so) an undergraduate student....</p>
<p>DanielJ</p>
<p>It's just you or the school. My advisor/cul anthro/anthro theory professor is awesome. Great personality and by all accounts she is willing to do what it takes to make sure students understand the material.</p>
<p>hmmmm...I wonder if maybe it's a "male thing" (being a guy, please don't everyone get hysterical)? or at least - if men professors are more likely to be this way. </p>
<p>this year, i don't even have one lady prof, t.a., or advisor. the one lady advisor I ever did have was brilliant.</p>
<p>Not me, lol </p>
<p>Not at all, my professors are all really great. all that I have had my 1st year have been doctors and all will help you whenever you want. just set an appointment. There is not reason for a tutor.</p>
<p>But i go to a smaller school. but we have some good professors. Out of 10 professors 2 were from columbia, 1 princeton and 3 NYU. these are where they got there PHD. My advisor graduate from MIT. So i mean they should be the most intense of the bunch but as i see it they are the most leanient graders and the most helpful.</p>
<p>I got to NYIT.edu</p>
<p>DanielJ, your Q illustrates why I became a fan of LAC's: the profs do their research but they are also intensely interested in teaching. Even the discussion sections are taught by profs...for one of my D's intro government class, the only "large" class she's had, the department chair himself taught her discussion section. Her Number Theory class has five students in it...you bet it's a close and intimate experience. Can't complain about the research opps either...my D has accepted a summer research position funded by the NSF.</p>
<p>I also go to a small school and have to say that the professors really care about the students. Many of mine have even given out home phone numbers! That is on top of prompty answering e-mails, having at least 10 office hours a week plus by appointment, and encouraging us to ask questions in class. My classes range from 14 to 50 students. (freshman and sophomore level ones7)</p>
<p>As an example, my physics professor helped me over 30 minutes on two problems this morning, even though they had been gone over in an outside-of-class study session the night before that I missed for another activity. He even went back and explained some concepts that are seemingly simple but I had never learned in high school.</p>
<p>So, I think it is just a thing with big universities or the individual professor. But, I have had arrogant professors that were also helpful. Good luck!</p>
<p>Also many very big universitys have volenteer professors. Also smaller schools have higher paid professors</p>
<p>actually, i have had a bigger problem with some arrogant TAs.</p>
<p>I have a very arrogant professor who likes to pimp his books and the fact that he was highly sought after by many "elite" universities, blah, blah, blah. He just likes to make sure everyone knows how amazing of person he is and how bright he is.</p>
<p>I had 1 professor who talked about himself.</p>
<p>he was good thogh</p>
<p>2 bachelors in engineering and business
4 masters
and a PHD
and he won jepordy 6 times</p>
<p>^^ Oh crap! How long did it take him to get all those degrees?</p>
<p>i have no idea, he is like 33. he finished college when he was 19</p>
<p>thats not bad lol. I've known a few people like that as well - they're crazy. One of my high school teachers had two doctorates and two masters degrees and spoke 7 languages - every summer, he personally led a group of students around europe and asia (I kid you not - this guy is teaching high school students - he also teaches some summer session classes at UCLA). I am in awe of that.</p>
<p>In regards to the original question though, it really depends on the professor (it isn't the school). You will always find professors who suck and others who are extremely nice and love to talk to and help their students. Hopefully you'll have better profs next semester/quarter</p>
<p>Sounds like small schools are the way to go to avoid this (I found what you said about LAC's interesting, thedad). </p>
<p>Many times, I find myself wanting to go into teaching just so that I could actually be nice to people... I wonder if it is all subconscious for these guys? I mean - whether or not the even have a realisation of their attitude? </p>
<p>Also, it's interesting to me what you said, kwtortoise, about the professors' office hours. In a huge school like the one I go to, almost all professors and T.A.'s seem to have office hours equivalent to just one class a week (ie - 1:15 /week) for anywhere from 12 - 250 people!! I wonder if for many, the teaching jobs are more about the prestige (or the flexibility?), than actually wanting to help students...</p>
<p>DanielJ - most proffs I had at the big universities I've been to would create extra time to meet with me (i.e. by appointment via email) if I had a question about a class project or wanted to work for them. Office hours aren't set in stone. And even at most big schools, except for classes involving premeds, only a few people ever show up for office hours. </p>
<p>Even the most arrogant professors I had were also somewhat helpful. Remember there's a difference between being arrogant and being rushed + under heavy pressure to churn out many publications (something that affects assistant professors at most research universities, particularly at places where their chances of getting tenure aren't very good). </p>
<p>I do think things would be a bit better at an LAC. However, based on my own experiences and the experiences of my friends that went to LACs, I think that most LAC proponents tend to highly exaggerate the impersonal nature of big schools.</p>
<p>I agree with calkidd-I think while LAC are somewhat better, many professors at research universities are willing to help undergraduates. I had a great experience at a research university-even the well-known, tenured professors were willing to help me. I think the difference is you have to initiate the contact.</p>
<p>CalKidd, I went to a large school and TheMom not only went to large schools but has worked at UCLA for nearly 25 years and works professionally upon occasion with other large schools. We're familiar with large schools very much. And we found the differences to be staggering.</p>
<p>my professors have all been awesome - females and males.</p>