<p>This is going to sound a bit strange but am I the only one would prefer large, lecture style classes with 100+ people you'd most commonly find at a large public school?</p>
<p>Im a freshman at a small-ish USNWR top 50 school, where all my classes are usually between 20-30 people. Though most people seem to like it and the school prides itself on small,intimate classes....I kind of hate it.</p>
<p>For one, all professors take attendance in the first couple of minutes of class. Just reminds me a bit TOO MUCH of high school, professor unenthusiastically butchering last names in a monotone voice as everyone sits awkwardly. It's not that I'm some slacker, who would benefit from a large class/no attendance and hardly go to class, but I thought college was all about independence and making your own decisions. There are nights when I'm up all night working and I'd prefer have a chill morning class where I can relax in a large hall and listen to the lecture rather than desperately trying to stay alert in fear of randomly being called on. I'm already a timid person to begin with ahah, and it just makes it so much worse when my brain is running on auto-pilot and I'm randomly called on, or assigned to work in some group to present something to the class. </p>
<p>Oh yea, and I also noticed that small classes give the attention whores of the world a forum to spew their BS. In my philosophy there's this dude that literally uses every opportunity he has to ramble some pretentious crap that is hardly relevant to the material.</p>
<p>and honestly, in terms of forming a good relationship with the prof., that's what office hours are for. Just because youre one of 20 faces, instead of one of 100 doesn't mean the professor is magically going to give a **** about you.</p>
<p>Doesn’t sound strange at all. Most students prefer cruising through college in big lectures over being put on the spot in small participation-heavy classes.</p>
<p>I much prefer big classes. I’m not a participating kind of person and I like the anonymity and the option not to go to class when I don’t want to. I also perform much better in classes that only require a few tests as opposed to classes with homework and such since I’m not very good about getting that done.</p>
<p>So yeah, big classes are more for me and that’s why I go to a huge school :)</p>
<p>so in college do the professors actually call on you to answer a question/thought/idea??! how often did your professors know your name??! do they take attendance on the first day of class…?</p>
<p>In small classes they know your name and do call on you to answer stuff, and they take attendance, more like a high school class. In big classes they don’t.</p>
<p>I prefer big classes for sure. At umich, I get a lot of both. Right now I have one big lecture hall class and all the rest are about 15 people, since I am a senior now and am taking a lot of senior seminar kind of courses. I have had courses with as many as 300 people that still had room for student participation and discussion. I don’t know why, but I just find that environment a lot more stimulating.</p>
<p>One of my smaller classes is a lot like high school. Last week she warned us to have a selection from the reading prepared to discuss because she was going to be calling on people randomly and putting them on the spot. I just feel like I have better things to do than sit in a class where you have to pull teeth to get a good discussion going. In a big class the kids that give a crap will be the only ones participating and it makes for a much more interesting discussion, in my little classes-- not the senior seminars but the electives I’m taking, it’s like pulling teeth trying to get an intellectual discussion going. It’s just a waste of my time.</p>