<p>I was doing a little online research about the psych program at UD. I found that the intro psych (PSYC 100) is a large lecture with no recitation section. Grades in the class are determined by performance on multiple choice exams and online quizzes that can be retaken until a score of 100 is achieved. Class attendance is not required. Rate my Professors comments seem to judge professors to be "easy." </p>
<p>I hope that this is not indicative of the general qualify of a UD education. I'd like to think that more is generally expected of students. I also have read that roughly 40% of the student body are Delawarians for whom admission standards are much less rigorous than for OOS students because of the "Commitment to Delawarians." Does this impact the level to which classes are taught?</p>
<p>I'd love to be proved wrong about this so please give me some comments of students/parents of non-honors students regarding the rigor of the academics at UD. Is it easy to slide by? Or do students have to work hard? How much is expected of them? Are large lectures and multiple choice tests the norm?</p>
<p>Based on my D’s 4 year experiences at UD my perspective would be that most courses at UD are rigorous and challenging. In the freshman year there are some large courses (usually tied to general ed requirements) but as one progresses in one’s major the courses become progressively smaller. At all colleges there are courses that are identified by students as being “easy”, but I think these are relatively few and far between at UD. I have visited the campus many times, including weekend days and some evenings. In the bookstore cafe and in many of the eateries I always observed students doing some type of schoolwork. My observations would lead me to believe that most students at UD are very serious about their studies. One of the main purposes of the “Commitment to Delawarians” is to try and advise Delaware HS students about the rigor of courses at UD and make sure they are taking the appropriate level of HS courses to prepare them as best as possible to be able to succeed at UD. There are a number of very smart Delaware students at UD. I don’t believe that UD tones down its courses because of possible academic deficiencies in any sub-population. As far as what is expected by UD of its students; I feel UD expects its students to act as the young adults they are and behave both academically and socially in a responsible manner (granted some are more mature than others) but this is not HS. You should not have to require students to attend class (even though many professors do require this). Hopefully as parents we can instill the importance of getting as much as possible out of going to college and if they choose not to attend courses where they are not “required” to attend they really are just cheating themselves and wasting money. Unfortunately UD will have its share of students (a very small percentage) that can’t adapt and end up having to leave, but I doubt the percentage is higher than any other comparable high quality university. It was my experience that UD provides an excellent path for students to follow, but it is ultimately up to the students to “walk the walk”. Thankfully most of the students are able to do this. Just my perspective.</p>
<p>At a university like UDel, the weaker students disappear after the first year. As a result, UDel’s graduation rate is not very impressive.</p>
<p>Most public universities have large intro level classes. It does surprise me that they wouldn’t all have smaller discussion classes (or labs).</p>
<p>From what I have read, UDel has been less affected by state budget cuts than most public universities. PA for example has a Governor intent on slashing their funding by 50% over 2 years.</p>
<p>S is a sophomore OOS non-honors student. He has always had a discussion section for his large lecture classes, and he hasn’t been able to retake quizzes. (I’ll have to tell him about PSYC 100 ;).) In some classes attendance has counted towards the grade and in some it hasn’t, but I don’t think this is particularly an issue: if kids don’t want to show up, then it will presumably be reflected in their grade anyway. As Mwallenmd says, this is college, not high school.</p>
<p>As a counter-example, the fall of his freshman year two of his classes (an intermediate Spanish class and a required English class) had around 20 students in them, smaller than his high school classes. </p>
<p>It probably is easy to “slide by” (i.e. pass) some courses, but in his experience you have to work hard (and show up!) to get As. I imagine the same could be written about most big state schools. He has found most of his professors to be very good and also very willing to help students one-on-one, to a much greater degree than he anticipated. UD is large in terms of the number of students, but feels much smaller, both in the physical size of the campus and the individual attention that the students get.</p>
<p>My DD is a soph, OOS, non-honors student. The only class that could be called “easy” was her only required math class, and that is because as a not-great test-taker, she didn’t test at a high level (in the summer between HS graduation and entry to UD) - so the class she had to take freshman year was not really challenging. She got an A and was happy to have it over with.</p>
<p>She had a couple of large intro classes freshman year and they were definitely not a breeze. She worked really hard for her grades. She also has a couple of large classes this semester because they fulfill breadth requirements (into to sociology and a nutrition class).</p>
<p>On the flip side, she’s had several small classes, including one last semester that was only 9. Others have been in the 15-25 range. She’s also had classes where she complains that “the prof is treating this like a 400 level course and it’s only a 100 level course.” So yes, she has been pushed and challenged, and most important, she has grown. </p>
<p>This school is not a cake-walk; what would be the point? They have a “commitment to Delawareans,” but even the in-state students have to perform. Remember, the school is about 70-30, favoring OOS, and it’s increasingly difficult to get in from OOS.</p>
<p>My DD is working harder than she ever did in HS (and she’s never had an opportunity to retake quizzes in any classes!). She’s had a positive experience with the professors she’s dealt with and is happy with her advisory. It’s really been a perfect fit for her academically; if she can maximize all of the out-of-class opportunities related to internships and work experience, then I will be thrilled. This last part, of course, is up to her.</p>
<p>My OOS honors sophomore hasn’t been able to retake any quizes, and I’m relying on all of you not to mention this to her! Most of her classes have been small. I would say that only her chem classes have been large, with smaller labs. She has found the large lectures to be just a different way of learning. She has a non-honors history class this semester with 13 students and a honors art history with seven. She is finally going to take her language in the fall and expects that class to be a bit larger. She works hard, but has learned so much. She thinks there are as many options as one could want if you take the time to really look through the course options.</p>
<p>thanks for all your responses I appreciate it…</p>
<p>as to the delaware issue, though, the website states that 88% of Delaware applicants are admitted vs. 57% of OOS applicants. It seems to me that admissions standards must be considerably less selective for Delaware residents than for OOS applicants? <a href=“In-State Students | University of Delaware”>In-State Students | University of Delaware;
<p>have your children noticed any difference between the OOS and IS students in terms of readiness for college?</p>
<p>Pamom59 - your figure’s include admittance to other campuses. For 2011, 64% of Delaware applicants were offered admission to Newark Campus, and for OOS it’s generally 45% - 55% admitted to Newark Campus. See the link below.</p>
<p>To piggyback on Treye25 comments a number of in-state students are admitted to several Associates of Arts degeee programs that UD offers at several sites outside of Newark. If these students do well in the A.A. program a number of them are then accepted for their second two years to the Newark campus to get their Bachelors degrees. The courses in the A.A. programs are taught by UD faculty (many also teach at Newark campus) and to my understanding are similar to the same courses given at Newark (even have the same course numbers). There may be some remedial courses also given to help some students “catch up” if needed. Courses at the Newark campus are not toned down for anyone. UD would not have its high national rankings in multiple majors if they were.</p>
<p>pamom59: One more thing. You seem to have a major concern that in-state students are not on par scholastically with OOS students. The proof is in the pudding. Take a look at the Dean’s List which is published every semester. I think you will find that the number of in-state students on the list for most all majors is nearly equivalent to the percentage of in-state residents at the school. Hopefully this should help allay your concerns in this area (unless you think in-state students are graded differently from OOS students-which would be ridiculous).</p>
<p>Note that her GPA was 88.5 and her SAT scores were over 2000 (can’t remember exactly, but it’s in the first post). They are not letting just anyone into the Newark campus.</p>
<p>What’s your specific concern? That your DS won’t have to go to class? That it will be too easy? From our experience, this is not the case at all at UD.</p>
<p>Yes LINYMOM you’ve put your finger on it my concerns, and I’m hoping that UD is academically rigorous and not a place where it is easy to just slide by. Thanks to all for sharing your opinions. :)</p>
<p>My daughter is truly gifted in the art of sliding by. Unfortunately, her talents have not been put to good use. She works her butt off. And complains about it loudly and often. I’m not sure what her expectations were in terms of college workload, but that’s another thread.</p>
<p>My daughter is a freshman and had psych 100 last semester. She had several in class exams and no online quizzes. She found it to be hard and she had already taken psych in high school. That was her only B last semester.</p>