<p>Please don't be sorry!!</p>
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<li> The class sizes really depend on the class, the level, and the professor's cap. Professors can cap classes at whatever size they want to - or not cap it at all - so there's really a range of some discussion based classes and some lecture based classes. Some are even a fusion of the two - this semester, I'm taking one of my favorite classes I've ever taken with an AWESOME professor (Professor Brown in the history dept.) and it's over 50 people, but he facilitates active discussion in response to his lectures. That's definitely unusual, but it goes to show that the classes aren't necessarily just lecture or discussion. Class sizes usually top out at about 175 or 180, although there is an occasional larger class. The biggest one that I've ever heard of - and that's not to say that it's the biggest one ever offered - was I think like 350 students. Those classes usually do break down at least once a week into smaller sections with TA's (teaching assistants) who go over the material in a much smaller 15-30 student sized groups. Having said that, most of our classes are not huge, and there are a lot of opportunities to take classes with much smaller enrollment. Most people do have a mix of small and large classes, even as a freshman.</li>
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<p>My smallest class ever was four people including myself - it was a conversational Italian class, which was fantastic being so small, although really put on the pressure!! The smallest non-language class I've had I think is around 15, not including my independent study courses.</p>
<p>My biggest classes were probably around 175 people. For me, those were Intro to International Relations and an introductory Brain and Cognitive Science class that looked at neural mechanisms in the brain. Most of my bigger classes are usually more around 60-80 people.</p>
<p>In my experience, the professors have been super-accessible. Of course, you'll have an oddball that you'll wonder how ever got through the interview process, but for the most part, I've been impressed by my professors. They are all required to teach undergraduates - and know that when they accept their jobs here - and I really can't think of any professors that I've had that I've felt like were just there because they had to be. Even the few professors that I've really disliked have been very accessible and welcoming, although I really didn't think their teaching style was effective. Professors are also required to have office hours, which most want you to attend. Even though I was so afraid to for my first year and a half here, take them up on their offer...they can be really helpful and great for forming relationships with faculty. ADVICE for WHEREVER you go to school: It's not about the class you take - it's about the professor! Try to take classes with professors that you've heard are awesome in any subject that you're interested in. If they are a good professor, the subject matter will no matter what be interesting and, sadly, if they are a bad professor, even the most interesting subject matter can be awful!</p>
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<li><p>I think the feel of the campus really depends upon what you make of it and what sort of classes that you choose to take. If you choose to take all lecture-based large classes that do not require discussion, I think it will have much more of a feel of a large research based university feel. In the social sciences and humanities sometimes that's nearly impossible, but it maybe could be done. For me, it feels much more like a small liberal arts college - I've taken a bunch of funky classes, which are usually on the smaller side and require a lot of discussion. I think it really depends on what sort of things you take advantage of.</p></li>
<li><p>I haven't taken any classes in philosophy, but the Legal Studies minor, which is interdepartmental, is administered through the Philosophy department, so I've met with the department head a couple of times and he's really great. I have heard fantastic things about classes with Professor Holmes, who does a lot of work with nonviolence, but beyond that, I don't know too much. </p></li>
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<p>I have taken one class (and then became its teaching fellow the next year) in Religion called Speaking Stones. It sounds really creepy, but it's actually really cool, just give it a second....
Mount Hope Cemetery is the oldest public Victorian cemetery in the US and is directly adjacent to campus. This class - taught by a FANTASTIC professor - essentially takes you through the cemetery and teaches you the local history of Rochester through the stones, symbolism present in gravestones, and the entrepreneurial side of cemeteries. The coolest part, in my opinion, is the research aspect of the class, during which you basically adopt a stone or a family plot and do original research into its/their history utilizing our Rare Books Department and the local history section of the Rochester public library. It's so great and a really cool way to get involved in research that is not necessarily just science-test-tube based like everybody thinks of research. I wish I had more time to take religion classes because a bunch of my close friends have taken many classes with that department and loved them, but that's all the info I can offer from personal experience.</p>
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<li> Hope that helped! Let me know if you have any more questions!</li>
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