I know about the Common Data Set, but its statistics are for the whole university so are of marginal utility for more precise questions. What size and style are classes in the SFS? I imagine the core courses may be larger and more likely to be lecture style, like many freshman/sophomore level classes, but are the classes within the majors seminar-style with 20 or less students, or more lecture-style with more than that number per class?
Core classes range from 60 (higher level econ, usually) to 250 (comparative political systems, for example). I got a decent amount of AP credit going in and so skipped many of the freshman classes, but my friends tell me they’re usually around 100-200 people. Upper-level classes do tend to be much smaller, but it depends on the type of class. Seminars are usually 15-30 people, while lectures can range from 30 to 100 students, depending on if the course is an intro or pre-requisite class for higher-level courses.
So with those class sizes do you feel like you are forming a relationship with any of your professors?
It depends on the course material. My CPS prof has done a lot of research on social welfare systems in Latin America, and while I’m more interested in Europe, I did have a good conversation with him about welfare states and their development. I know a lot of people who’ve had great relationships with their profs because they share similar interests. My deepest connection with a prof is probably with my proseminar. Every freshman takes a prosem, which is around 15 people, and ours was on media, technology, and politics, which I found really interesting. She’s already written me a recommendation letter, and I plan on taking another class of hers next year. It’s definitely possible to form close relationships, especially if you’re interested in the material, just by going to office hours and chatting with them.