The student to faculty ratio seems kind of high. As this can be a misleading statistic, how noticeable is this in regular classes? For what it is worth I will probably major in Chemistry.
It is misleading. For example, Auburn has a lower ratio, 18:1 . However, UA has a significantly higher percentage of classes with less than 20 students than does Auburn. I think this means that UA’s large classes are significantly larger than the large classes at other schools like Auburn. So it evens out. And does it really matter whether a large class has 100 vs.150 students? If you want to see a reference for my assertion, you can find one in the thread called "Bama’s New Numbers. " I explained the misleading quality of UA’s 21:1 student/faculty ratio there.
It is misleading. For example, Auburn has a lower ratio, 18:1 . However, UA has a significantly higher percentage of classes with less than 20 students than does Auburn. I think this means that UA’s large classes are significantly larger than the large classes at other schools like Auburn. So it evens out. And does it really matter whether a large class has 100 vs.150 students? If you want to see a reference for my assertion, you can find one in the thread called "Bama’s New Numbers. " I explained the misleading quality of UA’s 21:1 student/faculty ratio there.
Where are you seeing high ratios?
100 level lecture classes are typically large at all schools. The labs for those classes are typically much smaller, roughly 25 students per lab.
If you’re coming in with AP credits, then often you’ll skip those into courses. My kids didn’t take any intro courses.
As you move into your major, particularly upper-division courses, your classes will likely get smaller and smaller.
@mom2collegekids Collegexpress has it listed as 21:1, which is much higher than what my in-states have. But according to Atlanta68 the difference is minimal.
Ok, I know this isn’t really 100% relevant, but our high school has 32-35 students in pretty much every classroom. Most students who attend public schools nowadays are probably used to that many students. Yes, there are large lecture halls in college, and that does take some getting used to, but this usually only pertains to a very finite number of core introductory classes.
In college, students are usually more similar in their intellectual ability and maturity, than they were in HS, meaning that the college class is not held back because a few don’t understand, or disrupt, or distract and otherwise hijack the rest with their disinterest. In college, if a student isn’t interested in class, they simply don’t attend!
At college, there are ways to make a class seem smaller: from the get-go, make sure you make it a habit to get to know your professors - come early, stay late, go to office hours, sit near the front, raise your hand if you have a relevant question or discussion point…basically, work hard to be noticed and your effort will be rewarded.
I think its really important to clarify this matter about student/faculty ratio. I mistakenly thought I had provided a reference for the class size claim I made in another thread. I found the data and included it in the thread “Bama’s New Numbers,” but forgot to share the link.
Please go to this link http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/university-of-alabama-1051/academics, and you will see what percentage of classes at UA have less than 20 students. 42.8 % of all classes at UA have less than 20 students! Florida has the same ratio as UA, however, its percentage of classes with less than 20 students is even higher, at 47.2 %, so the student/faculty ratio needs to be examined closely to get an accurate idea of class size.
Also compare to other schools like Georgia Tech and Auburn. ones that have lower student/faculty ratios. Georgia Tech’s ratio is only 18 to 1, yet only 38.7% of classes at GT have less than 20 students. And as I said before, Auburn has a lower student/faculty ratio than UA, but has a lower percentage of classes with less than 20 students as well.
I would consider the class sizes of courses you’ll be taking. For example, UA doesn’t have an on-campus classes with over 200 students. Many state universities have classes with 500 students and occasionally have some students sitting in another room watching the instructor on TV screens. Some schools even do this with calculus classes, while UA caps such classes at 25-60 students.
At UA, class sizes will generally be as follows:
Lower division core curriculum courses: 20-200 students, 15-40 for honors sections.
Upper division curriculum courses for students in a specific college: 40-109 students, 15-40 for honors
Upper division major courses: 15-65 students, 5-15 students in certain majors such as mathematics
Graduate courses: 5-45 students
Classes tend to be on the lower part of these ranges. Online classes tend to be smaller. Unlike many schools, professors tend to teach most undergraduate and almost all graduate courses. Contingent faculty will teach some specialized courses and graduate students will often teach freshman and sophomore English courses and some major-specific undergraduate courses. Of the roughly 45 courses I took at UA, 3 were taught by contingent faculty, all of whom had full time jobs relevant to the course, and 4 which were taught by grad students.
My DD2 is in engineering at UA, and I don’t think she has been in any 200 student classes. My older DD at UAB has - also the 200 class size - I asked her if it affected her learning, and she said ‘not really’. While on Tuscaloosa’s campus Sunday returning DD after Spring break, we went by a building and I asked her if she had any classes there, and she said ‘no, that is where they have the larger classes’ - the 200 student ones.
I think a key advantage at UA is the amount of resources available (like tutoring) - I know with some classes where a number of students are having difficulty, additional group tutoring has also been available. If your student is in an honors program, the honors college also assists in helping a student feel like they are in a much more intimate educational situation - I believe it is the best of both worlds.