What are some top schools that have mostly lecture-based classes instead of seminar-based classes?
I know Cornell does a lot of lectures, but what about others?
Don’t nearly all schools have lecture-based classes?
What is your objection to some seminar-based classes?
??
the public universities with the biggest student populations
Generally, at schools other than LACs, most entry level courses (those offered for the first two years) are lecture-style with a ‘discussion section’ taught by a grad student.
D preferred lectures to seminars for her lower level courses on the theory that she’d rather listen to the prof talking than a bunch of ignorant undergrads groping their way through unfamiliar material. And she’s an introvert, so seminars were something she preferred to do when she was talking to others who shared her interest in and commitment to the topic. So I get why someone might prefer it.
Be aware that large lecture classes will often have smaller discussion sections once a week (typically 15-20 students), and class participation would be a part of the final grade. In the sciences, you’d have a similarly sized lab section once or twice a week. That is not the case with the smaller lecture classes (30-60 students, maybe slightly larger), which normally don’t have TAs and often have fewer writing assignments.
Class sizes and the style of instruction can vary significantly from one department to another even within the same college. Language classes, for example, tend to be far smaller and much more interactive than popular classes like psychology or economics. For any college you’re interested in:
(1) Take a look at the course requirements (both for graduation and the major you’re interested in) to see what you’d be expected to take.
(2) Take a look at the course offerings/schedule (usually found on the registrar’s website) to see how big classes in your fields of interest are.