| REVIEWER | RATING & REVIEW |
 | twansalem (38)
08/13/2007 | Smaller class sizes are almost always beneficial to the students. I went to a smaller school for my undergrad, and the small class sizes were great. Not only do the professors know all the students in their field, but the professors even get to know the students in their gen-ed classes. Students can ask questions in class, and they tend to feel more comfortable going to professors' office hours. Now I am a teaching assistant at a large university, where undergraduate class sizes of 200-300 students are somewhat common. A lot of the students tell me that they get absolutely nothing out of going to lecture. Many of the students never talk to the professor at all, and tend to consider their TA's to be their real teachers. Large universities have a broken system. If you are a good student, and seek out the help of the professor, you will be fine. But otherwise, it is very easy to just fall between the cracks.
(3 voted this helpful, 0 funny and 0 agree) |
 | Loerke (48)
08/13/2007 | Challenge yourself. If you're shy and like listening to lectures, go to a small institution with smaller class sizes. If people tell you you talk too much, try a larger institution and listen for a change. A good college experience should involve getting out of your comfort zone.
(2 voted this helpful, 0 funny and 0 agree) |
 | Vudija (94)
03/31/2006 | I prefer institutions that allow for smaller class sizes for several reasons.
1) It means that teachers are able to give students more class-time attention
2) Less people usually means less drama, less talking, less distractions
3) I'm not that big a fan of large groups of people. I have the occasional panic attack and would love to avoid the chance of this, if at all possible.
(2 voted this helpful, 0 funny and 0 agree) |
 | Djahuti (56)
03/31/2006 | Smaller classes are definately a plus.
(4 voted this helpful, 0 funny and 0 agree) |
 | decalod85 (10)
12/06/2005 | Small classes are good, unless you are extremely hung over.
(1 voted this helpful, 0 funny and 0 agree) |
 | winter_spirit (2)
09/21/2004 | The larger the class, the more irrelevant you are and the more impersonal the learning process becomes. Some people don't fare well with lecture classes and need a more hands on approach to learning, which is what smaller classes offer most of the time. If a class is too large, then activities such as presenting your work is impossible (to go through each and every student would take too long), which is important for peer criticism, guidance that is personalized to fit your specific needs (rather than tips directed to the entire class) and interaction between the students and the teacher.
(1 voted this helpful, 0 funny and 0 agree) |
 | mahadragon (0)
02/28/2004 | If I had my preference I would prefer smaller classes. They are more personal and intimate. As far as quality of instruction goes I agree with what Franklin says. Last year I took a Sociology class where there were only 11 students. The teacher was horrible (wound up retiring) and I didn't learn a thing. On the other hand, I've taken a Sociology class at SF State that was attended by 200 people. That class was a tough one and I actually learned quite a bit from it.
(1 voted this helpful, 0 funny and 0 agree) |
 | abichara (62)
02/15/2004 | Smaller classes allow for more interaction with the professor. You learn a lot more when the classes are small and done seminar style. When you have a big class, the professor will usually just lecture out of the main text. Inquiry is very limited in these classes. Some big public state univesities have classes with over 1,000 people in them; just to get in touch with the professor is next to impossible. If I could do it again, I would go for a small liberal arts college, you learn the most in that environment.
(3 voted this helpful, 0 funny and 0 agree) |
 | leenie (0)
07/12/2003 | I like the closeness and attention of smaller classes, as well as the ability for more discussion/debate. They work especially well for humanities and upper level classes. However, I think that big classes get criticized too much. In my experience, professors who teach big lectures tend to the be the best in their departments. They also are better organized for their classes, with preplanned lectures and notes. They are less likely to ramble or jump from topic to topic. I also enjoy being able to easily find someone to get notes from or study with, which is easier to do with a large class. With a large class, though, you definitely need to self-motivate. I would not base my college decision on class size, although I would avoid a college that relied exclusively on huge lectures.
(3 voted this helpful, 0 funny and 0 agree) |
 | Franklin (0)
05/03/2003 | The quality of the teaching isn't related to the size of the audience.
(1 voted this helpful, 0 funny and 0 agree) |
 | Macc (0)
05/02/2003 | The quality of the instructor (teaching skill and mastery of the subject) is far more important than the number of students in the room. A bad teacher with a small class is still a bad teacher.
(1 voted this helpful, 0 funny and 0 agree) |
 | CanadaSucks (47)
12/08/2002 | Very important. . .big classes are glorified babysitting seminars.
(3 voted this helpful, 0 funny and 0 agree) |
| Shukhevych (1)
12/07/2002 | Small classes are definitely superior to large classes. You can't hide- everyone including the prof gets to know you.
(1 voted this helpful, 0 funny and 0 agree) |
| Snoopy (4)
08/26/2002 | I prefer smaller classes because I like the group discussions and being able to have some one-on-one time with the professor.
(3 voted this helpful, 0 funny and 0 agree) |
 | Janey_Lane (0)
08/11/2002 | The size of classes are a big problem. The more students, the less help, the less education. I've been in mainly big classes throughout school and it does mean that the teacher might not be able to help everyone with what they need. Also the noise level rises a couple of decibels which gets really annoying.
(2 voted this helpful, 0 funny and 0 agree) |
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