Written by Gilburt L. Chiang
The feelings regarding professors and TAs are largely positive at OSU. Though feelings about the methods in which some courses are taught may differ a bit, one of the greatest advantages of OSU is the ease with which one can contact professors and TAs. OSU has a somewhat lax classroom environment compared to other schools, but don't be fooled: attending classes is still vital. Many courses weigh attendance and participation in your final grade, and beyond that, subject matter moves quickly and skipping even one class can put you in a deep hole. Don't make the mistake of thinking that a teacher will rigidly stick to the syllabus, either. Agendas change, and so do deadlines. You might be smart enough to skip a class for two weeks, but it won't matter if you miss a midterm because the date got changed and you didn't know.
School is what you make of it. OSU is a distinguished university with a top 25 national ranking, but that doesn't mean every professor will teach in a way that you prefer. It's a give-and-take situation. In some classes, there is a language barrier created by a foreign professor or TA; understanding calculus is difficult to begin with, but trying to learn from a teacher who speaks broken English makes it even harder. Luckily, most professors and TAs usually have at least one strong point that you can build from: constant communication. Talking to your instructors via phone, e-mail, or office visits can be incredibly important. Set up a meeting at a local coffee shop, or bake them a cake just to show them you mean business! Okay, so that might be going a bit overboard, but you get the idea.