University of California - Santa Barbara
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Although each department might have its monotone, sleep-inducing professor, most of the instructors are experts in their fields, excited about what they teach, and very accessible. UCSB is unique in that it has very few graduate students, so teachers are focused on their undergraduates. They have more time, teach almost all of the classes offered each quarter, and answer e-mails quickly. In the first two years of college when students take their general education classes, they don’t necessarily get to know the professors—lectures involve around 100 people and a teaching assistant runs the weekly section and grades. But later, as students advance in their majors, classes thin out to between 35-45 people.

The UCSB academic program has made a concerted effort to shed its“party-school” image and prove that the professors and students take academics very seriously. UCSB sometimes gets lost behind UCLA and Berkeley, but the latest statistics prove that Santa Barbara is working on a new reputation. The thing to realize about academics at UCSB is that each student decides whether he or she is going to take the easy classes and never get to know the professors (which plenty of students do), or alternatively, help with research, take hard classes, and participate in the honors program. One of the reasons the student quotes are so varied is because there are a lot of partiers who do not go to class, and there are also a lot of serious students who spend most of their time studying and researching. It’s up to you to decide how you will spend your time and what college life means to you.

UC Santa Barbara Student ReviewsWhat's This?

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Academics at University of California - Santa Barbara

akuno101

Forensic Psychology '15

4.2

A-

Low Demand Major, Too Popular

The psychology major at UCSB is a very easy major to fulfill the requirements. You definitely have a lot of room to take classes that you would enjoy (unlike bio or engineering majors that have their schedules set for the next 4 years). It is really popular though which means that your competing against tons of other students for classes and jobs. I got into a psych honors program my freshman year and I highly recommend trying to get into that seminar- it'll give you a leg up on the competition.

May 19, 2012

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Academics at University of California - Santa Barbara

akuno101

Forensic Psychology '15

3.8

B+

Cheating, Over-Capacity Classrooms, No Desire to Learn

Coming from high school when I took 4 AP's to UCSB, I felt like the workload was a lot easier. Also, there was a lot of cheating and students would come to class and watch movies or play games on their laptops. Basically, they didn't care whether they got anything out of the class; all they really cared about was that they passed the class.

May 19, 2012

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Academics at University of California - Santa Barbara

humberto3

Political Science and Government '15

3.8

B+

Professors Are Great Help

So far as a freshman in college, my workload has been manageable. Occasionally when I nee some assistance I can reach out for the professors or their Teaching assistants. They are very helpful; however, the large class sizes sometimes makes them have a full schedule to meet with every student that requests help.

May 02, 2012

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