tk421x69 Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 Is having a large incoming class, say >30 a disadvantage (for placement, resources, competition for advisors/in classes, etc.)? Is having the smallest possible class always the best for each individual within it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cooleconomist Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 Don't know. I hope it is not a disadvantage since I am going to join the university with such a large class size. I hope positive peer effects outweigh the negative congestion effects. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Food4Thought Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 I wouldn't necessarily say so. Sure, a small group means more faculty attention. However, a larger group might also mean greater peer effects. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pch Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 I would think that a mid-sized group, say 20 people, is best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tm_member Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 It's not the size of the group, it's the faculty-student ratio. A department with 25 professors and an incoming class of 20 each year is less preferable to one with 40 professors and a class of 25. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NBZ Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 It's not the size of the group, it's the faculty-student ratio. A department with 25 professors and an incoming class of 20 each year is less preferable to one with 40 professors and a class of 25. To add yet another nuance, it's the ratio of active faculty (active in research as well as advising/working with students) to students that perhaps really counts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tm_member Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 To add yet another nuance, it's the ratio of active faculty (active in research as well as advising/working with students) to students that perhaps really counts. This is indeed more accurate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ForbiddenDonut Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 It's not the size of the group, it's the faculty-student ratio. A department with 25 professors and an incoming class of 20 each year is less preferable to one with 40 professors and a class of 25. More specifically, it's not the size of the incoming class, it's the ratio of students who pass prelims to faculty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaysa Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 It is a huge advantage; more people to collaborate with, get information from, ask questions etc etc. Don't worry about crowding out effects either. Most students spend their time avoiding faculty rather than fighting for their time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.