Comments on: Class Size and Student-to-Faculty Ratios: What the Statistics Don't Tell You http://greatcollegeadvice.com/class-size-and-student-to-faculty-ratios-what-the-statistics-dont-tell-you/ Expert Advice on College Admission Fri, 10 Feb 2012 18:09:20 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: Mark Montgomery http://greatcollegeadvice.com/class-size-and-student-to-faculty-ratios-what-the-statistics-dont-tell-you/comment-page-1/#comment-8921 Mark Montgomery Thu, 29 Sep 2011 22:33:26 +0000 http://greatcollegeadvice.com/?p=185#comment-8921 Hi, Melissa, and thanks. Let me put it a different way. At a huge school, it is much more difficult for an undergraduate to get to know his or her professor. In a class of 250, how many kids will that professor know? If your son can advocate for himself and pushes hard to build a relationship, then a big class can be okay. For kids with LD of various sorts, however, this self-advocacy piece is really super important. Also keep this in mind: there are going to be professors who are lousy and professors who are great at all colleges. Your son must seek out the best teachers, not necessarily the best lecturers. Take a look at http://ratemyprofessor.com. However, if your son does not generally do well in a strictly auditory environment, then large classes will not be good--no matter who the professor is. So there are many, many things to take into account here, and the decision is highly particular to each individual. Hope that helps. Thanks for taking the time to write in! Hi, Melissa, and thanks.
Let me put it a different way. At a huge school, it is much more difficult for an undergraduate to get to know his or her professor. In a class of 250, how many kids will that professor know? If your son can advocate for himself and pushes hard to build a relationship, then a big class can be okay. For kids with LD of various sorts, however, this self-advocacy piece is really super important.

Also keep this in mind: there are going to be professors who are lousy and professors who are great at all colleges. Your son must seek out the best teachers, not necessarily the best lecturers. Take a look at http://ratemyprofessor.com. However, if your son does not generally do well in a strictly auditory environment, then large classes will not be good–no matter who the professor is.

So there are many, many things to take into account here, and the decision is highly particular to each individual.

Hope that helps. Thanks for taking the time to write in!

]]> By: Melissa Paull http://greatcollegeadvice.com/class-size-and-student-to-faculty-ratios-what-the-statistics-dont-tell-you/comment-page-1/#comment-8899 Melissa Paull Tue, 27 Sep 2011 00:49:58 +0000 http://greatcollegeadvice.com/?p=185#comment-8899 Mark, I really found your article on class size and student to professor ratios enlightening! My son is currently a senior in high school and we are looking at two larger schools, University of Illinois and Indiana, along with some smaller schools such as Miami of Ohio. He currently receives some 504 accommodations in high school but I think he will be OK on his own at college. I always thought he would do better in a classroom with a small student to prof ratio but your article made great sense about the quality of the professor regardless of the class size. I didn't think about the possibility of a smaller class being an unpopular one or the professor teaching it-possibly a dud! I feel better about a Big 10 school being OK for my son in regard to the class size and it being more important to know the professor versus merely the class size. Thank you. Mark, I really found your article on class size and student to professor ratios enlightening! My son is currently a senior in high school and we are looking at two larger schools, University of Illinois and Indiana, along with some smaller schools such as Miami of Ohio.

He currently receives some 504 accommodations in high school but I think he will be OK on his own at college. I always thought he would do better in a classroom with a small student to prof ratio but your article made great sense about the quality of the professor regardless of the class size. I didn’t think about the possibility of a smaller class being an unpopular one or the professor teaching it-possibly a dud!

I feel better about a Big 10 school being OK for my son in regard to the class size and it being more important to know the professor versus merely the class size. Thank you.

]]> By: Mark Montgomery http://greatcollegeadvice.com/class-size-and-student-to-faculty-ratios-what-the-statistics-dont-tell-you/comment-page-1/#comment-8495 Mark Montgomery Fri, 01 Jul 2011 17:56:32 +0000 http://greatcollegeadvice.com/?p=185#comment-8495 Hi, Jim. I'm not sure there is an industry wide standard on this. It's interesting your institution's rules are based on classroom capacity, not on other measures of demand. Apparently, if the rooms are filled and the facilities used to the maximum, that is the institutional definition of "success" at the registrar's office. I think there may be other more budget-based guidelines at some schools: are there enough students in the course that we can justifying paying the faculty member to teach it? As for retention, I have little doubt that closing students out of important courses (or good courses) has some sort of impact on retention. But I don't know of any studies offhand that corroborate that instinctive impression. Hope that helps in some small way. And sorry about the VERY late response to this question....ack! Hi, Jim.
I’m not sure there is an industry wide standard on this. It’s interesting your institution’s rules are based on classroom capacity, not on other measures of demand. Apparently, if the rooms are filled and the facilities used to the maximum, that is the institutional definition of “success” at the registrar’s office. I think there may be other more budget-based guidelines at some schools: are there enough students in the course that we can justifying paying the faculty member to teach it? As for retention, I have little doubt that closing students out of important courses (or good courses) has some sort of impact on retention. But I don’t know of any studies offhand that corroborate that instinctive impression. Hope that helps in some small way. And sorry about the VERY late response to this question….ack!

]]> By: Jim Caprio http://greatcollegeadvice.com/class-size-and-student-to-faculty-ratios-what-the-statistics-dont-tell-you/comment-page-1/#comment-7580 Jim Caprio Mon, 03 Jan 2011 18:08:42 +0000 http://greatcollegeadvice.com/?p=185#comment-7580 Mark, I enjoyed your article, it brought up a lot of thought-provoking points. I have a question related to class cancellations based on "low" enrollment that you may be able to help me with. Is there a "typical" percent of classroom capacity used by colleges to determine whether or not to run a particular course section? I'm curious as to how my institution's 75% figure compares to other schools, and what effect closing students out of courses late in the registration process has on student retention in a program. Thank you for the help. Mark, I enjoyed your article, it brought up a lot of thought-provoking points. I have a question related to class cancellations based on “low” enrollment that you may be able to help me with. Is there a “typical” percent of classroom capacity used by colleges to determine whether or not to run a particular course section? I’m curious as to how my institution’s 75% figure compares to other schools, and what effect closing students out of courses late in the registration process has on student retention in a program. Thank you for the help.

]]> By: Classroom Size Matters « Ed Reform by Undergrads http://greatcollegeadvice.com/class-size-and-student-to-faculty-ratios-what-the-statistics-dont-tell-you/comment-page-1/#comment-6088 Classroom Size Matters « Ed Reform by Undergrads Wed, 08 Dec 2010 16:47:49 +0000 http://greatcollegeadvice.com/?p=185#comment-6088 [...] http://greatcollegeadvice.com/class-size-and-student-to-faculty-ratios-what-the-statistics-dont-tell... [...] [...] http://greatcollegeadvice.com/class-size-and-student-to-faculty-ratios-what-the-statistics-dont-tell... [...]

]]> By: Average Class Size in College Admissions | College Admissions Counseling http://greatcollegeadvice.com/class-size-and-student-to-faculty-ratios-what-the-statistics-dont-tell-you/comment-page-1/#comment-4654 Average Class Size in College Admissions | College Admissions Counseling Thu, 25 Feb 2010 13:09:40 +0000 http://greatcollegeadvice.com/?p=185#comment-4654 [...] I started out to write a posting about how class sizes as published by colleges can be misleading. But, I came across a posting from several years ago by a fellow college admissions consultant, Mark Montgomery, that addressed the issue so well I thought I would just let you read Mark’s article on class size and student faculty ratios. [...] [...] I started out to write a posting about how class sizes as published by colleges can be misleading. But, I came across a posting from several years ago by a fellow college admissions consultant, Mark Montgomery, that addressed the issue so well I thought I would just let you read Mark’s article on class size and student faculty ratios. [...]

]]> By: Student-to-Faculty Ratios: A Bogus Statistic You Should Ignore http://greatcollegeadvice.com/class-size-and-student-to-faculty-ratios-what-the-statistics-dont-tell-you/comment-page-1/#comment-2997 Student-to-Faculty Ratios: A Bogus Statistic You Should Ignore Sun, 14 Jun 2009 04:08:53 +0000 http://greatcollegeadvice.com/?p=185#comment-2997 [...] on student-to-faculty ratios, you can get a general explanation of what these statistics mean and don’t mean, how a low student-to-faculty ratio can actually have a negative impact on class sizes, and you can [...] [...] on student-to-faculty ratios, you can get a general explanation of what these statistics mean and don’t mean, how a low student-to-faculty ratio can actually have a negative impact on class sizes, and you can [...]

]]> By: mayuen mayuen http://greatcollegeadvice.com/class-size-and-student-to-faculty-ratios-what-the-statistics-dont-tell-you/comment-page-1/#comment-2659 mayuen mayuen Fri, 03 Apr 2009 19:31:09 +0000 http://greatcollegeadvice.com/?p=185#comment-2659 Thanks for your kind advice, looking forward to hear your advice, in any away i am in wrong path Thanks for your kind advice, looking forward to hear your advice, in any away i am in wrong path

]]> By: Is College Worth it? | Simplistic Thoughts http://greatcollegeadvice.com/class-size-and-student-to-faculty-ratios-what-the-statistics-dont-tell-you/comment-page-1/#comment-1888 Is College Worth it? | Simplistic Thoughts Thu, 22 Jan 2009 11:23:07 +0000 http://greatcollegeadvice.com/?p=185#comment-1888 [...] Class Size and Student to Faculty Ratio [...] [...] Class Size and Student to Faculty Ratio [...]

]]> By: Student-to-Faculty Ratio and Small Class Sizes: Unintended (Negative) Consequences http://greatcollegeadvice.com/class-size-and-student-to-faculty-ratios-what-the-statistics-dont-tell-you/comment-page-1/#comment-1105 Student-to-Faculty Ratio and Small Class Sizes: Unintended (Negative) Consequences Wed, 07 May 2008 14:37:46 +0000 http://greatcollegeadvice.com/?p=185#comment-1105 [...] been writing about these statistics and what they mean (see these links for more about ratios and class sizes). And I mentioned in a video blog post that these statistics have unintended [...] [...] been writing about these statistics and what they mean (see these links for more about ratios and class sizes). And I mentioned in a video blog post that these statistics have unintended [...]

]]>