Graduate quality vs. undergraduate quality

UCBChemEGrad
Thu, 30 Jan 2014 15:14:58 +0000

tk21769:

On the other hand, how likely is a student in one of these classes to write 5-, 10-, or 20-page papers that are graded by the professor and returned with thoughtful comments (perhaps with a “see me” instruction at the top)?

How likely in the largest economics and pre-med lectures are students writing 5-, 10-, or 20-page papers? How likely are students writing 5-, 10-, or 20-page papers in LAC economics and biology classes? Courses are taught in a manner suitable for the material being delivered. Fact based courses are taught in larger lectures. Courses that require more one-on-one interaction, interpretation and discussion are taught in much smaller settings. It’s called economies of scale!
Liberal arts classes that are mostly a “chat with the professor” are small.
Watch the documentary “At Berkeley” to see these small classes.



tk21769:

What do these numbers mean for the typical classroom experience in the pre-med track or in popular majors?.. The Organic Chemistry 112A lecture enrolled 165.

Chemistry 112A/B is a 5 unit organic chemistry series for chemistry and chemical engineering majors. It covers far beyond “Principles”.
Chemistry 3A/B is the organic chemistry series for biological science/pre-med majors.