My Experience with Classes and Professors at DePaul

As a high school student, whenever I went on tours of colleges and they mentioned small class sizes as a selling point, I didn’t really think about it. It never crossed my mind how important that is for a learning experience, probably because I had never been in a lecture hall of 60 people. However, I am so beyond grateful to my younger self for selecting a university that has smaller class sizes.

Class Sizes

It is so nice having a class being capped at 15, which a lot of my classes are. We can do so much more; getting to know our classmates and having genuine conversations with all of them. You might think having a class of 60-100, you’d have a huge pool of people to connect with but in a class that big, making connections is not a focus. Knowing the names of my classmates and building a rapport has allowed me to feel a sense of comradery in and outside the classroom. My professors knowing my name and recognizing me outside of class is huge for me. A sense of community does a lot when it comes to learning, and the smaller class sizes lend to that.

Professors

In my major, Film and TV, I have had so many incredible professors.

Something that took me a bit to realize is that they love writing and creating stories so much that they want to share their knowledge and experiences with us. They aren’t just here to do research or to get a check. They care about our development as students and want to pass down information and the tools to help us succeed.

Something that I like about my classes and professors is that they require us to be in class. It’s not something you can or want to blow off. A huge part of this is being interested in what you study, however in my classes, we aren’t just being talked at for an hour and taking notes. Discussions and lectures lend to thoughtful conversations that make us think and problem solve.

Night Class

As I got deeper into my sophomore year, most of my classes started being offered only at night. I was kind of frustrated with this because I was so used to being in school during the day. But as the quarters went on, I really grew to appreciate night class. It has allowed me to have my days free to work, to live, to do homework, etc. I do a lot of my best thinking at night; I’m much more alert than I am at 9am, and I honestly just learn better that way. I cannot imagine having to take a morning class now. I did take a morning class last year for a science requirement and it was rough having to turn my brain to thinking mode so early after waking up. I like being able to work in the morning or afternoon at my on-campus job and spend my evenings in class or at home. Along with that, class just goes by quicker at night.

Three-hour Classes

I never thought I would feel this way at the beginning of my time at DePaul, but now, I love my three-hour classes. I have each class once a week. It is so nice being able to have a different class I am focused on each day. This quarter, I have a Monday 5:45-9pm, a Wednesday 5:45-9pm, a Thursday 1:30-4:45pm, and an async online class. If you’re in high school right now, you probably go to school from 8am-3pm every single day. I like my schedule better. There is so much freedom that comes along with 3-hour classes. The best part is that when you are in class, you are fully emerged into that learning experience. You have a large block of time where you can focus on one subject without having to switch gears into a new one 50 minutes later. I get a lot more out of these classes than I ever could in an hour-long class.

The Train to the Loop

I know people worry about the dangers of the train that come along with taking a night class in the loop that ends at 9pm. It’s dark out! No one’s on the streets! Wrong. There are just as many classes going on at night in the Loop as there are in the day. There are DePaul students everywhere, arriving and departing from train stations. There’s nothing to worry about when it comes to taking a night class downtown. However, if you are worried, there is the intercampus shuttle, that will take you from campus to campus in a private charter bus.