Here we are on the Graduation Green outside of our Daniels College of Business, a brick building with columns facing the green. To the south we see University Hall, and to the north is Margery Reed Hall, also part of the Daniels family. Our business school is known for its emphasis on ethics, with highly-ranked undergraduate and graduate programs.
If you were to travel through this building, you would see the Marcus Commons, Einstein Bros. Bagels, and study rooms where many students work collaboratively. You would also notice that the classrooms are average-sized, as opposed to large auditoriums. The student to faculty ratio here at DU is quite small, with an average class size of around 24 students. Many classes have fewer than 50 students, and 99% of classes are taught by faculty. This fosters an environment in which it is easy to build relationships with both peers and faculty members.
In general, I have always had mostly small classes. As I have gotten further into my program, my classes have continually gotten smaller. Specifically in my Spanish classes, they ended up being about 10 people. This has given me the chance to really get to know my professors, practice speaking in a meaningful way, while also working with small groups. In terms of hands-on education, as a part of the Pioneer Leadership Program, I was able to participate in a year long service project both in and out of class that helped expand outdoor education in Denver Public Schools.
You might not know that DU works on a quarter system instead of a semester system. Our academic year consists of three terms - Fall, Winter and Spring. Each quarter is 10 weeks long, followed by a short exam period. Fall quarter typically begins right after Labor Day and ends before Thanksgiving. We then have a 6-week Winter Break until the beginning of January, when Winter quarter begins. Winter quarter continues through mid-March and is followed by a one-week Spring Break. Finally, Spring quarter starts at the beginning of April and ends in early June. Students may choose to take classes during our optional Summer quarter, however, it is not included in standard tuition and is not required to graduate on time or even early.
I love the quarter system because it enables students to have a well-rounded education. With more than 100 areas of study offered, it provides more flexibility in your schedule to try different classes and figure out your passions because students tend to get through credits at a faster pace. This also helps students who want to pursue multiple majors and minors, as well as undecided students because they can take a larger variety of classes before declaring a major at the end of sophomore year.
I originally came to DU undecided. My first plan was that I wanted to be a lawyer after I graduated, so my advisors pointed me in the direction of International Studies to get experience with writing and policy. I fell in love with the program and decided to add on a Spanish major to capitalize on the study abroad and language requirements of the International Studies program.
I applied and was accepted into the Pioneer Leadership Program before starting at DU. I was involved in leadership in high school and wanted to expand those opportunities in college. Through this program I took 2 years of classes with the same cohort, resulting in a minor in Leadership Studies. It was a great way to get to learn with like-minded people from many different places.