When I started university, I was stunned—and a little freaked out—by the size of my classes. I’d come from a high school with classes of around 25 students; I was overwhelmed when my first university class was filled to the brim with 180 students. I quickly realized that’s actually a “mid-sized” class—some classes at Canadian universities have capacities of more than 1,000 students.
Make a personal connection Large classes can be alienating. It’s easy to feel anonymous in an auditorium filled with students because, let’s face it, you kind of are. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Start by talking to the people sitting next to you before class or during the break. If you make a friend in class, not only will you have someone to bum notes off of when you’re sick, but also you’ll begin building a community and feeling more at home.
Take detailed notes Big classes, unless they are taught by rock star professors, are boring. They often feature very little discussion , lots of lecturing, and passive learning. That, combined with literally hundreds of laptop screens all around you, usually results in students reading each other’s chat messages rather than paying attention. My recommendation for getting around this? Take really detailed notes.
Attend labs, tutorials and office hours Large classes often have “extra” class time beyond lectures. In the sciences, there are labs; in the arts or social sciences, there are small discussion groups, typically called “conferences” or “tutorials.” Make sure to schedule these for a time when you can attend and try your best to make it.