The students have spoken, handing U of T a B for overall satisfaction. Released last week, the Globe and Mail’s Canadian University Report surveyed university students from across the country on categories ranging from quality of teaching to facilities and food.
The Globe surveyed over 43,000 undergrads at 55 universities, weighted on a 60/40 female/male split to reflect the gender ratios at Canadian universities. Responses were averaged and assigned a letter grade.
U of T scored a C for student-faculty interaction, the lowest mark given. St. George campus pubs also go the worst score of any university, a C. Teaching and quality of education fared better, both scoring B+. Library facilities topped U of T’s marks with an A, second only to McGill.
“I’m not surprised that students feel this way. Most of the classes at U of T are quite large, and I find it difficult to interact with professors because of this which in turn makes it difficult to clarify concepts,” said *Nicky Shepherd, a fifth-year psychology student.
“I also believe that there is a lot of ambiguity as to what is expected of students in terms of what should be studied in preparation for exams,” she said. “However, as a returning alum, I will vouch for the high standard and quality of education U of T provides students with.”
Fourth-year student Sabbath Taurozzi said professors do a good job teaching the material, but added, ”When it comes to marking, it’s very hard to achieve exceptional results.”
The report lists small, medium, and large schools separately. As in past years, students from smaller schools expressed more satisfaction with their experience than their big-school counterparts. Schools with the most satisfied students include the University of Western Ontario, Ryerson University, and McMaster University.
* Name changed at student’s request.
