First of all, CONGRATS on your acceptance to UD! As the oldest of four siblings and a senior at UD, I know that the process of deciding what college to attend is not easy by any means. Below, you can find some commonly asked questions, and insight into my experiences the past four years.
Her Campus (HC): What is the average class size? How does this vary between classes in the Elementary Education Major?
Colette Brancaccio (CB): The introductory classes are between 100-350 students, depending on the type of class. With this said, you will have an introductory education course with all freshman education majors. A few general course requirements for the major, such as Geography and History, may be on the larger side as well. However, the average class size is 35 students, which I have found consistent with most of my classes. I am currently taking 4 classes, and 3/4 are under 35 students—this is with exception to my seminar course which has about 100 students, since it’s all seniors in my major. If your worry is getting swept up in a huge class and the professor not knowing who you are, you don’t need to worry. My big tip is to sit towards the front of the class, ask/answer questions and get to know the professor so they know who you are!
HC: Can you give some insight into field experiences at UD?
CB: I started my field experience in the fall of my sophomore year. For my first field experience, we worked with students in an aftercare program. The first half of the semester was dedicated to working with students K-2, and the second half we worked with students 3-5 in the same building. This hands-on experience was a great way to make sure I wanted to move forward with this major, and it gives students the chance to switch into or out of the major early on in their college experience. We do have a 2 semester methods block, where students are in the classroom a few times a week and are taking classes at the same time. You will do 1 semester in elementary education, and 1 semester in your concentration (Special Education, ESL, Middle School English, History, Math or Science). We then have a student teaching semester, where students have no classes and are in the field every week. We do have a co-teaching and gradual release method for student teaching where you are working with a teacher to be introduced to the material and as the weeks go on, take on more classroom responsibilities. This block & student teaching field experience setup is new this year, and our current juniors have adapted well to this method!
HC: How does student teaching work? Would I be expected to find a placement on my own?
CB: UD makes all of the arrangements for all field experiences—ones within classes, blocks, and student teaching! You won’t have to worry about making your own placement. Transportation is provided to field placements that are incorporated into courses, and you’ll get a blocks partner based on which one of you has a car and can drive to placement. You don’t have a partner for student teaching, so the responsibility of transportation is on you, but my professors and the student teaching coordinator have done a great job working to make sure I can get to my placement!
HC: What is your experience being a student in the college of education and also being in the Honors College?
CB: I’ve been part of the Honors College since freshman year and have loved it! There are so many benefits, such as smaller class sizes, living in a first-year dorm exclusively for honors students (Redding Hall), and priority housing and class scheduling. The Honors College helps with decreasing the class size, as there are some honors-only sections of classes that you can sign up to fulfill the honors class requirement (2 classes per semester) and take advantage of a more in depth experience. My smallest class size has been 7 students, with just honors students in my major. The freshman year honors dorm was recently built in 2013. It is a manageable program that expands your thinking of material. I found that the IB and AP program in High School really prepared me for Honors! Every student in honors get an Honors exclusive advisor, and the Elementary Education Honors Advisor understands the needs of an Honors candidate and can guide you in all academics.
HC: What is your experience being a student in the College of Education and studying abroad?
CB: Due to our major, specifically the fact that I switched into the major going into my second semester freshman year, I needed to make up a lot of the class requirements. Therefore, it wasn’t feasible for me to study abroad for a full semester. However, UD has a roughly 8 week long winter session, and I studied abroad for 5 weeks during winter break in January of 2020! This was the best choice for me because I was able to take a trip without missing out on a semester. This extended break was one of the main factors in making my decision to come here since we get jobs, internships, and classes during winter that not many other students get. You can also study abroad during our summer session, which lasts from the beginning of June to end of August. There are honors study abroad trips that are smaller in size and college of education trips where you can get experience in an international school or even student teach abroad!
HC: Do you know anything about the out of state certification transfer?
CB: We have certification officer at UD who is in charge of making sure we get certified in Delaware and states outside of Delaware! I’m getting certified for NY, and our certification officer has been so helpful in guiding me through this process. The university will make sure that you meet all of the requirements for in state and out of state certification.
I know that this is is an exciting and stressful time and wish you the best of luck!