2008 Woodie Awards
Words of Wisdom
Professors share advice for incoming students
Catherine Ippolito
Issue date: 6/5/08 Section: Opinion
Ask most incoming college students, freshmen or transfers, what some of their concerns are and most likely they will give answers ranging from how to choose a major, to size of class workload, what to expect from a professor in a college classroom setting, and social opportunities on campus.
Matthew Brennan, professor of English and director of graduate studies, and Eric Glendening, professor of Chemistry and chairperson of the Chemistry department, had several words of advice for incoming students to ease their anxiety.
When it comes to choosing a field of major study, Brennan suggested "pick something you know you are going to like. If you don't choose something you love, you're just grinding out your existence."
Students might also feel pressure from their parents to pick a certain major, regardless of whether the student likes the field or not, because it will help them get a job. In such a case, Brennan said "almost all fields can lead to good jobs. Finding out what these opportunities are from professors in the department, that will make an effective argument with parents."
Some incoming freshmen may not be aware of some of the differences between their high school classes and their potential college courses. Such differences may include class meeting times and days and workload level.
"A fair number of freshmen think they'll be able to survive college classes like they survived high school classes," said Glendening.
Brennan added "The main difference is that college classes meet two to three times a week as opposed to every day, students at a college level are expected to take a greater level of responsibility and self-reliance,"
In terms of workload, Brennan said "it varies with the instructor. Some professors say students should expect to do two to three hours of work for every hour they are in the classroom, but it also depends on time of the semester too, times such as mid-term tend to be busier and more demanding, with a greater workload students need to be more vigilant."
Matthew Brennan, professor of English and director of graduate studies, and Eric Glendening, professor of Chemistry and chairperson of the Chemistry department, had several words of advice for incoming students to ease their anxiety.
When it comes to choosing a field of major study, Brennan suggested "pick something you know you are going to like. If you don't choose something you love, you're just grinding out your existence."
Students might also feel pressure from their parents to pick a certain major, regardless of whether the student likes the field or not, because it will help them get a job. In such a case, Brennan said "almost all fields can lead to good jobs. Finding out what these opportunities are from professors in the department, that will make an effective argument with parents."
Some incoming freshmen may not be aware of some of the differences between their high school classes and their potential college courses. Such differences may include class meeting times and days and workload level.
"A fair number of freshmen think they'll be able to survive college classes like they survived high school classes," said Glendening.
Brennan added "The main difference is that college classes meet two to three times a week as opposed to every day, students at a college level are expected to take a greater level of responsibility and self-reliance,"
In terms of workload, Brennan said "it varies with the instructor. Some professors say students should expect to do two to three hours of work for every hour they are in the classroom, but it also depends on time of the semester too, times such as mid-term tend to be busier and more demanding, with a greater workload students need to be more vigilant."
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