Advice for students
Back in August, when professors are preparing their syllabi, I posted some advice for newby profs. Now that high-school and college students are through the course-shopping and orientation phase, and starting to really think about their course requirements, it's time for some advice to new students.
1. Don't ask what the professor "wants" in regard to an assignment. You know what we want? We want you to be interested enough, and educated enough by the time you come to us, that you could just read the kinds of things we do and have a good discussion with us about it, and we could critique each others' writing and we could learn from you as you do from us, and no grading would be involved. Unfortunately, you're not there yet; people don't usually get to that point until graduate school, if then. So we have to assign papers and tests and other exercises. But we're not assigning them for our benefit, but for yours. It's not like a sweatshop where every page the student writes, the professor makes five cents profit. Acting as though you are doing your assignments for the teachers is sure to drive them batty. (Especially because everyone hates grading; as the saying goes, I teach for free, they pay me to grade.)
2. Figure out what you are supposed to learn/prove you've learned from each assignment. This is related to point 1. Professors design assignments with particular learning objectives in mind. Sometimes, they'll come right out and say what this objective is, but often they forget to do that. So you have to figure it out (or figure out some way of asking, "What am I supposed to get out of this?" that sounds sincere, not confrontational and snotty). Maybe you are supposed to get practice with a certain style of writing, or show that you understand a particular concept, or apply knowledge you've learned in class. Figure out what the learning objective is and meet that objective, and you won't have to worry about grades.
3. Required page lengths are a prediction. Being told to write a "five-page paper" drove me crazy in college, and then I became a professor and discovered that my students didn't really know what that meant any more than I did at their age. So let me decode it for you. An X-page paper doesn't mean that the teacher personally desires to read X pages of your thoughts about mitosis or Kierkegaard or cognitive development, or even that they think that's how much you have to write in order to learn. It's less of a requirement than it is a prediction. When a teacher assigns a page length, it's because they know that given your depth of knowledge about the topic, and the specific requirements of the paper (research write-up, critique, compare & contrast, personal response), that's about how much you're going to have to say that is worthwhile. Shorter, and you're probably not engaging with the material deeply enough; longer, and you're probably not writing tightly enough. Every now and then, if a student would get too wrapped around the axle about the page length thing, I would say to them, "Forget the page length. Just write the paper according to the rest of the instructions, and write as well as you can." Invariably, they'd be within a page of the original length I'd specified.
4. Be fun to read. If you get any kind of choice about your papers, pick topics that are unusual. If you're taking a developmental psychology course, I can tell you right now, do not write a paper on the effects of media violence on children. Why? Because a third of your fellow classmates are writing that exact same paper. This means, for one thing, that you are boring the teacher. Don't bore Nina! It also means that your paper will be compared to aaaallll those other papers on the effects of media violence on children, and chances are good that some of the other students in your class are going to be better than you. If they're not, that's still not good news for you--it means that, in the teacher's mind, all the papers on the E.O.M.V.O.C. are an undifferentiated mediocre mess. Write about something original and different, that will capture the teacher's attention. (This is especially crucial in big classes.) If it helps to pretend you're in a reality show--"America's Next Top Student" or "Who Wants a 3.5 GPA" or whatever--do it.
5. Make the class better because you're in it. No, that's not a euphemistic way of saying "Suck up to the teacher." If I meant "suck up to the teacher," I would have just written "suck up to the teacher." I mean, ask yourself, am I contributing thought-provoking comments, asking questions that other students are afraid to, creating an atmosphere of cooperative learning, bringing insights from my own unique life experience and skills? If you aren't, why on earth aren't you? Every effort you're involved in, from a family reunion to a temp job to a class to a volleyball league, should be better because you're there. Check out this oldie-but-goodie Fast Company article on "Brand You." What's your brand? What do you bring to the table? Start thinking this way now and by the time you make it to the job market, you'll be so ahead of your peers it won't even be funny.
6. Dare to fail. Okay, not to fail the entire class--that would be bad. But you know how teachers always say, "There's no such thing as a stupid question?" They're lying. But ask the stupid questions anyway. For one thing, you don't yet know enough to even know what questions are stupid and which ones aren't, so stop trying to second-guess yourself. For another, either half the class wants to ask the same question you just did, in which case you're doing everyone a favor, or else the question you've asked has never occurred to anyone before, in which case--dang! I mean, that's how knowledge happens. I know a lot of scientists, and do you know who scientists love and fear being interviewed by more than anyone else in the world? Not reporters. Not other scientists.
Little kids, that's who. Because little kids don't yet know the rules of what questions are out-of-bounds and which ones aren't. They're not afraid to ask the big questions, or the really little ones. Which makes them unpredictable and fun, because in answering their questions, the scientists have to re-engage their discipline in a whole new way.
Take chances, make a few mistakes. That's how you learn. Of course, if your teacher is a nasty bully--and of course there are some--then keep your head down and your ego safe. But if the class is a good one, and the teacher really wants you to learn, there's nothing that will make them happier than knowing you've got the guts to fall on your face once in a while in the headlong pursuit of wisdom. And they won't penalize you for it.
And that's all the wisdom I've got to share on the topic. If any students or former students would like to weigh in, comments are open.
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I would like to add:
Get to know your classmates. It is especially important for college students, but this also works for kids who are new to a school system. In college, the other students are your future collegues. They are the people who will be you references for jobs, and will send you jobs leads they know you would like to see, but ONLY if you have that kind of rapport with them.
On this same note, always be the classiest person at the party. Don't do anything that could eventually look bad when shouted across a future office cafeteria you just happen to share with the guy you haven't seen in four years who TOTALLY SAW YOU do that one thing that one time. You don't want to be that person.
Wonderful advice. In addition, here's a simple rule, easy to follow: Never ask in class, "Will this be on the test?" It sounds harmless enough to the student, but to the teacher it is sounds like, "You can go on talking, but I need to know whether or not I can just ignore you for awhile."
There are ways to know if something is likely to be "on the test". Is the material fundamental to other things that will be covered during the course? Has the professor said anything about why he's talking about this? How does the topic fit into the syllabus? (That used to be the piece of paper you threw away after the first day. Now it's the webpage that you never remember to look at.)
Bad lecturers may spend too much time on fringe stuff and trivia. If you study with other students and put your heads together, a group mind should be able to suss out most of what's relevant and will be tested. If you're wrong, meet with the prof outside of class to ask about the disconnect between the lecture material and the tests. But asking "will this be on the test?" during a class is an announcement that you're just not that interested anyway.
Do. Not. Whine. Ever. It will alienate the professor, make you look ridiculous in front of your more motivated classmates, and make you look like a baby. Even if it gets you more time on an assignment; or an easier exam; or one less book on the syllabus - you're only cheating yourself in the long run.
And, one note, Dear Ms. Conduct...while the page length may be just a prediction for you, I've had professors for whom it was an edict. I once got a B- on a paper the professor acknowledged would have been an A, if I hadn't "used footnotes to meet the page length." (I just tend to footnote when I write. Habit. There's always something helpful to reference).
I am a student still. I am 27 and have been in and out of college since high school. I haven't been the greatest student there ever was ( lets face it not even close). I received grades that I never knew existed. I soon realized that W's and I's were just as bad as F's ( which I had). It wasn't until a year or two ago, that I started trying. If I have learned anything from those failed classes it's this: show up for class (duh!), do the homework (again, duh!), and follow the advice as previously stated. It will make school soooooo much better. I get A's and B's now and I am going to school for engineering.
Thank you for the advice,
A better student
Miss Conduct, this is excellent advice! I just wish I had learned these things as an undergraduate, and not a graduate student.
However, something I'd add is that everyone should proofread their papers, no matter how short or long, before turning them in. Correct spelling and grammar count. If they're excellent, they can make a so-so paper stand out. If they're horrible, you could be the most intelligent person in the world, with the best ideas ever, and your paper is still going to get a poor grade, because the professor can't decipher what you are saying. Please, please, proofread your papers - and running spell check is not proofreading! If you aren't sure of how to proofread, then take advantage of what your tuition buys you and visit the school's writing or academic support center, or ask a friend who does have a firm grasp on the vagaries of language.
Additionally, learn from the experience and you can write better papers from the start.
Also, pay attention to the readings; they are not assigned as fun and frivolity, but because you are supposed to learn something from them. This may be controversial, but you don't necessarily have to read every single word assigned - and in some cases, doing so would take more than the time alloted for it. You should, however, be at least familiar with what each of the readings covers, and how that relates to the rest of the course materials. In other words, you should also think about the readings, not just read them and be able to parrot them back at the professor. This way, not only will be be able to have a half-way intelligent discussion about the topics involved, but you'll also know where to look to study up on a certain subject when it comes time to write that paper or take that test.
Gotta disagree on the paper length guideline.
I've had professors that state 1-2 pages or 3 pages and they mean NO MORE than that amount.
One impossible government class I had had 1 page summaries. If you went over that at all, you were exposing yourself to a worse grade. The prof liked to point out that our new president (this was back in 2001) only accepts 1 page memos for briefs and won't read beyond that. I thought it was lame, but the prof was the one grading me so I did as I was told.
A lot of my faculty through undergrad and grad school argued that it is no mean feat to write a longer paper that goes on and on, but much harder to write a clear and concise short paper. It forces you to use language efficiently and facts judiciously.
Beyond that, a lot of faculty don't want to read 30 5-6 page papers, so they only want to read 3 pages tops...just for the sake of their eyes and time.
One thing I would also note about making the class better because you are in it, is that while it's important to bring your own perspective/ideas/questions/thoughts to class, this should be in a respectful way. In other words, don't dominate the discussion, add to it. You do not need to say out loud every thing that comes to your head during a class - choose moments when your insights or thoughts or questions will add something new or different or exciting to the conversation. Don't just speak to be heard, speak because you have something to day.
Respect your fellow classmates and why they are taking the class. I remember too often in undergrad taking courses for my major that also included students taking the course as an elective. Nothing is more annoying then trying to focus on the subjects that matter to your degree and having to deal with other students being disrespectful by showing up late, talking during presentations, etc... it's easy to tell when another student doesn't care about the course work at all, and it can have an effect on the entire class.
I must second the "Go to Class!" advice from above.
A lot of colleges have course notes and lecture materials available to the public. If you're using that instead of going to class, you're not getting the most from your tuition. At that level of engagement, you could go to school for free.
Go to class. Professors want to pass on knowledge. They don't bite.
I heard from a friend that someone on their first day of a grad school class asked:
"Do you ever grant extensions?"
Not the best choice for the first day. A question better asked during office hours, when you can hopefully explain why you expect you'll be needing an extension.
Readers who are current students might be interested in some websites that really show the professor's point of view. I just recently discovered the discussion forums on classroom teaching at Chronicle of Higher Education. Some of these are nuts and bolts about teaching and some are just plain hilarious (e.g., "favorite student emails").
http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php?board=25.0
A fun blog is:
http://rateyourstudents.blogspot.com/
(I did post Robin's blog to the external links part of the discussion board of my current class, telling them that Miss Conduct was once the award winning graduate teaching fellow for the class)
I am curious to hear what Miss Conduct says about the professor who feels stagnate in his job, seeks to push the students who make him look good further at the expense of the sacrificial plain kid, and requires students under his instruction to drink heavily on projects he has not directly managed to vest himself in? While I realize this does not apply to the majority of instructor and is the point not the case, how do navigate this FELLOW??
Robin says: Need more details; if you want to e-mail missconduct@globe.com, please do!
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