What Your Professors Wish You Knew About College-Level Coursework

What Your Professors Wish You Knew About College-Level Coursework

We want to have a positive relationship with you

The vast majority of us really like students.  We want our students to feel safe and engaged in our classrooms -- to benefit from the experience as much as possible.  We also think that interacting with you benefits us in all kinds of ways! In other words, we imagine a symbiotic relationship in which all parties can be better off by the time the course ends.

Responsibility for your success has shifted squarely to you

It can be a jolting experience to suddenly be treated like an adult.  On the one hand, it's great! You get to set your own schedule, choose your own activities, and probably live apart from mom and dad for the first time.  On the other hand, it means that the safety net is also gone.  Your parents aren't going to come into your room to drag your butt out of bed for class.  Your parents aren't going to be there to repeatedly ask you whether or not your homework is done yet.  And perhaps the biggest jolt of all: no one is is going to blame your professors if you fail, like they might have blamed your high school teachers.  

Professors will go to great lengths to help our students succeed.  I will always work with struggling students who are putting in the effort.  But college professors aren't going to coddle you like you might have experienced in high school.  

You and your classmates will get out of your courses what you put into them

Many students fail to grasp that a successful college course is a cooperative project between the professor and the students.  Yes, we are the ones that choose the readings, design the assignments, give the lectures, etc, but if you aren't doing the readings, participating in class discussion, engaging with the lectures, then the class is going to quickly become a drag for professor and students alike! 

Our job is to help you become a successful college student, not confirm that you were a successful high school student

 Students don't always get this.  They think that because they were good high school thinkers and writers they should have immediate and high-level success in my courses.  After all, they've studied history and written papers before.  However, I am teaching them college-level skills.  And that may take some effort to master -- definitely some humility.  They can get there, for sure, but they don't arrive at college already "there." 

You must be proactive in seeking help

I see my students in seated courses less than three hours a week.  I don't see my online students ever.  This means that it may take me a lot longer than my high school colleagues to realize that a student is struggling.  This problem is exacerbated by the fact that college courses tend to have less assignments, meaning performance "red flags" can take even longer to pop up.  

All this means that students must be proactive in seeking help.  If you feel yourself struggling in the course, reach out to your professor.  Professors will go the "extra mile" for a student who is truly trying and truly dedicated to putting in the hard work to improve.

Most class periods will require some sort of preparation beforehand

Almost all college courses will require you to complete readings before class so that the class can build on what you read.  Lectures, class activities, etc, don't just repeat the information in your assigned readings.  In addition, you won't be given time in class to complete most assignments.  You'll be expected to carve out time outside of class for those, too.  

Attendance is more than being a warm body

When students who bomb exams come to see me in my office, I always ask to see their notes.  9/10 students don't have any, or at least have very minimal notes.  You must have an effective notetaking system in college.  You cannot retain all the information given in college classes by sitting in your seat, arms crossed, trying to soak it all in.  If you don't have a good system, check out this notetaking system from Dartmouth.

Professors totally notice who is staring into space or texting on their "cleverly hidden" phone during class.  

You really are responsible for all the information in the syllabus.

When it comes to attendance policy, academic integrity policy -- all the ins and outs of your courses, really -- you are 100% responsible for knowing the information given to you in the syllabus.  Pleading after the fact that "I didn't know we could only miss so many classes" or "I didn't know that would be considered cheating" isn't going to get you anywhere.

Grades are not a reflection of effort, intelligence, or potential

It is possible to work hard and still do poorly if you are not demonstrating the skills and/or knowledge that an assignment requires. Grades measure your current level of mastery.  Honestly, that's it.  Struggling on an assignment or two does not mean you can’t “do college” or are “never going to get it.”  It just means that you are still learning how to master something.  Many students who struggle on the first assignment or two still go on to have tremendous success in my courses ... if they are willing to apply my feedback, come by office hours, submit drafts beforehand, take advantage of university tutoring services, etc.

We don't know the due dates in your other classes

That might sound like "duh"-level information, but it's really important to think through the ramifications here.  It means that your professors aren't working together to make sure that assignments are spread out evenly across the semester.  You'll end up with some weeks that you have nothing due ... and then some weeks where you might have 3-4 tests and/or papers!