It’s no secret that the college scene is vastly different than the old days in high school.
Coming from a school with K-12 in one building and a graduating class of 26, I experienced a culture shock of a lifetime coming to Big Rapids. These major differences are what make the transition so substantial.
However, nearing the end of my college career I actually noticed a few disturbing similarities between high school and college that I believe shouldn’t exist.
Come the first day of a brand new semester, the classroom is a free for all.
You get up 20 minutes early so you know you’re going to rightfully claim the best seat to be “yours” for the entire semester.
It happens every single time. The first day seating arrangement ends up being the same through the entire semester. We are creatures of habit.
Nothing is more devastating than coming to class one day and someone is in your unofficial “seat.” However, nothing makes me feel more like a child than when an instructor assigns seats.
Seriously? We are legal adults. We can operate a vehicle, buy tobacco and lotto tickets; half of us can legally drink, and you’re going to tell us where to sit for the rest of the semester? No thank you. I assign my own seat.
Most professors say it’s because they want to be able to remember your name, but by the time they finally do, the semester will be over anyway.
You know what else should have been left in high school? Busy work. If we end a chapter early and have nothing to do the day before an exam or a break begins, just cancel class please and save everyone’s time.
I can do homework on my own time, in the comfort of my own room. I come to class to be taught. If there isn’t anything worthwhile on the agenda, I’m not coming, which brings me to my next point.
There are many wonderful, intelligent instructors on campus, but I’ve encountered some that have failed to show any added value in actually coming to the classroom.
Sorry, but I learned to read in elementary school. I have no interest in walking or driving across campus to sit in a stuffy room and watch a PowerPoint be read out loud to me.
Too often, I have felt that by sitting in a classroom, I’m wasting time when I could be studying or writing my own notes. Give me the book, the quizzes and the tests, and I will teach myself this course for less than half the price.
We are paying tens of thousands of dollars for these classes. If I’m getting straight A’s on all the graded work, I should not be able to fail due to attendance.
I know, I probably sound like a terrible, lazy college student, but check out the facts. I came here on a scholarship in the Honors program, I was third in my class and I’ve been on the Dean’s list more often than not.
Having an attendance policy in college is redundant. If a student chooses not to come to class and it affects their grades, that is their problem to deal with. Guess what? If the student fails the course, the student will have to pay to take the class again and the instructor still gets paid regardless.
However, if a student doesn’t feel that there is value in going to class as often as the class is actually held, but still gets above average grades, then they should not be penalized.
It’s an instructor’s job to teach and provide the value in the classroom, not to make sure the students are being responsible, doing their work and attending class. We were babysat in high school; we don’t need that here.
We are adults. We are paying to be here. We should manage our responsibilities and should not be treated like children.