There are some days when I reflect on my college experience and wonder what keeps me going in the whole scheme of things. After all, getting a college degree doesn’t automatically guarantee a job, and for all I know, I could be wasting four years pursuing a career I might not even enjoy. Sure, there are some students that come in here with a complete blueprint of their college plan sketched out, hopefully leading to their dream job. However, many students I frequently interact with share my anxieties. Because of this uncertainty, some students even feel that it’s their professors’ responsibility to present the material in a manner that will motivate them to pursue a major.
During one of the more relaxed days in my English class, my professor decided to devote the majority of the period toward discussing motivation. The discussion touched on both what motivates students to pursue their degrees and what responsibility professors have to motivate students. Many students in the class responded that they were in college because of parental pressure and weren’t very invested in their classes. The professor felt that because of the many students that come to college with this apathy, it is difficult for professors to connect with students; it doesn’t make sense for professors to emotionally commit to a class, only to get hurt by disinterested students.
I thought this was a fair argument because of my experience with my freshman year math professor. During his office hours, after I had asked him my math question, he asked for my advice on how he could better reach his students. It was evident that he really cared about his students’ learning experience, but it was also obvious that he was struggling to connect with some students in the class who had no intention of learning the material. I told him some of the metaphors he used in his lectures were pretty hard for the class to relate to, so we spent some time discussing metaphors that might be more relatable to the disinterested students.
With some of my advice during that office hour, he taught the next few days of class with a slightly different approach. However, the class still didn’t seem interested. I’m not trying to bash the students in my class, but it was very clear to me that they were not taking the time to respect my math professor’s efforts, and it seemed to take a toll on him. It was because of the experience that I came to realize that just like my English professor mentioned, some classes just truly don’t notice how much effort professors put into captivating their students and how truly hurtful it is when students don’t value that effort.
When my English class eventually came to a close, the discussion resolved with the idea that college is an experience that is as much as you make of it, and I wholeheartedly agree.
I’ve heard this saying so many times before, and I’m sure many other students can also relate. Initially, I had an incredibly hard time believing this statement — I didn’t have a specific career in mind, so it seemed ridiculous to think I could possibly prepare for it through college.
However, I’ve realized college is an experience where you learn about yourself as much as you find out about the world around you. Although I still only have a vague idea of where I am going with my degree, I am trying my best to put myself out there and try new things. If the classes I end up taking are presented in an interesting manner, that’s great. If not, it’s on each student to decide whether or not to make the most of the class. Even though it’s nice to have classes structured to motivate you throughout your college experience, putting the entire responsibility on your professors instead of owning some of it yourself is asking for too much.
Henry Pan is a chemical engineering sophomore. Reach him at panhenry@msu.edu.
