Dear (Good) College Professors,

I’m not sure if you know this or not, but this week is Teacher Appreciation Week, and today is National Teachers’ Day. So I thought I’d start my day off (I know. I’m a late sleeper. That’s why you never see me in your 8 a.m. classes) by taking a moment to appreciate you. All of you. For all that you do. Because even though it may sometimes seems like we’ve forgotten it, college students (most of them anyway) do realize that the point of college is to get an education, and that would be pretty difficult without professors.

But I want to thank you for more than just choosing to be college professors; I want to thank you for being really great college professors. Looking back on my four years of college I’ve had some not-so-great professors, but I’ve also had some amazing ones that opened my mind up to thoughts and ideas and novels and topics I never would have considered before. They cared enough to inspire their students. And that’s worth thanking them for.

Teaching is a job. I get that. And as teachers you’re not obligated to do anything more than show up to class (most days) and  give us a grade at the end of the semester (and there are some professors that can’t even handle that). But a lot of you do so much more than that. You go above and beyond what is expected of you. You make class interesting. You make class educational.  And you make class worth attending.

So thank you.

Thank you for all that you do for us. And I do mean, all that you do. Read More »

Turning your calendar to the “December” page, a squared off area filled with assignment after assignment smacks you in the face: finals week. In preparation, stress levels rise and complaints begin to trickle from your mouth. “Why does my professor think his/her class is the only class I am taking?” you cry, frustrated by the disgusting amount of work you have to complete in the span of one week.

I, too, have pondered this question many times. It seems that the majority of professors have forgotten what it’s like to actually be a student. They honestly do assume that their class is the most important class available at your university and you have oodles of hours to read 20 chapters of Herman Melville in 3 days.

Raul Ramos, a professor at the University of Houston, acknowledged his total disconnect from campus life during his first 8 years at the university. He then — along with his wife, kids, and 2 dogs — moved into an on-campus dorm in an effort to become more acclimated with the students and their college life.

Although Ramos’ example is a bit extreme and many colleges cannot afford such accommodations, wouldn’t it be cool if professors actually tried to get to know students beyond the classroom?

We’ve compiled a list of 5 ways profs can leave the lecture hall and get inside the heads of their students. Read More »

Okay, so it’s confession time. I really love the History Channel, and most channels like it. Think Discovery, or National Geographic. During the summer, rather than doing something “normal” like going to the beach, or grilling, you could find me nestled under a blanket sitting on the sofa watching a documentary on who really discovered America. For hours, I’d be there, mouth agape and cup of lemonade in hand.

But come on, you can’t tell me that those channels aren’t cool. Think Shark Week, a week I know people mark on their calendars. These channels have something for everyone. You can watch a documentary on the history of marijuana, or the Salem Witch Trials, and then follow it up with a WWII special.

The only problem with the History channel and its counterparts is when it finally hits you: you learn more from one hour long documentary than you ever do going to class. One story alone is assembled better than any lecture you will ever attend, without the annoying graduate student who says “um” every other word or the keeper of the crypt who keeps nodding off mid-sentence.

I spend time in some of my classes contemplating over important issues like what a piece of toast would say if it could talk, but I can’t wait for a commercial to finally end when I’m watching a special on Discovery.

Bottom line: Professors could learn a lot from these channels. Read More »

Hey Dude,

I am a 21-year-old female and I have strong feelings for an instructor (24 or 25 years old) at college.  He teaches a small studio setting course of 8 students including myself so we have a lot of one on one interaction. Also, he has made himself readily available to all of his students outside of the classroom setting (like some of the other instructors at my college). As a result, I have his cell phone number and he has mine. He has been professional and there’s not even any indication that he shares any of the same feelings, however all the time I’ve spent with him has got me more and more interested.

Though I know it would be completely inappropriate to make a move at this point and I know I shouldn’t even be thinking it, do you think in the future – when I’m no longer his student –  it would it still be considered inappropriate to try and initiate something? And regardless of all that, do you have any ideas as to how I can focus more on school and less on him?

Oh god. This is bad.

-Student Read More »

Whose lunatic idea was it to throw National Teacher Day in May, when finals are looming and we’re more stressed out than Kanye when he pulled the mic from T-Swift!?

I mean seriously, I just cannot devote any of my (precious) time to appreciating teachers today. Sorry. Nope. Not gonna happen. Not when I’m  running on little to no sleep, am elbow-deep in research papers, and my blood caffeine content is higher than my average BAC on mug night. We stretch ourselves so thin trying to be perfect for teachers, studying so we can get an A, then promptly forgetting all the material. We really make the most of our education, don’t we!?

Nope. But at least there’s one professor, at one school, that knows what’s up.

According to Duke University’s Cathy Davidson, “I can’t think of a more meaningless, superficial, cynical way to evaluate learning than by assigning a grade. It turns learning into a crass competition: how do I snag the highest grade for the least amount of work? How do I give the prof what she wants so I can get the A that I need for med school? That’s the opposite of learning and curiosity, the opposite of everything I believe as a teacher, and is, quite frankly, a waste of my time and the students’ time.”

You go girl…er…woman! Read More »

Picture it: We pan over a full classroom, a man with a slightly too-tight plaid shirt and vile comb over is lecturing with the same tone and volume of a dull beeeeeeeep.  If we watch the students, we see several completely passed out while others furiously scribble notes, attempting to keep up with information that may or may not be on any exams this teacher gives. The old guy up front is so dull he makes Ferris Bueller’s teacher look like Lady Gaga, but what can you do?  The class is required and this guy is the only one who teaches it, whether the students like him or not.

But what if you, the student, got a say in that? It’s happening at Stanford, where students get to give their teachers a grade for a change. The university is using student evaluations to determine things like professor salaries and tenure. Read More »

College. Sigh. It’s unlike any other time in your life. It has its own set of rules, its own unique circumstances. And it’s not always easy to navigate. Everyone needs a little guidance now and then (or always) so we’ve pulled together a variety of perspectives (the does-it-all girl, the party girl and Ms. Study Lounge) to weigh in on your life conundrums and give you the best advice we can.

Every week they’ll be tackling your questions about college. From classes to keggers to keggers before classes, they’ll do their best to respond and be your Pez dispenser of collegiate wisdom. Got questions? Unsure of a decision? Just wanna chat it up with some really awesome chics?

Hit them up in the comments or shoot them an email with the subject “College Q&A”!

Question:
OK, so I have a 8am lecture 3 days a week next semester. Even better, it’s a requirement which I DO NOT want to take. There are apparently over 200 people in the class, the prof puts the notes online, he’s apparently horribly boring and I really don’t feel like getting up at 7 to go. Especially since my next class isn’t until 2pm. Annoying.

What do you think?Can I get by without it or do I really need to be there to pass the class?

Busy Bee:
I completely understand – many college requirements seem like a waste, the overwhelming students make you feel unimportant, and the prof makes you want to jump right back into bed. But honestly, I don’t think you should sign up for a class you don’t intend on ever attending. Think about it: is there any other class you can sign up for? If not a different class altogether, maybe the same class at a different time with a different prof? I know that a majority of college students end up skipping class, but being a student who doesn’t, I’ve learned that the teachers often go over things that aren’t always in the notes. In addition, you’re paying ridiculous amounts of money to be in that classroom, so I say you make the most of it. At least sign up for a class you’d be motivated to attend, or don’t do it at all. I mean, with all that you have going on, are you really going to get up at 7am? Lastly, what’s passing for you? Is it a C or is it an A? If you’re trying to get on the Dean’s List, then get yo bootay to class! Read More »

Week after week (after week after week…), CollegeCandy and our pal John bring you some of the weirdest, funniest, and saddest things he hears on his college campus. And we know he’s not the only one who hears this stuff. Join the Overheard revolution! Listen in on some weirdos’ conversations and share them in the comments or send ‘em over. You know there’s a lot of funny things to be heard on your campus, so get to it. We’ll throw them in a future post!

Professor, pointing at an Asian girl.
Professor:  That’s how they do it in China, right?
Girl: What the hell is he talking about?

Two girls at a basketball game.
Girl 1: The coach has his own brand of wine.
Girl 2: Really? I knew he had a pasta sauce.
Girl 1: Yup, wine too. And a diaper. His face pops up on the back when it needs to be changed. Read More »

We all have to admit that aside from the five days a week of partying, the sexy men, and the girl talk/Cheeto-fests that lass into the wee hours of the morning, there are those aspects of college life that aren’t so great. And we make sure everyone knows how much we hate ‘em when we whine to our friends over cafeteria slop/to our moms on the phone/to the rest of the world via our Facebook status updates.

And why not? Despite the stereotype that college students just eff around playing beer pong for four years straight, being a college student isn’t easy. (And, hello, we play flip cup, too!)

Over at US News, they documented some of the most commonly hated problems about being in college student. And we totally agree: getting closed out of the classes we need brings us to tears (and sends us into a pity binge of wine and nachos) and the boring professors make me want to rip the hair out my head.

But when I got to thinking about it, isn’t college really just one big love/ hate relationship? Sure we complain about a lot of things, but secretly deep down, we find the silver lining. Read More »

"Are you saying you disagree with my theory as outlined on page 182 of my book?"

So class isn’t always our first priority at school. Okay, maybe it never is. But that doesn’t mean that we don’t enjoy some of them. Once you get past that pain-in-the-ass core requirement list, you can actually take classes that interest you.

But whether the class is right up your alley, or you can’t wait for it to be over, there are always those professors who are going to make that 3 hours a week a living hell.

Rate My Professor may help weed out which specific professors suck a fatty, but there are so many that slip through the cracks. And they’re everywhere. On every campus. In every major. And with the stress of midterms coming up, we need to vent. These professor characters are really starting to get on our nerves! Read More »