Most importantly, we need to talk to our professors. It can be scary and intimidating to engage with the people who, for the semester, are the experts in what we’re studying. But, setting up times to talk with your professor about the class, what they’re researching, the program you’re in, even to chat can many times be more rewarding than just sitting through lectures.
If you’re lucky, you’ll get to know your professors well enough to set up independent studies where you can focus on exactly what interests you. Professors are the best untapped resources on this campus, and they have so much support to offer us. You’ll be doing a disservice to yourself and your education if you don’t take advantage of them.
We need to research all that our majors have to offer us. Does your department have ties with volunteer opportunities in the community or on campus? Does it offer exclusive competitions that give chances to win honors and scholarships? What about study abroad programs? What kinds of careers do alumni who graduate from your department end up with? What specializations do the faculty in your department represent? Does your department have its own club? Every one of us should be able to answer every single one of these questions, but how many of us really can?
Aside from academics, Tech is home to hundreds of student clubs and organizations. If you can’t find one that suits your interests (which would be surprising), then start one. Clubs are outlets for students looking for all kinds of opportunities, studying, playing sports, talking philosophy, gaming, helping people in need in the community and the world, learning to become activists, you name it — there’s a club. It’s never too late to join something that could possibly be fun and satisfying to whatever motivations you have.
Education is what you make of it, and if you are experiencing misery during your time here, I urge you to not blame it on the university or its programs. Every Hokie should take full advantage of the wonderful opportunities Tech has to offer, don’t let them slip by.
Continue Reading: « Previous12
A version of this article appeared in the Apr 14 issue of the Collegiate Times.
Leave a comment 6 Comments Write a letter to the editor
All letters to the editor must include a name, e-mail, daytime phone number and affiliation to Virginia Tech. Affiliation includes: year and major for students; position and department for faculty and staff; current city for alumni and parents.
In response to "The bottom line is, you shouldn’t be afraid to change what it is you’re doing."
Virginia Tech does an extremely poor job in its ease of major changing among students. I am in the wrong program but have been unable to get into the one I am passionate about because of unreasonable and unrealistic "requirements" and "restrictions". The university is supposed to work for the students, not the other way around and in my history, and in that of several friends', they have failed in that aspect.
Reply to this Top
Part 1:
I'm in the school of engineering and trust me, it's not all that it’s cracked up to be. For the past 2 years, I've been dealing with professors who don't want to be there but are required to be there and consequently don't care about their students. Even worse, for some reason or another, they think it is their duty to make it as hard as possible to pass the class. Like the goal here at tech is to NOT produce as many well educated engineers (which our country lacks) but to repel/drop out as many as possible and allow only the exceptional to make it. It's almost like the department takes on the Navy SEALS mentality.
Reply to this Top
Part 2:
To be more elaborate, seems like every engineering course (in the ECE department) you get a dull lecture that is either hard to understand because of language barriers, or it's just poorly presented. On top of that, you get unrealistic assignments that expect you to know things you don't, but instead of teaching you the fundamentals they expect you to "just know it"
I still have 2 years to go and I'm hoping the float or sink mentality changes and professors start to actually want their students to be successful. I'm not saying all professors are this way but a lot I have encountered have been. It's a tragedy it has to be like that.
Reply to this Top
Part 3:
Yeah there are plenty of opportunities to take advantage of and I advocate that, and I certainly do go to out of classroom things that relate to my major and go to office hours when I can.
However it certainly makes it harder to in the classroom when you have professors who seem to make it their job to do everything they can to fail you through impossible expectations, exams that have material not even covered, and more.
Tech may have many very qualified and expert professors, but what good does it do if they fail in the classroom.
Reply to this Top
I agree, and while college isn't about "holding your hand" like in high school and a lot of learning does come on your own, at the same time ....you are also paying lots of money for their "education" and so you are entitled to some sense of quality, not to feel like a failure. In engineering I've known very brilliant guys fail engineering exams along with the rest of the class and slide by with a C. It's common although some departments are better than others. Usually the professors have to curve to prevent half the class from failing outright.
Engineering is not an easy subject. It's suppose to be challenging..but up to a certain point. The problem is that the exams in a lot of Engineering courses are designed not to challenge but to make it extremely hard to pass. I say this because time and time again, I've studied and kept on top of things only to get to the exam and have 1/3 of the material be new stuff that wasn't covered in the book, koofers,or the lecture. So how could you prepare?
That is the real flaw with a lot of exams that come from professors who are use to teaching graduates.
Reply to this Top
It's a shame we're paying money for that and a lot of "would be" good engineers are discouraged and end up dropping out because your set up to fail, at least in the beginning courses.
It's almost like your better off "self educating" at the library or on youtube, it's free and you would get the same educational quality if not better than a lot of these professors give. While you shouldn't be spoon fed, you are paying for education after all, not to teach yourself everything. You can do that for free.
Just my two cents.
Reply to this Top