I'm a professor at a 4-year college/university... ask me anything!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What do you teach?

What is the tier ranking more or less of the university in which you teach? (Not as a judgment but to gauge the general performance of the students)

Top 100 (USNEWS) private liberal arts college.

My daughter loves English and wants to go to a liberal arts college. I cringe. Where do students get employment for liberal arts or English degrees.

Getting a job and getting educated are not the same thing. I advise students to major in whatever they enjoy and to make sure to take many classes that give them skills. Want to major in psych? Great, but be sure to take lots of stats classes, some econometrics, computer science, etc. Internships are key to getting employed. I would not advise anyone to go to law school or PhD unless you get into a top program and the costs are reasonable.

You sound more like a college counselor/president than a professor. Everyone knows all of the classes are for colleges to make $$$$. I mean really, I went into a medical field (not a doctor) and had to take Western Civ and shit load of classes that were prerequisites that didn't do anything for me but increase my student loan debt. What a scam.

NP. It's to make you a well-rounded person who understands the world (or at least a bit of it) and can think critically. I didn't major in psychology, but took psych classes as my sciences; wasn't pre-law, but took classes in modern justice and urban life; didn't major in religion, but took a class on modern religions; didn't major in art, but took both art history and practical art classes. They helped instill a sense of curiosity and understanding about our world. College isn't (necessarily) just a vocational experience.

You can get ALL of that from the free public library.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. The worst thing about the students today is they simply cannot or refuse to put the time into, writing well. It's abysmal. I thought I was judging too harshly so I went back and looked at my own papers in college. Even kids who are here spending 40k a year of their parents money and went to good private high schools turn in papers with multiple incomplete sentences. They are either dumb or lazy, or both.

The public schools, even in "great districts" are necessarily great, particularly those in or bordering g large cities. We withdrew our 3rd grader after teacher admitted she agreed with our criticisms of curriculum but couldn't teach grammar as it wasn't in curriculum. Just heard freshman are. Air tell me they're not really supposed to know things, just how to research and look facts up online. This is very scary to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you have a woman (or man?) in your life? You sound a bit... pent up.

Not at the moment. Am dating. Was in a long term relationship for a while. Not pent up, just have pet peeves like anyone else. People who inconvenience other people is one of them. Mindlessness is another. It's not hard to "work hard and play by the rules."

It is if you are an adult with ADD.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What do you teach?

What is the tier ranking more or less of the university in which you teach? (Not as a judgment but to gauge the general performance of the students)

Top 100 (USNEWS) private liberal arts college.

My daughter loves English and wants to go to a liberal arts college. I cringe. Where do students get employment for liberal arts or English degrees.

Getting a job and getting educated are not the same thing. I advise students to major in whatever they enjoy and to make sure to take many classes that give them skills. Want to major in psych? Great, but be sure to take lots of stats classes, some econometrics, computer science, etc. Internships are key to getting employed. I would not advise anyone to go to law school or PhD unless you get into a top program and the costs are reasonable.

You sound more like a college counselor/president than a professor. Everyone knows all of the classes are for colleges to make $$$$. I mean really, I went into a medical field (not a doctor) and had to take Western Civ and shit load of classes that were prerequisites that didn't do anything for me but increase my student loan debt. What a scam.

NP. It's to make you a well-rounded person who understands the world (or at least a bit of it) and can think critically. I didn't major in psychology, but took psych classes as my sciences; wasn't pre-law, but took classes in modern justice and urban life; didn't major in religion, but took a class on modern religions; didn't major in art, but took both art history and practical art classes. They helped instill a sense of curiosity and understanding about our world. College isn't (necessarily) just a vocational experience.

You can get ALL of that from the free public library.

Not with the addition of thoughtful and educated debate. Or discussions about the topic with peers from all sorts of walks of life. Or even a thoughtful list of which readings to do in which order to best cover a wide variety of useful information (i.e. a syllabus).

[Anonymous]

Could you STFU about your periods? You are making the thread so lame. Either ask something or go away.

[Anonymous]

My son is still very young. I would like to know the following:
1 - I went to a "brand name" expensive college, and my parents paid for it. In retrospect, I think I would have been just fine at a good state school with an honors program. Do you agree that you can get a good quality education for much less at a good state school?
2 - Strip it down even more - what are your thoughts on 2 years of community college followed by a transfer to a good state school?
3 - someone once said to me that college students are the only consumers who want less for their money. How do I instill in my child respect and appreciation for a college education and not treat it like a total bore?
4 - How do I prepare my son for the rigors of academia - private/vs good public school etc
5 - What is your take on AP and college prep classes
TIA!

[Anonymous]

Are you gay?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son is still very young. I would like to know the following:
1 - I went to a "brand name" expensive college, and my parents paid for it. In retrospect, I think I would have been just fine at a good state school with an honors program. Do you agree that you can get a good quality education for much less at a good state school?
2 - Strip it down even more - what are your thoughts on 2 years of community college followed by a transfer to a good state school?
3 - someone once said to me that college students are the only consumers who want less for their money. How do I instill in my child respect and appreciation for a college education and not treat it like a total bore?
4 - How do I prepare my son for the rigors of academia - private/vs good public school etc
5 - What is your take on AP and college prep classes
TIA!

Not the OP, but a college professor.

If your goal is an easy transfer to the Atlantic Coast elite in business, law, or industry, there is nothing like the contacts you make at a "brand name" school, particularly an Ivy. Nothing. Even if you're a barista, you know more people and more about who to call and where to go than anyone else will learn anywhere else.

If you're talking about a great education that will make you highly competitive for careers, the state schools have excellent reputations, and the new Honors' Colleges are "stealing" lots of budget-conscious students who are also accepted to Ivies, especially those who might want to stay more local after college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are you gay?

No.