uni. prof, ask me anything

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Would you recommend student pursue a humanities major?

He would say yes as he needs those customers.

I would say no.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I see a substantial difference between student abilities coming out of private schools and out of public schools (esp. in the ability to read/interpret, think analytically, and in level of confidence).

Do you believe this is due to “good teaching” at private schools, or is it selection bias (smarter parents make money, have smarter kids, and can afford private schools)?

OP here, back,

I think (assertion!) it's more curricular freedom, more emphasis on deep reading, analytical reading, "reading the classics" (which can, in a way, just be careful attention to reading texts that are complex and make you think, struggle, reflect, etc., which is precisely why they seem to then excel at doing those things in college!).

How about writing skills in private vs public students?

(OP here): many more of my students who came from private schools can write really well. Overall, the level of writing skills is depressing (I also feel that way about 3/4 of the literature in my field, but I'm probably just an a$$hole).

How do you know where your students went to high school? Do you look it up? Do you ask them for this information?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I see a substantial difference between student abilities coming out of private schools and out of public schools (esp. in the ability to read/interpret, think analytically, and in level of confidence).

Do you believe this is due to “good teaching” at private schools, or is it selection bias (smarter parents make money, have smarter kids, and can afford private schools)?

OP here, back,

I think (assertion!) it's more curricular freedom, more emphasis on deep reading, analytical reading, "reading the classics" (which can, in a way, just be careful attention to reading texts that are complex and make you think, struggle, reflect, etc., which is precisely why they seem to then excel at doing those things in college!).

How about writing skills in private vs public students?

(OP here): many more of my students who came from private schools can write really well. Overall, the level of writing skills is depressing (I also feel that way about 3/4 of the literature in my field, but I'm probably just an a$$hole).

How do you know where your students went to high school? Do you look it up? Do you ask them for this information?

Extremely weird and creepy

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How do you know which high schools your students came from? Is this a very small school? I don’t think a professor ever asked me that info.

They never ask this question. This prof is looking it up or having the students reveal this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do you know which high schools your students came from? Is this a very small school? I don’t think a professor ever asked me that info.

They never ask this question. This prof is looking it up or having the students reveal this.

Not the OP, but also a professor. I have access to transcripts and SAT/ACT/AP scores. I don’t actively look at my students records. However, I do see the info because I advise majors and sometimes, if I have a struggling student I look at their transcript and standardized test scores.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There’s no way your salary is what you report it to be, even with an admin component.

Signed,
Social sciences prof who sees salary comparisons across all schools

(OP here): you see averages in those comparisons. I see the faculty in my purview and I'm not an anomaly.

DP and I believe this. I work in grants and see salaries like this at wealthy private schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why did you spend five years to earn as much as someone with an undergraduate degree in marketing?

-Finance Prof

Is the money worth selling your soul to capitalism? What do you think of late stage capitalism?

Yes

If you’re so clever at finance, why are you teaching instead of running a hedge fund?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There’s no way your salary is what you report it to be, even with an admin component.

Signed,
Social sciences prof who sees salary comparisons across all schools

(OP here): you see averages in those comparisons. I see the faculty in my purview and I'm not an anomaly.

DP and I believe this. I work in grants and see salaries like this at wealthy private schools.

(Just to clarify, grant budgets are often written to "buy" a proportion of a professor's time as a fraction of annual salary and benefits, so those need to be specified.)

[Anonymous]

My kid went to college and suffered the start of a serious mental illness—schizophrenia. There was no prior history of this illness. I was very upset at how the college managed the issue, since child also had rapidly declining executive function and energy levels.

Any thoughts OP on how to better handle mental health?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do you know which high schools your students came from? Is this a very small school? I don’t think a professor ever asked me that info.

They never ask this question. This prof is looking it up or having the students reveal this.

Not the OP, but also a professor. I have access to transcripts and SAT/ACT/AP scores. I don’t actively look at my students records. However, I do see the info because I advise majors and sometimes, if I have a struggling student I look at their transcript and standardized test scores.

Do you think you are biased in evaluating your students based on what you know about their high school education?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I feel it's doubtful that you actually are a university professor.

(OP here): the stack of papers to grade suggests otherwise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How do you know which high schools your students came from? Is this a very small school? I don’t think a professor ever asked me that info.

(OP here): We introduce ourselves at the start of the class (smaller seminar).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you know your student's SAT / ACT score?

Do you know who applied Test Optional or not?

(OP here): No access to that information, nor would I want it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you have access to students' HS grades/transcripts?

(OP here): I do not, once you're in, you're in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why did you spend five years to earn as much as someone with an undergraduate degree in marketing?

-Finance Prof

Is the money worth selling your soul to capitalism? What do you think of late stage capitalism?

(OP here): Actually, finance prof, 9 years, and then lots of undercompensated years, so it just gets worse and worse from the perspective of your criteria.