Attending college is an interesting time in a person's life. There are so many factors that require the need for constant adjustment. Learning how to live without your parents for the first time, getting along with roommates, making new friends, saving money, balancing real responsibilities, keeping your grades up, fortifying relationships, updating your resume, determining what to add to your resume, and figuring out how to balance everything else in life can be daunting.
On top of all these challenges comes dealing with college professors. These people play a very important role in our lives as college students as we are learning to develop and thrive in the world. Plus, they've all been in our place before sitting in the crowded lecture hall, elbow to elbow with neighbors, rather than gesticulating in front of the room. However, there are some things that professors do that make college students even more stressed out as they scratch their heads and wonder why in the world a college prof is acting in a way that seems just so complicated.
Here are 18 things that all students wish college professors would stop doing immediately:
1. Keeping tests and quizzes
How am I supposed to know what I missed when the quiz is never handed back to me?
2. Not posting all the PowerPoints online
I understand that people may abuse this privilege by skipping class and still having access to the notes, but there are some circumstances when students can't attend class and still need a way to get the missed lecture's notes.
3. Not sticking to the syllabus
4. Not even providing a syllabus
Even worse than not sticking to a planned schedule is not giving students an idea of how the course will be run.
5. Requiring books that will not actually be used
Why did I purchase this?
6. Prohibiting laptop use in class
7. Making rules about when "allowed" to leave for the restroom
Come on, we aren't in high school anymore (and this shouldn't even be a rule there).
8. Calling on students who didn't raise their hand
There's a chance that this student wasn't paying attention, but there's also a chance that this student was paying attention and just doesn't have anything to say.
9. Using extreme intimidation as a teaching style
Effective teaching is not achieved through making your students truly afraid of you.
10. Not curving grades even the slightest bit
I studied but I'm also in five other classes, so I'm sorry that I couldn't get a perfect score on your test.
11. Not knowing how to use basic technology
12. Complaining about not knowing how to use basic technology
13. Taking FOREVER to grade assignments
TBH, I'm still waiting to receive my feedback and grades on three papers AND my final for this class that I apparently passed with an A in last semester...
14. Entering grades wrong more than a few times
At least these professors are attempting to send our grades in; however, when I log online and see that my should be 10/10 score was accidentally turned in as a 0/10 more than a few times, it gets pretty annoying.
15. Making kids feel stupid when they actually do participate
How is your sarcastic comment supposed to make me want to volunteer more often?
16. Being unable to answer a question
I totally understand that professors should not be expected to answer every single little detail about a topic, but just shrugging off inquisitiveness or saying "Google it" kind of kills the mood of the learning environment.
17. Not explaining the image or graph in their presentation
Why add it to your lecture in the first point?
18. Complaining that students don't utilize office hours
19. Being MIA when the students actually show up for office hours
I'm here now, but you're not...
20. Making jokes about their Rate My Professors profile
I can see why you received those ratings, sir.
21. Saying they are "too busy"
WE ARE ALL BUSY!
