"In college, your professors won't be there to hold your hand."
Throughout my junior and senior years of high school, this phrase was repeated incessantly by my teachers. Countless warnings about the sternness of our future professors, their apathetic attitudes towards our success, and daily reminders of having to be fully reliant on ourselves for our grades, all ultimately led to the toxic—and false—idea that college would be a lonely, solemn place where we would have to be academically self-sufficient.
Having attended a high school whose exigent academic rigor pushes its students to their mental and physical limits, every one of my syllabi alluded to how students were expected to be independent learners. Oftentimes, teachers from across the disciplines would purposefully withhold information during class and expect us to complete homework with unfamiliar material accurately by the next day. Everything from research papers to math problems would be assigned with one piece of guidance: "Look it up." The internet is an essential tool, but not even the best Khan Academy video can replace a face-to-face interaction with an instructor. My horrible experiences caused me to conflate learning with confusion and devastating frustration. If I had enjoyed in certain classes in high school, there is a strong possibility I would have uncovered new strengths and interests which could have influenced my choice of major in college. The fabrication of the fictitious college scenario perpetuated throughout my high school career in which students are left to navigate concepts and tasks by themselves resulted in my tricky transition to college academics. Rather ironically, in disciplining me to be prepared for college, my teachers trained me to be harmfully independent.
The most important lie to debunk is that professors do not care about your success. Instructors who have dedicated their lives to the study of their subject are evidently passionate about their work and are avid supporters of others who take an interest in the topic. Although professors have spent years specializing in their field, they continue to be devoted to the pursuit of knowledge and they work to instill this concept in their students. Weekly office hours are held where students can meet individually with their teaching assistant or professor to recieve feedback on papers, answer questions in preparation for a test, or simply to converse.
In my experience, professors have been more than willing to advise me on events to attend, study abroad programs to apply to and courses to enroll in for future semesters. Having been influenced by the generalizations made by my former teachers, I was surprised to discover that professors care not only about their students' academic achievements, but also about their well-being. Every time I have attended office hours, each professor has inquired about whether I was enjoying Carolina, how my other classes were going and what my future plans were.
Regardless if a professor teaches a 15 person class or a 300 person class, they make efforts to invest themselves in the lives of their students. Some even organize informal coffee meetings that allow students to get to know them better. Rare were my high school teachers who concerned themselves with the mental health of their students.
Contrary to my former chemistry teacher who once asked me why I went to him for help when I had a B in the class, college professors encourage intellectual curiosity.
I was shocked when I came to college and realized that people actually wanted to help me. Having just graduated from a school where the preferred pedagogical method is to keep resources and expectations hidden from students, I found myself trying to figure everything out on my own. My self-sufficiency had deterred me from utilizing resources that would contribute to my success. I had to relearn that trying to solve everything alone only hindered progress. By the end of my first semester, I grasped the concept of emailing my teaching assistants and professors questions and explored other campus resources such as the Writing Center. Instead of searching aimlessly on the internet for half-correct explanations, I had people to look to for guidance.
I understand that students would not function well as adults if they lacked the initiative of figuring things out for themselves as a result of being handed all tools and solutions. The emphasis professors place on their student's success and well-being is no doubt facilitated by larger salaries compared to the abominably minuscule amounts public school teachers receive. However, when educators set their goal on challenging students, the challenge aspect should be valued as secondary compared to the students' ability to actually comprehend some of the material.
