Perhaps I just went to a pessimistic high school, but a majority of my high school career I heard versions of the same story: Your college professors aren’t going to care. They are not going to stop to aid complete comprehension, they do not care if you pass or fail, they do not care to hear about the excuses from your personal life. College professors sounded like frightening, all-knowing possessors of master’s degrees who would harshly judge my schoolwork with no regard for my wellbeing.
News Flash. They’re not.
Well, they do seem to be all knowing in their subject and possess master’s degrees, but they certainly are not cold and detached. In fact, in just these six weeks, I feel closer and more connected to some of my college professors than I did to some of my high school teachers.
Do not misinterpret, I had some wonderful high school teachers who were not only fantastic educators but seemed to genuinely care about me as a person. But I also had some high school teachers who fit the cold and calculating portrait of college professor better than any of my current college professors.
There is always the chance that I have simply gotten incredibly lucky this semester and was blessed with not just small class sizes, but professors that seek to build relationships with their students and strive for all their students to succeed as well. But I hope it is not just luck and I hope I continue to have professors of this caliber.
My honors professors consistently ask us how we are all doing, greet us by name, and remind us the importance of taking time for yourself. They are constantly pushing us to ask for help and fill the air with questions. Bonus, they give us accurate and simple study guides.
My theatre professor and advisor have never begun a meeting or class without first asking about how we have been and extending an invitation to share any personal problems. They have stated that their doors and ears are always open if life gets too stressful or if our mental state is crumbling. My advisor ended our last meeting with the statement, "Honors students put the weight of the world on their shoulders, come see me if that happens."
My Chinese professor gave the first quiz of my college career, but preceded it with multiple practice quizzes that he wanted us to use while we took the quiz because he did not want us to do poorly. He wanted us all to do well and was going to go out of his way to ensure that this happened. (The class is still difficult though, so if my parents are reading this, don’t be disappointed if I don’t make all As in this course...)
It is not that college professors and their courses are easy. They are challenging. High school hammered the difficulty of college into my brain and it is difficult. However, my high school also had me convinced that no college professor would care about me like a high school teacher would. In my experience, this was wrong. College professors do care. Not just about your grade, but about you.
