Dr. Burnham's Simple College Rules for not Wasting Your Time and Money
Rule #1 of College: Don't be a Dumbass
Rule #2 of College: Maintain Rule #1 activated in your frontal lobes for the next four years
There is an unfortunate trend that I have noticed since I began my career in higher education in 1997. Specifically, many students seem to believe that college is simply the 13th through the 16th grades and that collge professors are 13th through the 16th grade teachers. Here is what I say to those students, as well as to all students entering college who want to succeed:
Don't be a dumbass!a
I have known honors students from my own schools and I have had honors students in my classes who have flunked within two months of college because they came into higher education with the same attitude as they had in high school. Generally, that attitude is that a teacher will always be there looking over their shoulder, and will be someone that will always be there to make sure that they get their work done. Also, students seem to just want to memorize everything presented to them and then regurgitate that information onto paper to "get" a grade. All that I have to say is: Dumbasses!
Rule #3 of College: This is not high school!b
Your collge professors are not high school teachers. Most imortantly, you are no longer high school students...so don't act or think like one. In fact...take everything that you memorized from high school and hit the delete button. Trust me...it will NOT help you here. College and University professors don't give a shit [yes, I said the s-word...get over it] about who you were in high school or where you went to high school, and we especially don't give a crap about what your grades were in high school. (Notice the underlinings.) As far as we're concerned, those grades were good enough to get you into higher education. Other than that, your high school grades mean absolutely nothing. Don't dewll on them and do not use them as an axcue in higher education. You will not get pity. Now that you are in higher education, it is all up to you. Here are a few factual compare and contrasts:
Before I go on, please note that I am not trying to make you feel bad, hate me, scare you, or anything like that. I am simply trying to make you consciously aware of what college is all about and to prepare you for what you need to do. As I will delineate below, I (and other professors)am not here to motivate you and to be your npersonal cheerleader, I am here to be your guide, but that is only if you want me to guide you as you take initiative. If not, don't waste my time.
One of the biggest problems students seem to have is a clear lack of initiative. This can be seen on many levels. Please remember that professors are not here to hold your hand, to get you to do things, to watch your back and make sure that you are on course. That is your job. We are here beat you down mentally, build you back up, teach you how to be autonomous thinkers and not memorizers, and above all we determine whether you are worthy of being a gradate. It is solely your responsibility to determine how your education proceeds. We are merely the guides and keepers of the information you need; whereas you are lumps of grey matter that should desire to be transformed into lean, mean thinking-machines! We are not here to "pass you", we are here to weed out the Dumbasses that cannot hack it! Take initiative on your own, and believe me, think for yourself. We are not here to think for you.
One major lack of initiaitve that I constantly see is how students do not seek help when it is clearly needed and then not doing anything about it. I always have a few students who tell me that "they just don't 'get itl". Okay, sometimes this is the case and a student really does not understand the material for any one of a variety of potential reasons. Regardless, telling me that you do not 'get it' only tells that you have not been doing any work on your own to helo you to understand the material. I am not saying that I should not be teaching you, and that you need to do everything, But whe n a student tell's me that they do not 'get it' and I then ask them how much time s/he has put in outside of class, do you know what the answer generally is? Zero! Zero time outside of class is spent on the material! I literally want to cry.
Here's a little thing I call the "3" rule: What you should remember is that for every 1 credit hour a class is worth you should expect to spend three times that number of hours in lecture, reading and studying. Thus, for a 3 credit course, you should expect to do about 9 hours of work, including the three hours of lecture for that course. For a 4 credit course, you should expect to do about 12 hours of work. And so on.
Why so much, you ask? Because YOU ARE A PROFESSIONAL STUDENT!!! When you are enrolled full time in college, this is your job. (True, like me, you may have a part-time or even a full-time job too.) Thus, you should treat college like a full time job! Indeed, in a normal work week you would work for 40-45 hours. If you take five 3-credit courses for a total of 15 credit hours, you should expect to do a minimum of 45 hours worth of course work during each week. And that the the MINIMUM suggested amount...always do more!
Related to this, students seem to lack any initiative seeking out professors until it is too late. In the past year (This is July 2008), I have had 2 students out of approximately 240 come by and see me during my office hours, or by appointment, for actual assistance. I have probably had 5-6 ask if they can come and see me and never show up! Trust me, if you need help and really want to succeed, we will help you out, but it is up to you.
Another lack of initiaitve is that students forget the posted due-dates for assignments, but expected me to remind them of everything. It is the student's responsibility to be on top of things and to remember due dates, not a professor's job to look over your shoulder. (That would be a lot of shoulder looking, which can be creepy). Always check your syllabus. If you loose it, ask for another one, or if your professor has a webpage or uses a course resource system (e.g., Angel, Balckboard, etc.), it's likely that the syllabus is posted there. Get one!
Another problem that I see is students waiting to take classes, including required classes, until the Junior and even Senior year. There are some valid reasons (e.g., courses were filled and closed in freshman and sophomore years, course was not offered until now, etc.). But, there are many invalid rwasons as well (e.g., I heard bad things about the professor, the professor is tough/never gives good grades, the course will be boring, etc.). Here's my advice on this...DO NOT WAIT!!!! Get your ass into the classes that you need when it is suggested you take them. There is a reason that some courses are required and are suggested to be take in your Freshman or Sophomore years; it's because those courses form the basis of every other class that you might take in the future! Get in them somehow. If you are faced with a class that you must take, it is not full, but you have heard something bad about the class/professor...take the damn class! Here is one thing that I always found to be true...the stories about bad professors usually come from bad (dumbass) students. Hence, the negative information that you are getting about professors is invaild and unreliable on it's face. Make your OWN decision about a professor.
Okay, I have ranted a lot and it sound's more like complaining...and it is to some degree. What I hope that you get out of reading this is to think about what it means to be a college student. It means you have responsibiliy. Your parents are not here to make sure you get your work done, it is up to you and only you to do so. Take initiaitve, look for challenges and never shy away from them. Don't put things off...four years is not a long time...believe me. There is time for friends and for socializing (and having a drink or five), but it will feel better in the morning knowing that you finished your work before killing your brain cells than trying to finish your work with dead brain cells. This is your four years, make them count! Always remember that college is all about struggling to become something more than you were when you came in. If you just memoirze and act like a high school student, you will come out a high school student. But if you put in some time and effort, earn your grades and look for challanges, you will feel better and you will change. Conclusion: Don't be a Dumbass!
You don't beleve me? You think that college and university professors are no different than high school teachers? You think I give a damn about your grades? You think that I'm going to remind you every other minute about due dates and requirements? You think that I'm responsible for your actions? You think that learning is secondary to socializing in college? Okay dumbass, if you don't believe me...check out these websites:
Differences between High School and College
Advice on the High School to College Transition
Another Guide on Transition, with whom To Seek for Help
Good Article Directed at Freshman
a I'm on a mission to bring the word "Dumbass" back into the American language.
b If you come into college thinking and acting like a high school student, then you will be treated like one. Professors are damn busy people and we have no time for bull shit and putting up with crap from "high-school-minded" people. Oh, and we will make sure that students know this!