Modite’s Rebecca Thorman raised some excellent points in her recent posts on Gen Y and the university system. While there’s no doubt in my mind that system has room for improvement, the responsibility for many of these so-called failings lies with students themselves. During my time at UW-Madison, and particularly during my courses in the business school, I felt both embarrassed and frustrated by my peers’ utter lack of engagement, unrealistic expectations and muddled priorities.
1. College is not a four-year period to “delay adulthood.”
When my marketing research professor posed a question to the class, he was more often than not greeted with complete silence, interrupted only by the sounds of rustling newspapers and students typing away on their laptops. This scene was repeated time and time again in nearly every course I took, regardless of subject or size. How would this bode in the “real world?”
If your manager posed a question during a meeting, would you stare blankly at him for 30 seconds and then resume not-so-discreetly checking Texts from Last Night on your iPhone? Would you break out the daily Sudoku during a particularly boring conference?
Perhaps this is why the transition from college to the “real world” can be so tumultuous – college students act as though they answer to no one. This is true, to an extent: college brings with it the challenge of being accountable to yourself. It can be a time best remembered for drunken shenanigans and last minute cramming, or as an opportunity to develop the skills, work ethic and sense of professionalism that will someday be an expectation, not an option.
Treat college like it’s a job. Be engaged, show up on time, and quit Facebook stalking during lecture.
2. “Ease” is not the most important criterion in course selection.
With the advent of websites like RateMyProfessors.com, it’s easier than ever for students to cherry-pick classes and instructors not based on their merits, but on ease. I can say without hesitation that the most difficult and demanding courses I took were ultimately the most rewarding. Several professors I found to be incredibly thought-provoking, dedicated and insightful received negative reviews because their course was “too demanding and required too much work outside of class”…“they didn’t follow the book”…or “they treated questions as dumb and insignificant.”
College is demanding; how you balance those demands with other relationships and responsibilities is not an instructor’s concern. Designing courses that pander to the social agendas of college students would be akin to letting the inmates run the asylum. Students shouldn’t shy away from taking a course because of online reviews. Find out for yourself if the reviewer was “in the dark” because they failed to adequately prepare for class, or because the instructor really does do a poor job. If the latter is true, drop the class.
It is true that the responsibility for much of the “teaching” falls on students themselves; college professors are expert guides. The best teach students how to approach problems from new angles and push them to think for themselves. RateYourStudents.com provides an interesting perspective on this issue from professors and academics, and is worth a look if you have the time.
3. “Competitive pressure” is not a valid excuse to lose your ethical compass.
The soaring prevalence of academic dishonesty in the university setting is disconcerting. 56% of business graduate students and 47% of non-business graduate students admit to cheating within the past year, a finding that is mirrored in undergraduate students, reports cheating expert Donald McCabe.
“It’s not just a matter of cheating on a test and getting ahead; there are all kinds of systemic implications that result from academic dishonesty,” says Marianne Jennings. Rampant cheating draws into question the legitimacy of the diplomas awarded by an academic institution, and makes it nearly impossible to measure the true scholastic merit of all students.
While students may use the intense competitive pressure of the college environment to justify their behavior, their propensity to cheat doesn’t disappear upon receipt of their diploma. Jennings continues, “Students don’t just say OK I cheated in school, but now I’m in the workplace and it ends here. They are forming bad habits that carry over into the market.”
If an employer hires a student who cheated their way to good grades only to find out that they’re incapable of producing the quality work one would expect from such a high performer, it reflects poorly on the institution. As the W.P Carey School of Business points out, this is especially problematic for business schools, who often rely on corporate partnerships for funding and recruiting.
Universities assume that students want to further their education; professors should not be expected to spoon-feed and coddle students whose priorities lie elsewhere. While the opportunity to attend college should be available to everyone, the decision to seize that opportunity and make the most of it is ultimately our own. Perhaps the startling drop out rate and the “lack of preparedness for the real world” stem not from the system, but from the students themselves.
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This month, I’m participating in Scott Bishop’s 28 Day Blogging Challenge. Check out the other bloggers signed up for the madness over at Real Time Marketer.
