Mike's Reading Notes #9

In my opinion, the most surprising aspect of the entire book was how much information she was able to gather by talking to people and how she was able to somewhat assimilate into the student body. I say this is surprising because even though she was a new student like every other freshman, I feel the age gap should have made a larger difference. I especially expected to see that on a social level where she commented that it was like trying to learn a new language . Though the stories of her being mistaken for a parent on a number of occasions seemed expected, I did not expect her to become a part of the community like that. One story that demonstrates this fully is when she ends up writing the letter of recommendation for Ray, who was in disbelief to find out she was actually a faculty member at the university. I find this mildly amusing, because when I was a freshman in college, there was a man who lived down the hall from me who was 39 years old, on a floor with a bunch of 18-19 year olds. I can’t help but think it would have been the same situation for me had I found out he was a faculty member and not just a student like the rest of us.

Unfortunately, what I was not surprised to read, was a theme that could be found specifically over pages 70, 95, and 101. The theme was, “what is the purpose of going to college?” In her discussions with international students, they make the observation that American students show up to class, get a grade, and leave. There is no community. This is something I even experienced when in my undergraduate education. I felt many of my classmates, and roommates for that matter, were going to college as a means to an end. Not to learn and better themselves in an academic sense. In my opinion, that defeats the purpose of “Higher Education”. This is further discouraging when she finds that classroom discussion was a “sequential expression” (pg 95) rather than an academically enriching experience. I unfortunately agree with her that students participate in class discussion because they have to, and won’t address a dissenting opinion even if they have one. Finally, on page 101, she outright asks what the purpose of college is. Anymore, I feel it is less about learning, but rather going through the process of getting a piece of paper and experiencing the social aspects surrounding the higher education institution in American culture.

The advice I would give new students would to remember why the university exists. The education gained will do more to serve them in life than any degree ever will. Getting a degree is important, but if they don’t take advantage of the educational opportunity in front of them, they will have wasted their time. On the other side of that coin though, I would also encourage them to experience new things as well. I think finally getting out of the protective umbrella of their parents is when they find out who they really are.

I would tell a new instructor not to get discouraged when your material is treated as a small part of the whole picture. Simply put, it is. The amount of information college students are required to know and produce now is much more vast than it was 20 years ago. But I would also encourage a teacher not to teach like a robot, or the students will treat you and your information as such.

Unfortunately, Rebekah Nathan reinforced some of my negative feelings toward college students now and their attitudes toward education. I feel that classes are treated as a minor annoyance getting in the way of an awesome social life. While she did speak and interact with many exceptional students, the overall feeling I got from reading this book was that the social aspect of college was one of the main motivating factors for many students.