To freshmen: welcome to Mississippi State! Having been here for a few years-five, actually-I’d like to start the year off by offering my take on the differences between high school and college. Let me assure you, things are not how they used to be.
Take, for example, the standardized test scores that have become almost the entire point of high school education. They no longer matter. The esoteric vocabulary needed to survive the SAT is to college classes what a shoe is to a fish–useless. Professors do not discriminate between the student who made a 36 on the ACT and the one who made a 19. To pass requires doing the class work and doing it well. Unlike high school, slackers will fail out of college.
College also marks the ascent into adulthood. Once again, the professors will not pamper anyone because they expect their students to act like adults. Expect to be kicked out of the room for disrupting class. At the same time, no one cares about gum chewing, hat wearing or practically anything else, so long as class continues smoothly.
Furthermore, most teachers are more than willing to work with their students to ensure they truly understand the subject matter. Missed class once because you overslept? The teacher will probably help. Need to be out of town for family matters for a week? So be it. Up until college, the education system attempts to mold students into responsible adults, often by teaching them lessons with strict attendance policies or arbitrary dress codes. In college, especially here at Mississippi State, the faculty assumes students are responsible adults and are focused on teaching the class material, not life lessons. Reasonably, if a teacher knows a student puts forth effort in the class, she will gladly work around the student’s needs.
Also, participate in class. If the teacher asks a question, answer it. If you have a question, ask the teacher-after class, if necessary. Showing interest in class and putting forth effort will almost guarantee that the teacher will help as much as he can. If you feel a grade was unfair, discuss it with the teacher. She knows you are working hard and will be willing to help.
Naturally, adulthood-being respectful and hardworking-is an important quality to succeeding in college or in any activity in the adult world. But there are a few more lessons that are especially helpful with college.
Most importantly, avoid Dr. Kolalowska in the physics department. From my experience, her grading style does not in any way reflect a student’s knowledge of the material.
Network with fellow students. Working and studying together builds friendships that make enduring tough classes easier, improves study skills and provides useful information that can be very helpful in navigating the collegic tempest. For instance, while Mississippi State’s faculty is generally far above par as teachers-ask any transfer student-there are exceptions. The best way to find these is to ask fellow students.
Amusingly, the right amount of socializing can greatly help a student’s grades. Of course, working together does not mean cheating. I have graded papers for professors for awhile and cheating is easily seen. Cheaters minimally lose the respect of their teachers and may even be expelled.
As the Oracle at Delphi said (and the philosophy department will remind you), “Know thyself.” Everybody is unique, so no general rule about attendance or studying is as useful as knowing one’s own limits. Much noise has been made about the correlation between class attendance and grades, even to the point of some classes wrongly and arbitrarily lowering grades for missed class. Yet some students clearly do not need to attend every class to learn the course material. But simply because one student skips class regularly does not mean everyone can. It is up to each individual student to know his limits and enforce them. Learn them and live within them or expect to fail.
I am happy to say that college has been a wonderful experience for me and for most people I have known. After all, I am still here. However, young freshmen, be prepared for a truly different experience from high school. The old values, test scores and good behavior no longer matter. To succeed in college, one must be adult-respectful, self-motivated, hardworking and willing to learn.