When planning my schedule a year in advance like an anally organized person would do, I thought it would be smart, even relieving, to get the “hard” classes out of the way first. In other words, as a sophomore I took senior level classes so that in my last semesters I would be left with the sophomore level classes, which I thought would present a happy atmosphere in my life. I was terribly wrong.
I remember my first weeks of college. I was stressed beyond belief, homesick and failing every single assignment in one of my classes. I honestly thought I would not make it through college. However, despite my trials and fears, I was never over board or ridiculous with my actions.
Let me explain myself. College can be a scary place for some people. You are out on your own for the first time and have, essentially, been thrown out into the world to figure it out for yourself. I, too, experienced this abandonment. But, this does not mean you need someone to hold your hand everywhere you go or to sit by your side throughout every day. You are not in high school; scratch that, you are not in elementary school. Do not ask your teacher what color of pen you need to write your assignments in. Do not ask your teacher if you should use wide or college ruled paper for your assignments. Do not ask your teacher a question that he/she literally just answered in the previous sentence. You will be ridiculed. Oh, yeah, and do not call that person teaching the course a “teacher;” he or she will most likely be offended.
I witnessed this in one of my “easy” classes last week. I walked in thinking, “I have my upper level courses out of the way and now it is time to relax.” Wrong. I was so irritated by the non-sense that was keeping me in class longer with every question asked that I wanted to scream. Your professor does not care if you use blue or black ink, nor does your professor care what comment you have for every single thing he/she says. Don’t get me wrong, it is great that you are knowledgeable in this area and that you are probably going to succeed in this class because of that knowledge and your enthusiasm, but the professor is here to teach the class. You are here to learn.
All I am saying is, it is time to adjust. We have been in classes for weeks now, and the routine should be pretty set in stone. It seems that our school systems and parents have been so protective and coddling toward children and young adults that by the time they are expected to spread their wings and fly, they can’t. Kids are helped so much during the years of development that when they are set out on their own, they are actually handicapped; paralyzed from not learning the independence they need to survive. In the end, no matter who babied you throughout your life or who crippled you with so much help that you cannot make logical decisions for yourself, it is time to overcome the ailment and become an adult. A good student should ask questions in class; professors like this. But, it is not necessary to ask things that a middle school student could reason an answer for. Take a chance. Write in blue ink, or, better yet, type your assignments. As long as it gets done and you have the correct answers, you are golden.