In case you haven’t noticed, college freshmen are quite the
existential bunch. They struggle with the practical and the purposeful. Who can
really blame them. They live in a consumer culture that tells them they can
have it all. Plus, the social rhetoric of higher education emphasizes the role
of colleges and universities as a factory that produces workers with practical
skills, an idea that has trickled down to the K-12 sector. And yet, they live
in a society that emphasizes self-help, personal fulfillment, and being true to
oneself. Is it any wonder why we are witnessing a culture of undeclared
freshmen, multiple major hopping, and decreasing rates of
retention as the norm?
As an instructor, I realize my curriculum falls woefully
short in fulfilling a student’s desire for purpose. Frankly, this is a job for
a spiritual advisor or self-help guru, not an educator. But often, students
confuse the two roles. They look to us for answers, if they seek any answers at
all.
So if you view your career as a calling, here are a few
ideas to consider.
Be on the lookout.
I teach a course with no prerequisites. Curious freshmen looking for an
interesting elective to complement their schedule frequently enroll. My roster
alerts me to the presence of these usually undeclared individuals. I take the
initiative to engage these students outside of class. Generally, a discussion
about an assignment morphs into a question about our program. Sometimes, I
initiate the conversation. “I noticed you are undeclared. You really have a
natural ability in X. Have you considered such-and-such as a career path?”
Students are usually taken aback. Most of the time, they are grateful. They
wrestle with questions about their future and don’t think that anyone ever notices
them. It also increases your influence in a student’s life in a positive manner.
You become a mentor - all because we noticed them.
In-depth advising. I’m
not referring to advising in the official sense. It’s not uncommon for faculty
to advise students whom they do not know. If you do know the student and can
implement this idea, feel free to use it.
We advise students on degree program
requirements and program offerings. This is good and right to do. Sometimes it
is useful to go one step further. We need to relate the student’s abilities and
desires into their program.
For example, a student
was deciding on two equally viable degree options. However, the student viewed
both options as a hindrance to starting a family in the future. This discussion
clued me in to the student’s values of family and parenting. She’s quite bright
and will be very successful in her career. I also understand the pull of family.
So, I painted a picture of how to meld her values and career together. She left
enlighten. We need to connect the dots for students.
I love career counselors. I really do. I send students to
their offices all the time. Some of the evaluation tools are quite elaborate.
In the end, they receive a list of possible career options. But unless the same
dot-connecting occurs, students are still lost. They come back to my office
expressing their frustration. They are still learning how to see life in a long
term perspective. When we focus solely on course offerings on a checklist, we
overlook the student entirely and the opportunity to model an important life skill.
Develop rapport.
Professors are human too. You chuckle, because you know it’s true. We fail to
communicate this truth to our students. We are but
experts in our field. Yet, they mistake our authoritative nature for
disinterest, elitism, or worse, disdain. They are aware of the hierarchy.
It’s a comfort to them to communicate
that we felt uncertainty. We stumble. We face the same battles they face.This glimpse into shared humanity is what creates rapport.
Building rapport is not the same as friending students. Rapport is a necessary component to professional success. We develop
rapport with colleagues. We call this collegiality.
Developing a rapport with
students opens up the conversation. They know that we see them as human beings
and individuals, not just a student number or a filled seat in a lecture hall.
Once this occurs, we help them to marry the practical with the purposeful. As you know, the two are mutually exclusive ideals.
Do you have other suggestions or questions? Please submit a
comment.
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