Does
it matter that, as a freshman, I have no idea what I want to major
in? There's nothing that really jumps out to me as really interesting.
How the heck do I decide what to take during my first few semesters?
What if I make the wrong decisions and take a bunch of useless
classes?
Trust me
- there are no such things as useless classes. Take the university
requirements if there are any, and if not, explore. The absolute
worst thing that can happen is that you get a bad grade, find
out you don't like a particular subject, and/or discover you don't
like a particular instructor or style of instruction. But hey,
that's learning. It's what college is supposed to be about.
All too
often, students and parents think of college as job training.
Now admittedly, all of us here in academia want to see you employed
at the end of this process, but that shouldn't be your sole focus.
This is exactly the time for you to be exploring areas and making
mistakes. So banish the idea of wrong decisions from your mind.
I tell you
this as someone who changed majors five times. Maybe more; I don't
even remember. I've always loved science and come from a heavily
science-oriented family, so at first I studied biochemistry and
marine chemistry. But I found I was better suited for contemplating
things that were less exact and determinate. That led me to study
music composition, until I figured out that I needed more interpersonal
interaction. So I studied journalism - until I realized that,
instead of describing or evaluating culture, I'd rather learn
more about its nuanced social and political consequences. So I
ended up as a media studies major, and went off to graduate school
to study how a film's music affects the way we identify with it.
(That's been the topic of my research for the past 15 years.)
I still read 'Scientific American,' 'Chemical and Engineering
News' and all kinds of techie mags. I am - obviously - still deeply
involved in music and I still write all the time. But it took
me several false starts before I really understood what made sense
for me.
In the process,
my mom hung up on me once or twice, and my boyfriend got mad when
I didn't have the money to go see him because I was transferring
schools - again. But I kept at it until I found the right thing
for me. My mom is now quite happy with me, as is my boyfriend
- who is now my husband. And 15+ years of career satisfaction
have me feeling that I ultimately made the right choice.
All of that
is by way of saying that starting college majorless is more than
fine. It probably means you'll stay open to the wide range of
possibilities before you. And changing majors is fine, too. If
you're thoughtful about what you're doing and try to figure out
what you do and don't like at each juncture, you'll find your
way to something you truly love to do.
What
do I use my advisor for? Is he or she the same kind of person
my high-school guidance counselor was? What do I do if he or she
is totally useless?
Advising
systems vary vastly from school to school, and advisors' ideas
of their roles vary widely even within a single system. At some
universities, advisors are staff members, not faculty. At the
other extreme are schools like mine, Fordham University. Incoming
freshmen are assigned advisors based on the major they expressed
interest in (if any). But after that it's totally up to the student
to choose, and they can choose any advisor within their major
department.
This means
that advisors have noticeably different roles in each of these
different systems. Some will talk to you about your concerns and
get to know you as an individual. Some will give you career-oriented
advice. Others will be more strictly focussed on how you fulfill
the various requirements for graduation. So be direct; ask your
advisor what she or he thinks the role of an advisor is.
What advisors
all share is the experience and information to help you choose
your classes according to department and school requirements,
and the willingness to help you resolve any problems that arise,
whether personal, family, financial or otherwise. They won't serve
as counselors themselves, but they will make you aware of the
resources available to you; an advisor should be able to tell
you who to talk to about any of the problems you encounter.
If you don't
like your advisor, think carefully about why. Is it because you
don't like what they're telling you? Sometimes my advisees get
annoyed with me because I tell them they aren't working hard enough,
or taking enough courses, or choosing their classes thoughtfully.
If that's the problem, consider your opinions and ideas very carefully,
and remember, we've seen dozens of students facing the problems
you think are unique to you - that experience often gives us pretty
good insight into how to make your life better.
If, after
honest self-examination, you still think your advisor is the wrong
match for you, then pursue it. Find out how to switch advisors
- and then do so. If you're unhappy the second time, consider
the possibility that your advisor might not be the problem; take
some time to figure out why you're in school and what you want
out of your education.
When
a teacher has office hours, are they only limited to students
having class-related issues? Or do teachers mind students coming
up with other problems (other classes, personal, whatever)?
Office hours
should, in general, be used for professional interactions between
student and teacher. In this sense, it's not limited to course
questions only, although those students will probably have some
priority. But office hours are also for discussing graduate school
and career plans, academic advising and matters of intellectual
interest.
Generally
speaking, your personal life is not the concern of your faculty.
If you are having personal problems, you should discuss them with
someone at the counseling center. If, however, your personal life
is impinging on your ability to keep up with the classwork, it
is entirely appropriate to discuss that with your instructor.
Sometimes, you may end up needing to drop a class and take it
again with the same professor another semester. It's better if
they know why. Or you may need an extension on a deadline, and
if you've chatted with them beforehand, it's less likely to seem
like an excuse.
As a rough
rule of thumb, you can go to someone's office hours with anything
pertaining to the class, to your performance in the class, to
your professional future or to the topics of the faculty member's
expertise.
Dr.
Anahid Kassabian is a professor of communication and media
studies at Fordham University in New York.
