I currently stand a year away from graduation at YSU, and will be the first male in my family with a college degree. This is a big deal, as I eagerly await the day. I attended Kent State University for my freshman year, but the experience and I didn’t agree. My grades weren’t up to snuff and the experiment of living away from home clearly didn’t pan out as I had envisioned. Classes were challenging, and if I got just a little behind I knew I’d be in trouble. Grades rolled around after the first semester and I had done just enough in three of my classes and had failed another. My mother’s reaction to these grades was stern and unforgiving, after all, she as a single mother was paying for my tuition, and she had good reason to be upset.
I promised change and better study habits for the second semester, but things remained the same. My overall work habits improved, but I still ended up failing the same class after the second semester. After that, I knew attending YSU was a foregone conclusion. I had been a journalism major since my enrollment at Kent State, and had every intention of continuing down the same path at YSU.
Now, a year away from being propelled into the real world, I feel my sweaty palms, think my nervous thoughts, and can’t imagine where I’ll end up in 10 years. Has YSU, as an institution, done its best to prepare me for the modern workplace where having a job means being lucky? I think the majority of my classes outside my particular major have been dull and un-inspiring. It’s too easy for students at YSU to coast by and remain unchallenged by their instructors and professors. The last thing I want to do is come across as the sole voice of YSU, but as I leave some classes, I wonder to myself why I had to pay money for a class that I could have slept through, still receiving a passing grade.
Some classes have been easy A’s, and while the grade registers fine into my GPA, what has it done for me in the long run? Some may argue that classes outside of my major shouldn’t matter since they’re pre-requisites to distinguish where a student stands. I am paying for these classes, and they should all challenge equally. I don’t have a proper solution to the problem, but it’s something that YSU should take a closer look into. With Cynthia Anderson as the new president, she will have her hands full in getting YSU back on track. The new formula for YSU funding has been initiated and supports the fact that YSU needs improvement. The current YSU retention rate sits at 68.9 percent, meaning less than 70 percent of first year students are returning for their sophomore year. YSU’s 2008 state report takes pride in itself, but why are some of these statistics being praised? While the stats aren’t flattering, the results raise the question of whether YSU should become a selective enrollment university. If the school should ever decide to do so, I would imagine that courses would become appropriately challenging to all students.
Those who know me well enough can attest that I am a lover of film. I eat, breathe, and sleep cinematic thoughts all throughout the day and night. My dream is to become a film critic, even though the days of one trick pony journalists may already be over. For me, there is no greater feeling than digesting a film, writing about it on my blog, and eventually discussing it with others who have seen it. I have my own little niche, and I like to think that it will get me somewhere one day.
Raising the question of whether my education from movies outweighs my YSU education may seem unfair. Both educations cost money, but I prefer the cheaper one. YSU has taught me how to learn properly, but it’s a framework that couldn’t even compare with my passion for film. I constantly find myself comparing my YSU education with my film education, where I have learned how to live and behave from the characters in my favorite films. I have grown into this self taught education, as it has molded me into the adult I am today. I can’t help but compare YSU to Wonderland or Oz, knowing that the best education has been in my backyard the whole time.
I can't say that I disagree with you in the fact that we, like many students at YSU have the same concern about General Education classes. For some, they are relatively easy while for others, it is still difficult to pass. Sometimes I still find myself questioning why I'm taking some of the same classes in high school again in college, so I understand teh fact taht most don't understand why we're taking classes that don't apply to one's specific major.
ReplyDeleteYet there's a general misconception that the classes offered at YSU are not challenging. More often tahn not, these are students who are young adults in their teens, twenties or thirties. I've encountered many studetns who speak highly about YSU's curriculum and are ironically an older generation who are returning to finish their college education, or are starting for the first time. In that sense, I understand both points of view, but I still find myself saying that YSU's curriculum is not challenging.
My first passion is dance, so I understand your love for film while "one trick pony journalists" aren't exactly in high demand. YSU has some dance classes, but have yet to provide a well-rounded dance curriculum with various majors. Westminster was the first college I attended, and I, in no shape or form had any intention of coming to YSU. It really was my last resort. This is a great problem that I'm sure the new president, Cynthia Anderson is well aware of, seeing as she was previously an officer of YSU's Student Government Association.
I truly do hope that she improves not only the general quality of leanring but also YSU's reputation as a last-chance option to a college education in this area.
Tyler,
ReplyDeleteI have read your BLOG post several times, and I keep coming back to one paragraph in particular. It starts with the imagery of you nervously contemplating your future ("... where will I be in ten years?").
While I certainly understand the question you pose, I must pose one back to you. Have you challenged yourself?
I want you to understand, I am not trying to "bust your chops," it is just that I believe this university (or any for that matter) is what one makes of it. If one wants to consider it a second-rate stepping-stone on the path to higher education, then so be it, but I must tell you, that is not my experience. Having attended three Ohio universities (YSU is my third), I have found our curriculum to rival that of The Ohio State University. I spent three years there.
Are all classes equal? No. Last semester, I found myself in an entry-level health class clearly designed for 18-24 year-olds. Here I am, a 40 year-old man, learning about STDs, prophylactics, and the effects of drug/alcohol use on college freshman.
Was it challenging? That is a tricky question. The work was. There were several involved projects, and had I been an 18-24 year-old, I believe it would have been challenging. But, given my extra years of experience, no, it was not. I did the work to the best of my ability, attended every class, and earned my A. Certainly, there were students who did not do this, and who did not earn As. They may have found it challenging.
You see, "challenging" is a relative term. I am currently in a Business Communications class where I excel. I have over 100% in the class. The workload is gargantuan and fast-paced, and the projects are very detailed. Most of my classmates lament even attending, but I am as some say, "a duck in water." I love the class. Is it challenging? To me, no. I do the work and enjoy it. To the others in the class? Yes, they are challenged, and I do my best to help them when I can. I believe that this is what a student does; his best, at all times and in all facets of his university experience.
Now, put me into a math class and watch how quickly I become "challenged"!
When I run out of fingers and toes to count, I panic. I know students who breeze through these math classes. Every math class I have ever taken (even remedial) has been a challenge and a struggle.
I think you are wise to consider and value your film education. That is going to be your primary focus, so it should be an important part of your total education. But, I also feel that you can glean useful information from any class you take, and make use of it. The challenge to do so lies in you...