If you are like me, you’ve wondered what the faculty and staff here at Calhoun were like as students. I am curious about what their favorite classes were—and what advice they might have about being successful. Instead of sitting around and just thinking to myself, I thought it would be interesting to ask my questions. So, I did.
I reached out to several members of the Calhoun community and asked the following questions, requesting that each respondent answer at least 2 of the 3:
1.) What was your favorite class throughout your college career?
2.) What is the best advice you would give your students so that they may be successful throughout their college careers?
3.) How is college different today than when you were in school?
I was fascinated by the responses, and I’ve shared them below so that you can enjoy them and learn from them as well.
Valerie Cox, Director of Student Success
“Even though I teach math and direct tutoring, my favorite class in college was one called The Theatrical Experience. It was a fine arts elective. We had a 4-week rotation in 4 different areas; set design, acting, directing and the last one was… medieval dance. It was a hoot!
My advice on how to be successful is to utilize the resources that you have on campus. If you have questions, ask. Seek out the answers and don’t give up if you can’t find an answer right away. Many times, there is help available in many different areas.
College is extremely different from the 80s, when I was in college. It’s so much more expensive. I think that community colleges are more available to students now. I wasn’t even aware of community college when I went to college. I went straight to a 4 year. You took the ACT once and that was the score you had. I don’t remember the resources like tutoring being available. We bonded with our classmates and created study groups within our majors.”
Heath Daws, Dual Enrollment Senior Advisor
“Public Speaking & Marketing were my favorite classes throughout my college career. It gave me the opportunity to creatively pitch my ideas and build confidence in speaking to the masses.
[The best advice I would give is] to have a clear understanding and laser-like focus on their Motivation (or their ‘Why’) for pursuing their dreams so it can help serve as a daily reminder of all the effort, time, energy, & money invested in their future. Also, to be open to having that motivation change as they grow & evolve as adults.
The use of Technology is the main differentiating factor from when I was in college 20+ years ago. Technology has quite literally changed the way our world conducts business, teaching & learning, social interactions, etc. There are good and bad aspects with all Technology, but the primary focus of student success still holds true as the common theme throughout any generation in college.”
Joy Laws, English Instructor
“My favorite class was English 102 because I first really learned about short stories, poetry, and plays. I had read poetry before but never understood it. My teacher here at Calhoun taught me how to read and analyze poetry and literature. And now, ENG 102 is my favorite course to teach.
[The best advice I would give my students is to] get some sleep and manage your time wisely. This is easy to say but it is so important for studying and completing work on time.
Technology has affected research, critical thinking, and writing. Some students do not actually read (or they dislike reading in general) the content assigned so they can form their own opinion of a work. In addition, anxiety and other mental health issues are a factor with some of our students. This has become a concern for many faculty members. It is difficult to teach students when there are significant personal issues that need to be addressed before academics.”
Meredith Sides, English Instructor
“My favorite class was a course called Arts Management, which I took as part of my theatre degree. It was the most practical and interesting class I have ever taken, and the things I learned in that class were applicable not just to theatre, but to many other things I ended up doing as part of my career in education.
My best advice to students is to keep their end goals in mind at all times. Sometimes it is hard to remember what you are working for when you feel overwhelmed and exhausted, but if you keep the end goal in mind, you will persevere, even through the difficult times! Being a college student is really hard, but all of the time and sacrifice will be worth it in the end!
College today is very different from when I was in college. When I was in college, (some) professors generally cared about their students, but the whole college environment was much more “sink or swim” than it is now. Now, most professors genuinely want to see their students succeed, so the professors go out of their way to help them navigate college and classes in a way that I never experienced when I was in school.”
Felisha Taylor, Academic Success Coordinator
“[My favorite class is a tie] between Beginning Acting and PR Campaign. I loved both classes at UA because they were highly interactive and fun. I loved working in a team setting to accomplish common goals.
[The best advice I would give my students is that] failure is just a set up for your success; when hard or trying times come, just keep going. Believe you’re worth it and your dreams are on the other side.
[College is different today than when I was in college in] a thousand and one ways! I would say the biggest change is online learning. The only distance learning class I took involved sending in long written papers every week. Technological advancement is and I believe will continue to be the biggest change in learning.”
Elizabeth Willingham, Spanish Instructor
“My best advice to students to be successful is to read, read, and then read. Read the syllabus, read your text/supplied materials, read supplementary materials. Also, put the phone down and make it a habit to quiet yourself many hours a day. The inundation of information is making us all weary. Lastly, create a schedule for yourself where you build in study time, “you” time, exercise, quiet time; all without distractions.
College is different today because the pandemic changed all of us. Each person was affected. The students did not learn the given material, learned more ways to get around doing their own work (cheating), grew apathetic, lost direction, etc. Many seem to be ‘going through the motions’ and not really ‘present.’
Before the pandemic, the differences began in the use of technology 24/7. The students began to lose interest in collegial discussions, lectures, activities, etc. that were not driven by technology. The demand for “instant” became a problem. […] When I was in college, we were not taught the test. We were given information, expected to read it, seek help when we did not, and then tested. We were asked to critically think, to problem solve, and to consider possibilities.”
The responses have been edited for length and clarity.