The Expectations of Learning at a University Vs. the Reality

This article was written by one of our Brand Ambassadors from the University of Cincinnati, Karly Dwenger.

Cursive never really made sense to me, a cursive B really just looked like an L, and why did the N have three humps like an M? But still all through 3rd grade I learned cursive because I was told, “this is all you will be able to use in high school.” By the time I was actually in high school though, cursive wasn’t even being taught in elementary schools anymore because everything had to be typed. I spent a year struggling to learn something that really had no impact on my future.

And then the cycle continued. All through high school my teachers warned me, “you won’t be able to get away with this in college,” and “you need to start practicing taking notes because that’s all you will do in college,” but just like cursive, education changes with time.

I think my expectations for college mostly came from things that people told me in high school, things I saw on TV, and some of just what I hoped would be different. I had a lot of expectations for college life, but for the most part I had very high expectations of what my classes would be like, and how different and more effective learning would be once I got to my university.

Expectations: Professors that care about their students and what they teach them, classes that are tailored to things that will aid me in my future, learning about subjects that interest me, no cramming last minute information into one class.

Reality: The opposite of my expectations.

Now I’m not saying that this is true for everything about my college experience thus far; I’ve had a lot of really amazing professors and most of my classes have been specific to my major. But still, my expectations for learning here were far different from the reality. I’m still asking myself how my geology course this semester will help me become a better journalist, which is what I’m actually here to study. The answer is simple really; this class has nothing to do with my future but it will fulfill my natural science credit for my degree.

I’m all about being well rounded, and I think learning a variety of things is really important. However, when I’m struggling to understand concepts and equations about sedimentary rocks and my professor is never available to assist me, it feels like high school all over again. How and when will this come into play in my career? Geology has become my cursive, but what makes it all worse is I’m paying over 6 grand for this semester.

After all these years of learning things that I’ve never seen again, I would think that learning here at a university would be a little more effective. I don’t mind paying for a class that will actually be useful to me, and I feel as if that’s what a degree should be made up of; not just a few random credits here and there. When I’m paying my tuition I want to feel like I’m paying for specific classes, and classes that will teach me different curriculum that relates to becoming successful in my career path, and professors that care.

I want and expect my learning here these next few years to be put to good use.

Karly Dwenger — University of Cincinnati — NuGrad Ambassador