When Student Life asked me to provide advice for incoming students, I wanted to make sure that I didn’t subject you to your first lecture here at Wash. U. So, I thought about how I might advise our 18-year-old son who will also be starting college this fall. I realized that if I got too long-winded, he would quickly turn to his iPod, so I put this advice in a form that’s more digestible: a top 10 list. So, here are the top 10 pieces of advice I, as a faculty member, would give to incoming students.
10) Be Ready. The fact that you’re in here means that you were stars in high school. But keep in mind that you were all stars in high school. You’re to be congratulated for doing such good work so far, but that also means we have high expectations for you. So, be ready to work hard.
9) Be Hungry. Like a lot of other 18-year-olds, I went to college because I was supposed to. It wasn’t until after I dropped out and served several years in the U.S. Navy that I realized that college is a great gig. When I came back to school, I was hungry, hungry for new knowledge and new experiences. The sooner you develop that appetite (and the longer you keep it), the happier you’ll be.
8) Be Respectful. Most high schools are fairly homogeneous. Wash. U. is a diverse place. You’ll meet a lot of people from different backgrounds and hear a lot of different viewpoints from professors and other students. Disagree with them as you want, but treat them all with respect.
7) “Cool” isn’t the same here as in high school. We all know that some kids in high school were perceived as cool if they acted bored or sullen. That won’t impress anybody here. What’s “cool” to me as a professor are students who try hard. And that doesn’t mean brown-nosing. For example, one of the best students I’ve had was a guy who sat in the front row of every class and asked questions all the time. He also started as a defensive end for the football team all four years. He was no butt-kisser, but he was honored as Best Student from the Political Science department his senior year.
6) Grade-grubbing rarely works at a university. If you get a grade less than you hoped for, think about whether or not you could have tried harder before you ask your professor to adjust your grade.
5) Go to Class. Another difference from high school is that you don’t have to go to class. But you’re crazy not to. You’ll have to learn the material anyway and getting it in class will probably be more interesting than getting it from the book. Besides, you never know what will come up in class-some of the best stuff is not going to be repeated in somebody else’s notes.
4) Don’t just go to class. Don’t sacrifice your studies, but you can also learn a lot from other experiences, so check out your other opportunities. If you want to do community service, try the Campus Y-it’s a great organization. Wash. U. sports are fun. So are intramurals. So is even just taking a walk in nearby Forest Park. Most of us who use our brains for a living understand that your brain works better when the rest of your body is also healthy.
3) Be understanding. If you ask your professor to do something outside of class, like give a talk, and he or she can’t do it, don’t take it personally. Professors have lives and families as well as full-time jobs. Professors also have to keep at least some distance from students in order to evaluate them objectively.
2) Don’t stress about a major. Asking people to decide their life’s work while they’re still teenagers can induce a lot of stress. You’ll probably do different things after you graduate anyway. In my entire undergraduate career, I took one Political Science course-now I teach the stuff.
1) And the number one piece of advice I can give you is to enjoy your time here. College may not, in fact, be the best four years of your life, but it can be pretty darn good. Welcome to Wash. U.
Bill Lowry is a political science professor in the College of Arts & Sciences. He can be reached by e-mail at [email protected].