I work with college students, and enjoy it immensely. But I don't live with them.
I am now.
I was dreading it a bit. I'm on the 4th deck, and there are a couple hundred college students living up and down the same long hallway that we are. They are everywhere. EVERYWHERE.
As they boarded the ship yesterday, I was expecting to hear them talking about partying. I expected to see them playing on their phones, getting their last gasps of Facebook and Snapchat. I expected to them to be fully engaged in the social aspect of this.
Wow, was I wrong.
I feel like a complete jerk for expecting so little.
The students have been absolutely wonderful. Charming, engaging, and genuinely interested in learning everything they can. I haven't had a free minute except for when we are sleeping. They talk to us non-stop about their majors, the classes they are taking, their plans for the rest of their college years or what they want to do when they graduate.
So why did I expect something different? I'm not really sure, but when I ask myself where I got the perceptions of how college students live I realized my direct experience with this is from 30 years ago, even though I work on a college campus. We see them in class, and in our offices. We don't see them where they live. When we hear about college life, it's typically not from them.
I have a college-aged daughter, and she is very serious about what she is doing. I guess I thought she was the exception. Now, I'm not so sure. Certainly there are a lot of students who go to college and couldn't care less about their academic experience. We have no shortage of those students at my home institution - the University of Northern Colorado. But the vast majority of students there, and the vast majority of students on this ship, are not like that.
I think this generation of college students is exceptional. I've been working as a professor since I was 26, and I think there are cycles where we have very engaged students, and periods where we have many who don't care. This wave of students is the best I can remember. It's sad that our perceptions of how they live are tainted so much by the 24 hours news cycle and outlets. They sensationalize every assault, every tragedy, every mistake they make. It's unfair to them, and I'm mad at myself for falling prey to that. They are so much better than how they are portrayed. Fox News, CNN, MSNBC - turn them off. All of them. They are crap. Many of my friends are parents of college students today. As a group, you've done a great job. This is a special generation in my opinion.
The students on this ship are the cream of some kind of crop. They aren't all the best academically. However, they all chose this experience because they are different than norm. They are amazingly outgoing, and they want to experience as much as they can. They are self-selected for adventure, and as a volcanologist I can really relate to this group, much like I did my University of Pittsburgh Yellowstone Field course students from a decade or so ago.
After 2 days with them I am invigorated and exhausted at the same time. Their enthusiasm rubs off on me immediately, but I don't get much of a break from them so by the end of the day I am pretty melted.
I am now.
I was dreading it a bit. I'm on the 4th deck, and there are a couple hundred college students living up and down the same long hallway that we are. They are everywhere. EVERYWHERE.
Lunch! Most of the students are in the dining hall since chairs are limited on this aft deck.
As they boarded the ship yesterday, I was expecting to hear them talking about partying. I expected to see them playing on their phones, getting their last gasps of Facebook and Snapchat. I expected to them to be fully engaged in the social aspect of this.
Wow, was I wrong.
I feel like a complete jerk for expecting so little.
The students have been absolutely wonderful. Charming, engaging, and genuinely interested in learning everything they can. I haven't had a free minute except for when we are sleeping. They talk to us non-stop about their majors, the classes they are taking, their plans for the rest of their college years or what they want to do when they graduate.
Opening welcome session with all 700 participants, faculty and staff.
So why did I expect something different? I'm not really sure, but when I ask myself where I got the perceptions of how college students live I realized my direct experience with this is from 30 years ago, even though I work on a college campus. We see them in class, and in our offices. We don't see them where they live. When we hear about college life, it's typically not from them.
I have a college-aged daughter, and she is very serious about what she is doing. I guess I thought she was the exception. Now, I'm not so sure. Certainly there are a lot of students who go to college and couldn't care less about their academic experience. We have no shortage of those students at my home institution - the University of Northern Colorado. But the vast majority of students there, and the vast majority of students on this ship, are not like that.
I think this generation of college students is exceptional. I've been working as a professor since I was 26, and I think there are cycles where we have very engaged students, and periods where we have many who don't care. This wave of students is the best I can remember. It's sad that our perceptions of how they live are tainted so much by the 24 hours news cycle and outlets. They sensationalize every assault, every tragedy, every mistake they make. It's unfair to them, and I'm mad at myself for falling prey to that. They are so much better than how they are portrayed. Fox News, CNN, MSNBC - turn them off. All of them. They are crap. Many of my friends are parents of college students today. As a group, you've done a great job. This is a special generation in my opinion.
The students on this ship are the cream of some kind of crop. They aren't all the best academically. However, they all chose this experience because they are different than norm. They are amazingly outgoing, and they want to experience as much as they can. They are self-selected for adventure, and as a volcanologist I can really relate to this group, much like I did my University of Pittsburgh Yellowstone Field course students from a decade or so ago.
After 2 days with them I am invigorated and exhausted at the same time. Their enthusiasm rubs off on me immediately, but I don't get much of a break from them so by the end of the day I am pretty melted.
This is great to hear, Steve - though I'm not surprised. I hear that a lot about the students at Cornell, too. You are right about how many of our friends are raising their kids well - and I thank them for that!
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful adventure! I look forward to following your blog.