1. On page 108, Helen Horowitz states, “Since student’s relationships were often openly adversarial, there was no premium on getting to know faculty members inside or outside of class.” Do you agree that building positive relationships with professors is unimportant?
We do not believe that the statement made by Horowitz is completely true. Since professors are in control of our grades, we find it very important to maintain a meaningful and positive relationship with professors. While this is something we find important for all classes, there are some relationships that require more effort than others. Courses specific to one’s major, we agree, demand more personal relationships between faculty and students than the general education courses. In these courses student-professor communication is vital to the success of the student and is necessary for admission into a program of one’s major. There is not much incentive for such relationships in general education courses, since the student will likely never have that professor again in his or her college career; however, students are likely to visit these professors during office hours to maintain a satisfactory grade point average.
2. Nathan states that students “show little interest in the extra curriculum apart from professional club activities that bolster their resume” (Nathan 109). What are some reasons that people would participate in extracurricular activities not specific to their major?
People participate in extracurricular activities for a wide range of reasons. One reason why someone might want to participate in an activity outside of their major would be to obtain a wide range of skills or knowledge. These skills may indirectly help a person with their major and make them well rounded. Recreational activities such as intramurals are a popular way to relieve stress and bond with friends in a non-competitive environment. People who partake in activities such as these are likely to meet people outside of their major who have different interests. This will expand one’s horizons and potentially make them more culturally diverse.
3. What assumptions does Nathan make in regards to the student culture among international students?
Nathan assumes that all international students have a higher respect for good grades. This is a generalization that we feel is unfair to American students. Nathan fails to recognize the many achievements of the non-international students. She repeatedly notes the accomplishments and dedication of foreign student. Nathan describes American students as lazy and unwilling to attend class every day. Among international students, however, close relationships with faculty are important and skipping class is unthinkable. We think this is an unfair generalization made by Nathan.
4. Do you think that Nathan’s portrayal of the ‘perfect schedule’ accurate? What changes would you make to the list to make it more realistic?
Each of us agrees with the list of qualifications that Nathan came up with that make up the ‘perfect schedule’ is very accurate. Classes on Friday are something that many students try very hard to avoid, along with classes before 11:00am. Some other ‘rules’ that we would add to the list would be: no classes after 3:00pm, or any night classes, since this is a time when many people take study breaks outside and participate in extracurricular activities. Also, we would add that students should take classes that are 50 mins, three days a week, instead of a 1 hour and 15 min class that meets two days a week. We think that it is easier to concentrate in shorter classes that meet more often, and more information is retained.
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