Being a college student can be a lonely and scary experience. There is a lot a college can do to alleviate those feelings. As a freshman, in my 1st semester I had a lot of interesting experiences, some great, some not. Colleges love culture and diversity, in fact, most of my professors say that the diversity is why they enjoy teaching at BMCC. How does a school ensure that the diverse population of the student body is being respected and treated equitably within the classroom setting? What if a professor is not equipped to handle diversity? Are the student surveys enough to give a clear picture of what is really going on? How are professors being vetted to ensure that they share the school’s ideals?
I became very depressed due to an experience I was having in one of my classes. This is when I learned that BMCC has amazing counselling resources. I was able to speak to someone caring who unfortunately seemed to know all too well what I was going through. How can the school ensure that students are getting the education they need and the treatment they deserve? It seems there is some work that needs to be done in this area. When talking to my counsellor and the head of a department, there seems to be a consensus that some professors are just bad. This is very concerning to me as a student, especially since I have had a bad experience. How can I ensure that this does not happen again? Are test and exam results a good measure for what students have learned? After being in a classroom that offered templates instead of an education I would be inclined to disagree. Is undergrad only about completion? Some professors seem to think so.
I am foreigner, and I am in awe of the resources that BMCC has in place to support its student body. The counselling center, The women’s resource center, The financial aid office, The writing center, The tutoring center, these are things I have not experienced before in the education system I grew up with. I feel especially lucky to have these resources at my disposal. The area I would recommend my school to focus on would be what goes on in the classroom.
Do the professors that the students are being exposed to share the values of the school? Is the diversity that the school celebrates being honored in the classroom? Have the professors lost interest? Do they think students are just there to their diploma’s and not an education? I think much time and effort needs to be invested in answering these questions. What is most discouraging is that it seems to be common knowledge and accepted that some teachers are not interested anymore. When the schools say it values diversity and the professors shun it, how do we get these views to align?
I am in my second semester and so far, I am lucky to have a diverse group of professors who are pouring into me and seem dedicated to see me succeed. It should be like this all the time.
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