What are your goals for the semester?
Dear students,
Today is the day -- classes resume after a much needed break. I'm sure everyone is coming back to campus working on new year's resolutions, but I wanted to add one more to your list: make this the semester the one where you really get to know your faculty. Meet all of them outside of class, several times this semester, and let them not only help you with succeeding in class but be your sounding board for even bigger decisions to come.
I can honestly say Professor Booth changed my college career starting in January of freshman year. When I realized the previous fall that talking through ideas for papers outside of class could improve my grades, I made a new year's resolution to try the same approach with renowned Prof. Booth. The ordinarily very mild-mannered professor would challenge us with questions of ethics and public policy of the day. While these discussions didn't seem to immediately help with his Greek Thought and Literature class, they did provide broader perspective of life in general. On one occasion I thought I'd been drafted for military service by Switzerland (my country of origin) and might have to leave school; he was willing to talk me through a lot of options. It later turned out I'd lived in the US long enough to be excused from service, but the conversation with him revealed an unforeseen mentor who I would return to throughout the rest of college.
I hope you will find your faculty mentors. They come in unexpected places. It may be that the most somber instructor in the classroom will be a close connection for you in office hours, or it may be that the ebullient instructor in lecture provides some seriously important advice. Coming prepared with lots of questions about class lets your faculty know that you mean business, but you can also ask questions about their research and what interests them broadly, career goals, etc. The good news is that people are all different, and sometimes the folks most different from us help us see things in new ways. Whether it's a faculty member in mathematics, chemistry, or rhetoric, I hope you'll get to know them all. With luck, one may be a resource for advice, perspective, and insight.
Best wishes for the start of your semester,
Sacha Kopp
Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education,
College of Natural Sciences
PS: Besides getting to know your faculty, I wanted to remind you of two study aids available to you for your classes:
(1) The Residential Halls Study Groups are organized by the College of Natural Sciences to provide tutors proficient in Math, Bio, Chem, Physics, Comp Sci who have usually taken the exact same classes the previous year and often the same professors. In addition to working with a tutor, you are encouraged to study with classmates at the tables. The study groups are free and conveniently take place in the dorms (Jester and Kinsolving) at typically 7:30 - 10:30 pm. Contact info: rhsg@cns.utexas.edu. A web site with more information is here: http://cns.utexas.edu/community/resident-hall-study-groups
(2) The Sanger Learning Center, organized by the School of Undergraduate Studies, offers a variety services with course content (drop-in math/science help, private tutoring for nearly 100 courses, math refresher classes, and math exam reviews) and and study effectiveness (private learning specialist appointments, weekly peer academic coaching, and workshops on test prep and time management). Most services are offered at no cost. Main office Jester A115A, 512-232-8400, web site: http://www.utexas.edu/ugs/slc.
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