There is a huge world of difference between high school and college, and the difference between teacher and professors, besides the rate of pay and the possibility that the latter will be undeniably pretentious and not as inclined to be people-oriented, is that one is paid to help students learn, and the other is just paid to teach lessons. Can you guess which is which? It’s not too hard, since, despite the utter lack of passion that some high school teachers really need, a lot of professors are black holes that tend to be devoid of emotion while they’re teaching the class. Oh yes, there are plenty of exceptions to this explanation, but a lot of times you’ll find that a college professor, especially those with tenure, will look at the job as something they can do while getting the pleasure of terrorizing their students and weeding out the weak and the strong to find who they can mold in their own image. Like it or not, college can be a great time but don’t depend on the professors to help make it this way, since you’ll be waiting for a while.
Here are a few things that Hollywood gets wrong about college professors.
5. Your professor will care about their job. A lot of them are there for the paycheck.
In high school, your teachers’ jobs are dependent on how well they perform and how well their students are responding to them. Some might think that a lot of high school teachers just don’t care, and they might be right. But they’re at least going to help out when a student comes to them with a problem. A college professor is expecting you to be able to learn using whatever skills you picked up in high school. Let’s be honest, college is not for everyone, and for those that somehow find their way into an area of higher learning, it’s time to put to use whatever skills got you there.
4. A professor will be skilled, confident, and entirely knowledgeable about their subject. Sometimes, but not always.
Those of us that have gone to college for one thing or another (yes, I’m including myself) know that getting a teacher that’s knowledgeable about what they’re teaching is expected since otherwise people are bound to complain and try to get the teacher fired. But let’s put it this way, it’s easy to teach from a textbook since too many teachers will assign pages and pages of reading and refer their students to answers that can be found on their own in a very easy manner, meaning that they likely don’t know enough about their subject. It’s a little disconcerting to think that the person you’re learning from, or supposed to be, doesn’t know that much, isn’t it?
3. It’s not a big deal to start a relationship with a professor. Just imagine a blank stare, that’s the look you’re getting right now.
Seriously, it’s not as simple or as great of an idea to date your teachers in real life since it can lead to complications you don’t want to think about. Plus, a lot of professors in college do have families at that point, and that would be called adultery, which is immoral and could get the professor in a lot of trouble. In the movies, this is seen a taboo and sometimes as a silly bit of nonsense that is flirted with. But seriously, just imagine a blank stare right now, since that’s what a lot of people might give anyone that suggests that dating their professor is a good idea.
2. Teachers will remember exceptional students. Unless you proved a new theory or changed the world you’ll be forgotten before graduation.
Honestly, there are those students that can get rather personal with their teacher while still keeping things professional. Some of the brightest students are bound to be remembered at least in passing, but unless you do something groundbreaking your professor likely won’t remember that they taught you following graduation. This isn’t anything personal, but given that some colleges are essentially education farms, you’re just one in a long line of students that the professor has seen, and unless they’re willing to invest that much in you, they won’t remember your name.
1. They will be as helpful as possible. Only if you know them personally.
You’re in college now, and you’re expected to be able to pick yourself up and soldier on when things get tough, rather than whine and cry that things are too hard and that it’s not fair. Even a teacher that knows you personally might distance themselves from you if it’s shown that you can’t hack it and don’t want to try. Professors aren’t there to be your inspiration or your safety net when things get rough. This is college, after all, the next step up. The training wheels are officially off and trashed, and the professors aren’t paid to catch you before you fall.
The movies don’t measure up to experience, trust me on this.
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