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 My favorite story to tell is the story of Karen, a student I advised my first year on the job. She came in her first year as a business major, very sure of herself, and very business-like. She enrolled in a class called Introduction to the Theater Arts—just to fulfill her fine arts requirement. However, she fell in love with the class and with theater. By the end of that semester she had changed her major to theater. I saw her in many productions and was always impressed by her enthusiasm and commitment. I tell this story as an example of a student (even one who already had a major) “tripping over” a new interest or passion while “fulfilling a requirement.” In other words, it's a story about being open-minded about oneself and one's life. Students generally respond with surprise—they don't expect someone to “do a 180.”The most useful question I ask is “What else?” I ask this when a first-year student and I have been talking and there's an awkward lull in the conversation. I don't know why it works—maybe because it's so open-ended—but it has led to some very enlightening conversations. I look forward to hearing what other advisers ask and what stories they tell. This seems to be what's at the core of a good advising session. ~ Jenny Marcus, Truman State University, February 4 I see many students, especially ones in their first semester, who are unhappy for one reason or another. Their first idea when this happens is to transfer to another school, assuming that making that change will solve all of their problems. One thing I say to them that I heard somewhere, “Make sure you are running to something, not from something.” This often makes them stop to think what exactly has made them decide that transferring is the answer. Maybe someone who reads this can remind me of the source for that advice.~ Terri Downing, Franklin Pierce College, February 6 I found this once—don't remember where or if there was a known author associated with it, but it's a message I often “preach” to my students:
I can't claim it for my own, but it echoes what I so strongly believe. It also helps me to remember why I left my previous job (and money, etc.) to be an adviser. ~ Erica Denofre, Michigan Technological University, February 6 A favorite motivational story of mine is a personal experience. When a teen, I worked for my father in his small grocery store. I was taking care of the produce department. When I had filled the display case, I took the overstock to the basement to store it in a cooler. Problem was, I couldn't fit everything in the cooler. I came up to report that everything was put away except a crate of cabbage that didn't fit. He said, “If I gave you $50 to do it, could you get that cabbage in that cooler?” I immediately realized that he wasn't going to solve the problem. He was reminding me that if it was important enough, if the stakes were high enough for me, I could do it. And I rearranged everything and put the cabbage away.I wish my father were still around to let him know how his wisdom helps me with my work ... A question I often ask the struggling student (again to bring the motivation topic to the fore) is “Why are you in college?” ~ John Wick, Naugatuck Valley Community College, February 6 What a great topic! I've always wanted to learn from the ways other advisers conduct an interview.For a student who says or implies that business is the only option because s/he must make a living, I ask, “What would you do if you won the lottery? How would you spend your time?” Often they don't realize that the thing they love can support a career. I tell the story of our friend who did graduate work in theology and ended up managing a sizable bond fund in Chicago, or another colleague who published articles on Milton and now advises universities on their investment strategies, or the high school friend who graduated in architecture and went on to make films (won an Emmy), or about our student, an English major, who was hired by Shearson Lehman, or another English major from a small college who was very successful in pharmaceutical sales. What I want them to realize is that their major does not determine the whole course of their lives, even their professional lives. They will need to think, work, act, improve things throughout their careers; those without an obvious link between their major and their career just have to work a bit more creatively early in the process to get a job. The negative story is about a young marketing major hired by Bloomingdale's who just kept going down the scale of retailing establishments because she did not show initiative or responsibility. A “good” major does not guarantee you a job. I would reinforce the idea of being open to learn from general education with a tale from a colleague. Asked what her most useful courses were, she said, “Anthropology and religious studies.” “For a nutritionist?” “Yes, because I had to design diets for very sick people whose lives depended on their proper eating. If their diets did not mesh with their cultural backgrounds, they would not stick to them.” The world is a big place. Much as we would like our students to study for pure intellectual pleasure, the fact remains that at any time some new, exotic idea may turn out to be useful in a very practical sense. ~ Marion Schwartz, Penn State, February 6 A favorite question I have been asking lately of my students who find themselves in academic difficulty is: “What is your motivation?” I am hoping that they will recall why they have chosen the major they have or realize that they are not using their motivation to move them along like it should or could.In the long run, I want them to see that there may be a reason they are in academic difficulty and that they can get out of it, if they know what the motivation was for them to pursue the major they want, and eventually the dream of a career and life they want. ~ Thomas McGraw, University of California, Riverside, February 20 I advise in a nursing program and once received a visit from a student who was beside herself because she was unable to give an injection. She was fully expecting to have to withdraw from the program and give up her dream of becoming a professional nurse. After visiting, I found that she had thus far been unable to bring herself to speak with her clinical instructor about this problem and encouraged her to do so. A week or so later she returned, almost floating on air, to report that she had been able visit with her instructor, received help, and no longer had difficulties with giving injections. I tell this story to students to illustrate the importance of communicating difficulties or confusion with their instructors, as well as to provide encouragement for that time when they might hit a “bump” along the road in their education.~ Marlys Escobar, University of North Dakota, February 20 The Mentor is published by Penn State's Division of Undergraduate Studies Available online at www.psu.edu/dus/mentor/ Privacy and Legal Statements | Copyright | © The Pennsylvania State University | All rights reserved | |
