Getting to know you, getting to know all about you…

Posted by lukegilman

May 30, 2007

The first day of class is always interesting. There’s a certain ritual that takes place between professor and student… mating ritual is certainly the wrong word… but there’s something unmistakably first-date-ish in the awkwardness of the interaction.

Every prof has different preferences. Ragazzo would appear at the stroke of the hour as if in a puff of smoke and immediately launch into his first victim. Thompson baffled us by treating us as other human beings - ‘You want to know my first name? Is this a trick question?’ This is however, the first prof we’ve had with an eponymous website. I like him already.

There’s always a first assignment and while you can read it as many times as you’d like, it’s rare that you’ll correctly anticipate what the prof will be looking for. Some like policy and want to address the issues immediately. Others want to build it just like a brief - facts, history, holding, reasoning. Facts are important for some, a general description of how the issues arose will suffice. For students going through this for the first time, this variation in what’s expected can be maddening. Get used to it.

Whatever the burning sensation of insecurity, fatigue and confusion you’re experiencing now, I present a few tales of those who have suffered worse for your amusement and edification.

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