I am going to lose it.
I went to the first session of my last class tonight. Not only was there almost 30 people in the class (WAY too big to be productive), but I would estimate that at least 60% of the class is 23 years old or younger.
Let me explain a little bit about my grad program. It is, in a nutshell, learning how to work with people, how to make people more productive, and how to have healthy relationships in the workplace. We take classes in things like group dynamics, conflict management, performance improvement, change, and ethics. The best part of the program, hands down, has been learning from other people in the class. I've spent most of my classes over the past couple years deep in discussion with my peers, learning from their experiences and sharing my own. I have been brought to tears more than once by all these wonderful people, because I've gotten to see their passion for people and their hearts for making organizations healthier places.
Recently, a program has started to take people who are right out of college and blast them through the entire masters program in a year flat. Most of the people on this track don't have jobs and many have NEVER had a real job. So here I am, sitting in a classroom with a bunch of young, inexperienced, loud, obnoxious people.
The class tonight was actually quite embarrassing. There were a few people in the class who were just starting the program tonight, and I felt bad for them. I doubt this was what they were expecting. Ok, so the prof left the room for a few minutes so we can decide on our "class norms" (What is this phenomenon of class norms in grad school? We always sit in a room on the first night deciding to be respectful to one another and reminding everyone to put their cells on silent. Really? We're really taking time out of class to talk about these things? Ok...) and the class just went NUTS. People were yelling out ideas, saying ridiculous things like "let's have class at happy hour!" and "let's go on field trips!" and "let's see if he will let us out an hour early every week and cut some assignments out of the syllabus!" AND when the prof was going over some of our assignments, he went through a guide of HOW TO WRITE A PAPER because he said a lot of people in his last class didn't really know how to do research or write a paper.
Here's what I think. I think that in many masters programs, you should not be allowed to start until you have some work experience. It's frustrating, because I think the professor is fine and the syllabus looks good, but I know that this class is going to be a joke.
Hmph.
Comments (7)
> It is, in a nutshell, learning how to work with people, how to make
people more productive, and how to have healthy relationships in the
workplace.
I find it ironic, then, to read the rest of your story...
But seriously, that sounds crazy frustrating. They sound like high school freshmen or college freshman, not masters students.
Good point about the irony. Let's just say I'm not entirely sure how effective some of these people will be. :) It's kind of like crazy people going into Psychology.
And as far as building healthy relationships within the class (which I'm sure would be good practice for the real world)... yeah no. Not when I'm not being paid. :)
They really are like whiny, annoying children. I'm telling you, once they started this young student program, it all went downhill.
So glad this is my last class!!!!
i am sorry to hear your story, i would be frustrated as well! so very whack! BUT i am so glad for you that you are almost finished! :)
I'm a firm believer that grad programs like yours (that involve working with people instead of numbers or science or art) should be taken after you have at least a couple years of working experience, so I totally agree with you! I've heard similar stories from friends (and friends of friends) who have gone back to school after working for a while...
I would punch them all in the neck, one at a time.
Next time the teacher leaves the classroom, just line them up...and proceed to punch them.
Oh man. I SO feel your pain. But where it could be totally expected (and still ever bit as lame) at my school, it shouldn't happen there. Especially in grad classes. How do you not know how to write a paper? How do you even get in to grad school without knowing that?
Well, the end of January will be so much sweeter b/c of it. Just look forward to that. ;)
When I first started grad school and we had one or two old people in the class (mind you, this was Music grad school), I was intimidated. I didn't know what grad school was all about, and I still haven't totally bought into it, though I'm painfully close to finishing.
My "experienced" classmates had something I didn't have: a passion to actually learn... everything. They were perhaps rusty on a great many academic things, but they read ahead in the texts, found OTHER material on the same subject to read just because they were interested, and always had interesting points to make in discussion. I guess you could use your experience to your advantage- though it might mean you do a lot of extra work and pretend to be interesting...
...and if that doesn't work, you could always just club their kneecaps...