"Student Outcomes" is a continuing series of interviews with my former students who are now living life after college. Considering how much of our work is based on the assumption that "learning outcomes" will be met, I thought it would be a good way to catch up with them and to see what sort of impact college has had on their lives in the long term. Past students interested in participating should e-mail me. Comments, as always, are appreciated. -- Michael Arnzen
Kate Hursh (aka Kate Cielinski), Seton Hill U class of 2005 (& CMU class of '06)
Start with a brief bio that tells us first where you are now, then what your status was in college (e.g. "Creative Writing major, Volleyball player, Tetris fan, whatever.) Let your personality show.
I've justed started a new job; I'm supporting a group of engineers by utilizing my writing, coordinating, and teaching/training skills in a pioneering company in the nuclear energy field. After studying literature and creative writing in college, I went to grad school to pursue a master's degree in cultural studies. Grad school set me straight and I decided I didn't want the PhD I had once desired, so I returned to SHU to assist in running the writing center. Now I find myself oddly situated somewhere in the nuclear renaissance, and I'm enjoying the opportunity to soak up something new.
Tell us where you thought you'd be now, back when you were a college freshman.
I thought I'd be an art history professor. I switched my major to lit and writing when I had a taste of my freshman writing class. I learned that I liked writing about all kinds of things -- issues relating to education, gender, The Little Mermaid... In the end, I guess I didn't really love writing as much as I loved the subjects I was analyzing. This is probably why I ended up in cultural studies; I'm just fascinated by all kinds of STUFF, and I like thinking about how we, as producers and consumers of culture, relate to "stuff."
Describe your college experience in one word. Then elaborate in no more than five sentences.
Bizarre. I was fascinated by taboo topics (and the responses people have to them), so I often wrote about feces and menstruation. This has proven to be an obstacle when attempting to locate suitable writing samples for job interviews. I suppose that some people would find papers about gigantic poop-monsters to be offputting.
Describe one very specific lesson from the college classroom that you'll never forget. Give us concrete details. Tell us not only what it taught you, but also how and why it worked.
I was scared into becoming a better writer. In the second or third week of classes, my writing professor put a paper of mine on the overhead and tore it apart in front of the class. He said something like, "I'd give this paper an 'A' for its ideas, but an 'F' for its style." I wanted to crawl under the table. Even though my name had been covered on the overhead, I was so embarrassed to have followed a five paragraph essay format. It was such a very high school thing to do.
What do you know now that you wish someone would have taught you in school? How might that lesson best be taught?
I wish I had learned the importance of doing what I wanted to do. I'm attempting to re-career now that I've spent five years of my life pursuing a subject and career path that is painfully unappealing to me. As excited as I was in certain classes (those where I was granted permission to write about whatever I fancied), I hated the majority of my English classes. I abhored over 90% of the books and literature I read. That should have been a sign. Instead, I trudged on.
Very few people (regardless of age) know what they want out of life, but college students are particularly confused. They're bombarded with all these ideas about what and who they should be. Parents tell them what to do. Professors tell them what to do. P Diddy tells them what to do.
I could have possibly learned what I wanted to do by taking advantage of the career development office and internships. Career development offices can help students to explore options they did not know existed, and an internship is a much better way of trying a job on for size. When I advised students, I was constantly talking to them about the importance of exploring different majors and going to the campus career development office to tap into its useful resources.
What teaching method(s) were you subjected to that never made a dent on your learning?
Group learning was consistently awful and useless, especially in classes where professors relied on it as the sole method of teaching. All it really showed me was that most people are lazy and disrespectful, but I can't say that was a lesson I hadn't already learned.
What college experience did you find most displeasing at the time, but now recognize as an important contribution to your learning?
Presentations. I used to hate them, but I now realize the value they hold and all of the fantastic practice they gave me for leading my own classroom and capturing an audience's attention.
What habits -- good and bad -- did you pick up in school, that you still continue to apply?
Good habit: awesome research and critical thinking skills.
Bad habit: waiting for validation from others. I'm just beginning to act my own without any need for an 'A' paper or a pat on the back.
What do you miss about the college classroom, if anything?
I miss having the opportunity to be completely selfish. I was lucky that I could soak up the college experience without having to pay for my tuition or other bills (well, I did have to maintain my GPA in order to earn my scholarship). Although I regret that I didn't pursue a major that would ultimately satisfy me, I am so, so thankful that I had a chance to just be a student. I would do anything to once again be a fulltime student without any financial worries.
If there was one suggestion you would make to college teachers everywhere, what would it be?
Never make your own book a required text. Even if it's the best book ever written on the subject, don't do it. That leads to a classroom situation that is just too awkward. Spare your students. Spare yourself.
THANK YOU, Kate, for sharing such honest and useful insights. Thanks, too, for all you did to help others in the writing center. We miss you at SHU!
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