A student came to my office hours today. He Failed-with-a-capital-F the midterm (28%). We went through the test together, chatted about what to study for the final, and I gave him some general advice.
At one point in our discussion, he spoke of his plans for higher education. "Of course," he said, waving his hands dismissively, "I intend to go on to get a Ph.D."
I don't think my wince was visible. And of course I know from personal experience that students who disastrously fail a few midterms can go on to graduate school. It was the casual ease of the assumption that got to me -- like it was just more school, ya know?
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
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9 comments:
The sad part is that with many lesser Ph.D. programs hungry for students, he just may go on to 'earn' a Ph.D.
Maybe you'll get lucky and he'll ask you for a rec letter.
Well some people earn a Ph.D. academically. Others, erm, well, in other ways. Still more end up ABD.
This is where you should've interrupted and said not everyone's cut out for a graduate degree. Some people just shouldn't do it. I think I was actually a mistake (getting my PhD) and should've been advised against it. I probably would've had a much more fulfilling work life.
Too many professors let people sluff by because they think anyone who gives it a shot should get the degree. And, how many really fail by the time they get into a couple years of study? Momentum then drags them through whether they should get it or not.
I always kind of took it for granted that I wasn't stopping after undergrad either. But slackers like your guy? With grandiose ideas of grad school? Invariably end up in law school.
(And to show the full extent of my ignorance, "ABD?")
Law school would not be his only option: Maybe AP should direct him to the Economics Program at the University of Chicago.
They have a very liberal admission policy - although only for people who pay full tuition.
And they weed out after first year. So if he is willing to spend a bit more than 30k, he has another chance...
What is his major? If it's not really mathy, I don't think this is a huge deal.
ABD= All But Dissertation, Grad school limbo for the non-serious
Ah, I know the feeling well. I remember, some 35 years ago (1971 or so?) when I went into my professor's office and talked about doing a masters. "Look, McGrane," he said in his kindly way,"I wouldn't recommend that." He know, like me that I had gotten a C grade average during the last three years of my undergraduate degree. "If you do an MA," he explained, "at the best you'll get a B-grade degree. That just won't be good enough when you leave and compete for jobs with the other who get first class MAs."
So what did I do? I immediately took his advice and headed off for a post graduate diploma in journalism. (Actually, it took me a year to get there, because that undergraduate grade average I mentioned just now was so low that I didn't make it into the small, select journalism class when I first applied -- I had to apply again 12 months later to get in.)
One of the best moves I ever made, of course. A Masters would have put me behind a desk in a government department for the rest of my life. As it turned out, I roamed Asia and the Middle East for nigh on 20 years with the journalism diploma.
Now I'm back home with my family, looking forward to going to a wedding venue in Christchurch in three weeks when our middle child -- a daughter -- will be married to a fine young doctor.
Post graduate degrees? You only get them with hard work. But you only get anything (like stories published, or daughter's married) with hard work. If that would be news to your bored grade F student, then it's time he heard it!
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