Do you ever have those moments when you stop and think about how the smallest things make your life what it is? How little decisions, like deciding to take U.S. History even though you placed out of it or registering for the 12:00 Italian class instead of the 11:00, can have the biggest impact?
Flashback to freshmen year: I came to BC from Atlanta, Georgia, and I’m not going to lie to y’all, it was tough. You can ask almost anyone I encountered freshmen year and they’ll tell you the same thing: I. Loved. High school. Loved it. While everyone else was excited to be at college, going to parties on the weekends and being with friends 24/7, I found myself wishing that I still had to wake up at 5:00 on a Saturday (well, maybe not that early) to go run a cross country meet. Yes, I missed my friends from home, I missed the comfort of being with my family and in my own house, and I missed all my extracurricular activities (it’s seriously hard to get involved at BC). But honestly, one of the biggest things I missed was my teachers.
I will openly admit to having been a teacher’s pet throughout most of my academic career. I remember sitting on the bench at recess with Mrs. Johnson in kindergarten (although that decision may have been based off on the fact that my entire right leg was in a hot pink cast). In fourth through sixth grades, I was that kid who finished their work early to help sort papers and organize closets (in sixth grade, it was Mrs. Mayer’s closet full of Frankenstein heads…that was bizarre). Yes, this earned me enough tickets to win the graduation dog in our classroom auction that everyone wanted, but over time, I realized I got something so much more important from this. I came to rely on my teachers far more than any of my classmates did, turning to them when I needed advice and confiding in them when I just needed someone to talk to. And luckily for me, things haven’t changed since coming to BC.
I made it through my freshmen year at BC, but I still hadn’t found any professors that I really trusted. Don’t get me wrong, I really liked them all (then again, I’ve only disliked one teacher in my sixteen years of being in school), but something was missing. That changed sophomore year. I don’t know how I was so lucky with the classes I took last year, but honestly, I had the most amazing professors and TAs ever. Not only are they all brilliant, but they’re also so helpful, and I know I can always go to them for advice. I go to them whenever I need to figure out what classes to take, and they never disappoint me with their suggestions. They put up with my craziness, like my insistence on never being in the room when they read anything I’ve written, and have listened to me panic about basically any and all things. They even try to get me to eat my fruits and vegetables, since I have the diet of a five year old. But most importantly, my professors have continued to be the most caring and supportive people since day one, and I would be lost without them.
So my advice to all of you: take time to get to know your professors and TAs outside of the classroom. Go to office hours, email them (oh wait, I do that enough for the entire student population of BC as it is)…just do something to get to know them. Your professors may seem intimidating in class, but really, they’re there to help you. Once you get to know them, you’ll realize that they truly are incredible people and can provide endless amounts of guidance whenever you need help. And, you never know, they might end up changing your life.
Photo Sources:
http://allinbrownsville.org/ed…
http://bashzone.com/quotes/241…