For University/College People, do you think profs care?

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I knew coming here that University wasn't going to be like high school and profs are too busy to take the time to know your name however I have noticed a few things.

For example today in my Physics tutorial, we were deriving formulas using integration, I rose my hand and said I never learned integral calculus and I was confused, the prof then told me to forget about it... I then waited until the end of class, and asked if there was another way of solving the problem without using integration, and he told me no, you have to integrate... so why did he tell me not to worry about it, does he want me to fail?

I have also noticed through three weeks of calculus, that my prof doesn't teach, he mumbles while he writes down on the whiteboard, we copy it, then he goes onto the next example without any explanation what-so-ever as to what happened in the previous example.

Now, I was expecting this to a degree, since once the university has your cheque, they don't care, and the profs definately aren't getting paid to make sure you (as an individual) succeed in life... But these two examples I find rediculous, especially the physics one? I ask him to explain the concepts, and he tells me not to worry about it, and yet it is crucial knowledge to succeed in the course?

I know this was definately a surprise for me, I know in high school they told us no one's going to babysit us and make us go to class and do our homework, but how are we expected to know this stuff when it isn't being taught properly or efficiently? I am definately not paying 10 grand a year to not be taught...

Anyone else in College or University have any similar experiences?
 
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if they have tenor (sp?) they could probably care less. they get paid anyway even if you fail.
 
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Well I can't speak from a College standpoint but I have a History teacher who does not teach, but rather gives you the material and makes you study it yourself, then can't understand why some people are failing miserably
 
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Pain said:
if they have tenor (sp?) they could probably care less. they get paid anyway even if you fail.
Thats what I'm saying, whether you succeed or not, they get paid, but, I mean, this is kinda out of hand.
 
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Well, you'd better start attending study sessions. If it's a physics class, then it's most likely a large class, and you most likely have a TA(teacher's assistant.) Try asking them for help or asking them if they have a study group.

Also, the Physics Department of your University most likely has study sessions and tutoring sessions, where senior TAs come into teach, or new professors come to teach. You just have to ask around.

I'd recommend getting a seat in the front row if you're having trouble hearing your professor.

Unfortunately, you will have classes like you describe, and it's a shame that you have one for a class like Physics.

If you get a grade you think you deserve better on, you can always go to the Academic Dean and contest it, but the Professor will probobly dislike you from that point and find some reason to fail you.
 
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Alea is right, and unfortunately I stopped college for mostly the same reasons posted here. College Professors that did not teach, but gladly took thousands of dollars a year from me. I had married, and spending that much on college to fail beacause a teacher cannot explain something to a working student who can't hang out on campus all night with a study group seemed . . . silly.

Some do care, but Tenure makes them lazy, and they need not proove themselves afterwards.

As anywhere else in life, professors are individuals, try switching professors if you fail a class.
 
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I never understand teachers that don't want to "teach" their students. If they didn't become a teacher because they enjoyed giving their students an education then why do they teach. Obviously it not because of the money, most teacher don't get payed enough for that. There's plenty of other jobs out their that you can get payed more for not doing anything. I didn't go to college to teach my self, I could have done that without paying the school thousands of dollars.

I know all teachers aren't like that because I've had some good ones along with the bad. But it's definatley frustrating going into a class knowing that I'm not going to understand the lesson, and the teacher could care less.
 
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in my senior year in highschool, my Java teacher wasnt going to get tenure, so he stopped teaching and passed everyone in the course. i got an 80 for a final project i never did. so it can work both ways.

also sometimes teachers take the jobs for the time off in the summer... god knows they dont do it for the money (well maybe the college profs do).
 
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Either way hes still getting paid to teach you. If they don't speak up then raise your hand and politely tell them to speak up. Insist that your teacher explain it to you if you don't know it just do it nicely so that he doens't get pissed at you. I had the problem in highschool where I would be a little to frank or let the teacher know when I knew they ****ed on something. I ended up being rejected from being able to take cisco in highshcool for this reason because the teacher hates me. Don't let them brush you off but make sure you don't piss them off.
 
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i had the same problems with professors in college...i had two calc classes and a programming class on top of english and hist...i ended up failing the two calc classes because my proffessor talked like ben stine then wouldnt answer a ? when u asked him about it...so i stopped goin to college for the same reasone as cuc...i couldnt see wasting that much money on something that wasnt gonna get me anywhere...right now i am takin classes by correspondence where i can go at my own pace and study the way i need to to learn the stuff on my own....maybe that could be an alternative for u if it gets to the point that u dont wanna be there anymore
 
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They get paid very well, they have more than one student in the class, they aren't going to go out of their way for one person, they have better things to do then to waste their time on a student.

--------

That's exactly what my cousin told me. Boy, i'm going to LOOOOVE college! :rolleyes:
 
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What people don't seem to realize about Professors is that most aren't hired only to teach--They have many other functions, most of which--research. :rolleyes:
 

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