What was the most surprising aspect of the book, and why did it surprise you?

There were several areas that surprised me as I was reading My Freshman Year by Rebekah Nathan. Nathan’s text reminded me of my freshman year, and I realized I have forgotten what it is like to be a freshman. I remember door decorating, mandatory hall meetings (that no one went to), and hall events. I must admit as a freshman, I never thought about the meaning of what we did or why. Nathan states, college freshman are often ego-centric focused on the newness of our own life.

However, three things stand out retrospectively as the most surprising: campus culture is ego-based, diversity in relation to eating habits, and opinions of international students.
Nathan starts be describing the norms of college life, eventually discussing how students make friends and this influence on campus culture. Nathan describes on page 54 the undergraduate experience as “a world of self-selected people and events.” Nathan continues that university life is experienced by most undergraduates on an individual basis with a relatively small group, ranging from two to six people. In this section, Nathan describes these small groups as being ego-centric and are possibly the result vast opportunities for involvement as well as the ability to own things such as TVs, cars, and DVD players. Nathan also discusses in this section that students often form friendships with in the first few weeks of school or build on relationships that were established prior to entering college.

I found this surprising for the very simple reason that I had never thought of how friends are made in college. Nathan discusses how friendships lasting through college are often formed with those living in dorms and other college life interests (page 57). I am able to recognize this idea in my own undergraduate experience. The people in my personal network were those that I was connected with through activities, freshman dorm life, or friendships established the first weeks of school. I also think this is interesting because it can influence how students interact in class.
The friendship concept influences my next two points: diversity related to eating habits and opinions of international students.

I found the study of eating habits and interaction among white and students of color interesting. Nathan had several conclusions that she details on pages 64 and 65, ultimately leading to the realization that almost 40 percent of minority students are absent from dining areas. Nathan finds that students of color often left the dining area, assuming they were eating alone. Nathan definitively says that different genders ate together, but often it was white males and women of color and not white males and males of color. One part that I was particularly surprised with was how gender seemed to influence eating habits as well as Nathan’s observations related “witnessing a ‘white space’ ”.

My third area I will touch on relates to how international students and their experiences with American students and forming friendships. There are several points in this section that interest me. Nathan describes issues international students face such as lack of interest in their lives, culture, and country or origin as well as lack of follow through with American students. Nathan’s study found international student networks consisted of other international students as well as American students. However, close networks of American students did not often include international students. Students Nathan interviewed indicated that American’s who had been exchange students or were well traveled showed interest in them as a person.

In light of the challenges faced by undergraduate students highlighted in the book, what advice would you give new college instructors?

The advice I would offer a new instructor is:
1. Relate the readings to the assignments and do not take it personal if students do not read.

Nathan makes this connection when she was a student and her instructor was asking students to read an additional article for the next class. “I found myself chuckling, realizing that I had no intention of doing this reading”. Nathan continues on page 138 that it was “immediately” clear why her previous students did not read: because Nathan had never “made a strong signal” she would use the article in a quiz or assignment.

I found this useful because I have tried to devise ways to encourage students to read and feel that most of my attempts have been unsuccessful unless I said there would be a quiz. I also found it particular interesting because she is a professor and began to adapt to a student’s way of thinking and prioritizing what she would and would not do.

In relation to not taking it personal if students do not complete readings, Nathan states on page 145 that “it may be hard to realize sometimes, it is not personal”. She is referring to the many roles students in this day and age fill. These roles vary between socializing with friends and family, sports/intramurals, jobs, and other classes.

2. Students manage and prioritize assignments and their time.

Nathan develops the idea of “spartan efficiency” on page 121. Spartan efficiency is part of how students limit or manage their workloads by picking and choosing what readings they will complete, how many drafts of a paper they will do, or cut other corners. This section, limiting workload, is part of a larger idea Nathan develops. Nathan does not label the idea, but describes is as the current model of American college students. Here Nathan describes the shift from time management to college management using a three part system: schedule shaping, taming the professors, and limiting workload.

Understanding this shift will help instructors realize that students will cut corners and prioritize assignments and obligations. I thought this was an important reminder of how students approach multiple obligations.

Has this book changed your perspective on undergraduate students? If no, why not? If so, how so?

I don’t know if it necessarily changed my opinion of undergraduate students so much as it informed me of different perspectives possibly held by international students, the disconnect of what community means to undergraduates and college administration, and it reminded me of what it was like as a freshman and the informal discussions students have about short-cuts used in assignments. This book also helped me think about how to amalgamate the different ways teachers and students prioritize class assignments.