August 22, 2024 • 20 mins
Summary:
I know those Syllabi can be boring- and yet... the syllabus is basically a type of agreement or contract that you agree to by staying in the class. Yup- no signature required. You can also use it as the cheat code to ensure you survive (and thrive ;) in the class.
I'm breaking down the parts of the syllabus I highly suggest you read and how to use it to your advantage. Spoiler: Not all classes are the same, and neither are the instructors. So, pick the ones that vibe with your priorities! And always keep an eye on those emails from your prof—they can override anything in the syllabus.
Tune in, and let’s make this semester your best one yet! 🚀
Keywords:
syllabus, college, student success, student support, agreement, contract, rules, consequences, grades, financial aid, understanding, instructors, grading, attendance policies, communication, emails, learning preferences, addendums
Takeaways:
- Syllabi function as a type of contract between students and instructors in college
- Staying in a class implies agreement to the terms outlined in the syllabus
- Changes or addendums to the syllabus communicated often supersede the original syllabus (even via email)
- Students should consider their learning preferences and priorities to make informed choices when selecting classes
- You have the option to choose classes and instructors that align with their learning preferences and needs
Sound Bites:
- "What people don't tell you about the syllabus is that it is basically a contract.
- "By you staying in the class, you are agreeing to the terms."
- "Differences in syllabi can be the difference in your grade, passing or failing, and getting financial aid."
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction to the Syllabus as an Agreement 01:32 Sections of the Syllabus to Pay Attention to: Grading 05:30 Instructors often Determine How they Accommodate Absences 07:40 The Significance of School Emails 12:15 Choosing Classes and Instructors Based on YOUR Priorities 18:00 Engage and Connect with the Podcast 19:22 Supporting the Podcast Community
Special Thank You:
To my amazing partner, Brandon Ward, for the intro. AND to the amazing Miracle Laurie and Bobbo Byrnes for their tune Effin' Groovy in the outro. So lucky!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:53):
Hello, hello, we are back and we are still in this college series.
Today we are speaking all about.
The syllabus.
Dun, dun, dun.
And why the heck are the syllabi so freaking long?
And why do professors talk about them with such reverence?
And why is it so freaking important?
(01:15):
Well, let me tell you why.
We're just gonna jump right in.
Y 'all, what people don't tell you about the syllabus is that it is basically a contract.
that could...
costs you a lot of money if you do not abide by the rules that are in that contract.
So for the purpose of this episode, let's substitute syllabus for a moment with the wordcontract.
(01:38):
The first day of class in college at universities and actually now many high schools, yourinstructor is going to give you a syllabus.
Think of this as a contract.
They are basically telling you in order for you to do well in this class and continue,
This is what you are agreeing to.
(01:59):
Now here's the catch.
You don't have to sign this one in most instances.
Instead of a signature, if you stay in the class, you are agreeing to the terms of thecontract.
Let me say that again.
There is no signature needed here.
By you staying in the class, you are agreeing to the terms of the syllabus.
(02:24):
It's a little bit serious sometimes and I know so easy to slough off because they're soboring to read.
Most of your instructors have not done a lot of
research on graphic design and how to make things visually fun to read and important tosee.
And it may just seem like business as usual, right?
Every instructor gives a syllabi.
(02:44):
They must be the same.
They all look the same.
They're all 18 pages.
They're all black and white.
They all just drag, on and on and on and on and on.
And yet there are differences within them.
And we are going to go through a list of the differences that I highly suggest you take alook at because it can be the difference in your grade.
(03:07):
It can be the difference in passing or failing.
It can be the difference in getting your financial aid back and not.
And here's a big thing y 'all.
Not doing anything is actually doing something in these cases.
What do I mean?
Is if you go into a class and you don't want to be in it anymore, you don't agree withthat syllabus, you don't want any part of this class any further, you must
(03:37):
Take action.
You need to go to the people who can withdraw you from the class.
Sometimes that's your department, sometimes that's your advisor.
Please withdraw from the class because you not withdrawing yourself from the class andjust stopping going to class.
without telling anybody that you're stopping going to class, you still abide by the rulesof that syllabus.
(04:01):
And you are still going to have to pay for that damn class.
Let's not do that.
So here's what's weird to many students is that the university is going to have a specificset of things that needs to be in the syllabus that they want in the syllabus.
Those usually come at the very end and those are going to be the same in all of theclasses.
(04:24):
So once you read that once, you're going to know what those are.
But the way that you are graded, the rules of the actual class that you're in, those aredecided by the instructor.
And those can change from class to class.
So what's an example of what can be changed from class to class and that is usuallyinstructor driven is your grade and what percentage makes an A and what percentage makes a
(04:49):
B.
So there are gonna be some instructors who just don't like pluses and minuses.
They're just gonna do A, B, C.
Can you see that that might be something important for y 'all to know?
Because if you are at an 89%, you may wanna work real hard to just get up to that 90because it's the difference between an A and a B.
On a four point scale, that's the difference between 4 .0 and 3 .0 on your GPA.
(05:14):
That may matter to you.
I know that we all assume, I don't know, do you assume that a 93 % is an A?
Do not assume that.
How do I know?
Have I worked with colleagues where a 98 % is an A and a 93 is a B?
Yes, I have.
I've also worked with the latter, where some of them are like, you know what, I just wantA's and B's, so if you get 80 and higher, you're an A, and if you get 70 to 80, you're a
(05:44):
B.
I know, those are big, drastic changes.
You're probably not gonna see that much change in one semester at your school, but pleasebe aware that it's possible.
So all of your syllabi are gonna have a grading rubric.
Check it out real quick.
Make sure that it doesn't stump you.
Make sure that you're aware of what it takes to pass that class.
(06:06):
Again, sometimes that's a 70%.
Sometimes that's a C.
Sometimes that's a D.
Sometimes that's a D minus.
Check that out so that you know for yourself what you need to get in order to pass thatclass or get whatever grade that you want to get.
Something to be aware of.
Also something to be aware of that changes instructor to instructor, our absences, howthey deal with tardies.
(06:28):
Do they do unexcused versus excused?
Do you get to make up the work?
There are some classes, again, all in the syllabus and because it's a binding document, ifyou do any of these things or break any of these rules,
the university will side with the instructor because again, you have sort of signed, notsigned a contract that you are going to do these things if you stay in that class and do
(06:54):
not withdraw.
What can this mean?
There are going to be some classes who may not give a hoot about absences.
You can miss as many classes as you want and all you need to do is show up for the exams.
good to know.
There are going to be some classes where three absences is an automatic fail.
(07:18):
Can you see that that would be important to know?
Especially perhaps if you have a trip that's already planned and you know that you'regoing to miss a whole week, which is two classes, so that you could only miss one more
class and then you automatically fail and there's no
excused absences, there's no changing of that rule.
(07:40):
You may think twice about staying in that class.
No matter what, it is really important to know.
Because if you're going to choose which class to skip, may want to skip the one that hasno consequences for not missing any classes.
Okay.
In that syllabi, you're also going to find homework, due dates, how you're going to begraded.
(08:03):
Again, this experience, this thing called college, is there to serve you.
It is a tool that is meant to enhance your life in some way.
So you get to say,
Is this something that I can do?
Does this work for me and how I want to learn and my timeframe and my work schedules andmy family and my community?
(08:29):
All of these things.
it does need to make sense for you.
The other rules that are going to shift from class to class again are going to be the in-class rules.
Are you allowed to eat?
Are you not allowed to eat?
Do like to chew gum?
Don't do this, right?
Some of them, again, it's going to be on the preferences of the instructor.
even if you think that they're ridiculous, if they are in the syllabus and you stay inthat class, you are actually agreeing to do those things that the instructor has asked.
(08:56):
So here's the concern that I see often, and it usually happens around midterms orsometimes even finals, is there's going to be something that comes up that you are not
happy about in the class.
It could happen, right?
Something happens, you're confused, you're wondering why you got a certain grade, you'rewondering why you're failing the class, but you've been showing up, and you're gonna go
(09:18):
talk to your instructor.
It's actually sort of a joke among professors.
about like, did you read the syllabus?
And there's sort of this like, you need to make sure that you read the syllabus before youcome talk to me.
Now, if you think about it like a contract, can you see that if you're in a legallybinding contract with someone for services and you have a complaint about your
(09:42):
relationship, you have a complaint about the services that have been rendered, the firstquestion is going to be,
Well, what's in the contract?
You need to check what's in the contract first so that you are aware of what you signed upfor and you're aware of what your rights are.
Okay?
So let's do that first.
So if your instructor says, well, did you read the syllabus?
(10:04):
Please have read the syllabus and be like, yes, I did.
And I still have an issue with it because this actually is outside the scope of what thesyllabus is.
Okay?
You need to know that it is the unsaid, unspoken reality of that first day of class is thesyllabus is like a contract.
(10:30):
You don't have to sign it for it to be binding.
You don't have to sign it to say that you agree.
The way that you agree is you stay in the class.
If you stay in the class, you're basically automatically agreeing to every single thingthat is in that syllabus.
(10:50):
So one last thing that I want to say about this is emails.
So every university that I know of, but I'm sure that there may be exceptions, will havesomething
in their student handbook, in an email, in your orientation that will state that emailingyour student email
(11:11):
is how people are gonna communicate with you.
That's how professors are gonna communicate with you.
That's how the school admin, that's how they're gonna communicate with you.
Now what you should know is that an email will supersede the syllabus if it comes from aninstructor.
So an instructor of course can make addendums to the syllabus if they make any addendumsto the syllabus, as in they're making a change and they give you a different copy, the new
(11:37):
copy goes.
Okay, the new copy is the one to follow.
Similarly, if they send you an email, please check the email.
Do it daily, at least three or four times a week, because if they send something in anemail, that also supersedes the original syllabus.
(12:00):
Why am I making a big deal out of this?
Because guess what?
Instructors have the right.
to change due dates in an email different from the syllabus.
And if you do not read that email, if you do not abide by whatever that email says, yourgrade can be in jeopardy.
This is an awful scenario, but I did hear of a case at a university where I was at wherean instructor changed the date of a major exam to earlier than what the original syllabus
(12:32):
said.
Earlier.
And there were several students who did not show up to the earlier exam.
And there were several students who were not prepared to take the exam early because theydid not read that email.
yes, they brought the case up to the university.
And guess who won that one?
(12:54):
The instructor did because the instructor emailed the students with the new date.
I do not want that for you.
I know, I made it all like serious and stuff.
So all of that to say, can you take it with a grain of salt?
Yes, please read them because just think of them as contracts and how you would treat acontract.
(13:15):
So if you like to skim read a contract and you're fine with signing it, know that and knowthat you don't have to sign these things.
Again, you staying in the class without withdrawing officially.
automatically has you agree to every item in that syllabus.
(13:36):
Okay, I feel like that was a lot.
So if you have any questions about syllabi, what to expect, perhaps you have somethingstrange in one of yours that you have a question about, please, please, please let me
know.
I would love to know so you can comment wherever you are watching this.
Of course, you can always message me on social, but I do.
I would really want to know what your questions are and we can answer them here.
(13:58):
All right, what do I want to leave y 'all with?
want to leave y 'all with the instructors get to create the rules of the class.
If you stay in that class, you are non -verbally agreeing to their rules.
Can you absolutely skim the syllabus?
Yes.
But I highly suggest that you slow down your skimming for some really important areas,including the grading, how you're going to be graded.
(14:26):
rules that they may be put in bold, how they deal with absences, tardies, unexcusedabsences, how to ensure ultimately that you pass the class.
and let's go one step further, y 'all, because I've seen many of my students do this.
And I think that it is so phenomenal is when you are seeing the exams and the dates, youcan actually start to put that on a calendar and you can prioritize the classes that you
(14:54):
think may be harder, the classes that are related to your major.
So you can look and see when your exams are so that you can plan ahead.
You get to start to see which weeks are going to be hard for you so that you can start tominimize or break up the study time.
Okay, I think that's where we'll leave it.
(15:19):
The good news is the first day your instructors are going to go over the things that arethe most important to you.
So if reading the syllabi makes you super nervous, you get to just listen to them and seehow they deal with it and you get to act from there.
And if you are already not vibing well with the instructor on that first day, you alreadycan't stand them.
(15:43):
You already have something up with them.
You already hate everything about how this class is going to go.
Guess what?
You get to change your class.
Okay?
You have choices.
The university may have the same class, different section.
Different instructor does that mean it's gonna be a different time.
(16:05):
Does it mean that maybe it's full?
Absolutely But there are a lot of shifts happen in that first week or the first two weeksof class So you have options y 'all maybe you hold that class for a different semester Or
a different quarter so that you can take it with a different instructor possible
Two, know y 'all, many of y 'all are on Rate My Professor, so you can always check out theclasses and the section numbers on Rate My Professor to also choose classes that vibe with
(16:35):
you better, the way that you learn.
Ooh, I love that I'm like, and one more thing, and one more thing.
Y 'all, you are allowed to take in how you like to learn and what you want to learn intoaccount.
What do I mean by that?
Well, I know learning styles,
big buzzwords, there's been quite a bit of research over the past decade that learningstyles are not really a thing related to how we learn, right?
(17:01):
This way of like that we have one way that we learn best.
What we're finding out is we have one or two ways that we like to learn best, but itdoesn't mean that we don't learn in those other modes
and that those other modes can actually enhance our learning because they're harder.
Okay.
So I wanted to make sure that I said that.
(17:22):
And at the same time, I know we're staying in the gray.
You still get to make choices based on how you like to learn.
You get to make choices on your time, on your energy, on your capabilities, on what youknow, the rest of your quarter or your semester and your life looks like.
(17:43):
Please take those into account.
Because at the end of the day, this education is for you.
This education is to serve you in some way.
So you get to choose how you want that to be done.
And yes, there may be consequences, y 'all, right?
There's still a system in place.
You may choose to actually stay in this class right now, even though it's based off of twoexams with exams rather than wait another year with the possibility of it maybe being with
(18:13):
another instructor.
Or maybe there's 40 other sections of that class.
OK, maybe not 40.
Ten other sections of that class, two of which have
openings and are at times that you can take and you can check out those instructors.
You can check out their syllabi to see if that is more of a fit for you.
(18:38):
Okay.
I feel like I've been all over the place, but I am going to wrap it up now.
Again, if you have any questions for me, any comments, any fun stories about a syllabus,I'd love to know.
Reach out.
I realize that we are at the beginning of our podcasting journey together.
(19:00):
However, if you are already excited, already wanting to share this with people in yourlives, already thinking that it would be beneficial to have these conversations on a more
global scale, there are ways that you could support that.
The main ways is to like...
follow and subscribe on which ever platform you are watching or listening to me on.
(19:26):
You could always comment.
I would love to know what you found helpful or interesting in any of the episodes.
And of course, if you have ideas about what conversations, what topics you would like tocover in the future, please let me know.
Again, this podcast is for you.
Other ways that you can find me are on social.
(19:48):
So I am on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook at Cielle Amundson.
That is at C I E L L E A M U N D S O N.
Find me there, say hi, let's start a conversation.
And if this is something that you think other people in your lives would love to be a partof, would love to hear, would love to be in conversation with,
(20:14):
please share this with them.
Thank you again and I look forward to seeing you or having you at the next episode.
Hello, hello, we are back and we are still in this college series.
Today we are speaking all about.
The syllabus.
Dun, dun, dun.
And why the heck are the syllabi so freaking long?
And why do professors talk about them with such reverence?
And why is it so freaking important?
(01:15):
Well, let me tell you why.
We're just gonna jump right in.
Y 'all, what people don't tell you about the syllabus is that it is basically a contract.
that could...
costs you a lot of money if you do not abide by the rules that are in that contract.
So for the purpose of this episode, let's substitute syllabus for a moment with the wordcontract.
(01:38):
The first day of class in college at universities and actually now many high schools, yourinstructor is going to give you a syllabus.
Think of this as a contract.
They are basically telling you in order for you to do well in this class and continue,
This is what you are agreeing to.
(01:59):
Now here's the catch.
You don't have to sign this one in most instances.
Instead of a signature, if you stay in the class, you are agreeing to the terms of thecontract.
Let me say that again.
There is no signature needed here.
By you staying in the class, you are agreeing to the terms of the syllabus.
(02:24):
It's a little bit serious sometimes and I know so easy to slough off because they're soboring to read.
Most of your instructors have not done a lot of
research on graphic design and how to make things visually fun to read and important tosee.
And it may just seem like business as usual, right?
Every instructor gives a syllabi.
(02:44):
They must be the same.
They all look the same.
They're all 18 pages.
They're all black and white.
They all just drag, on and on and on and on and on.
And yet there are differences within them.
And we are going to go through a list of the differences that I highly suggest you take alook at because it can be the difference in your grade.
(03:07):
It can be the difference in passing or failing.
It can be the difference in getting your financial aid back and not.
And here's a big thing y 'all.
Not doing anything is actually doing something in these cases.
What do I mean?
Is if you go into a class and you don't want to be in it anymore, you don't agree withthat syllabus, you don't want any part of this class any further, you must
(03:37):
Take action.
You need to go to the people who can withdraw you from the class.
Sometimes that's your department, sometimes that's your advisor.
Please withdraw from the class because you not withdrawing yourself from the class andjust stopping going to class.
without telling anybody that you're stopping going to class, you still abide by the rulesof that syllabus.
(04:01):
And you are still going to have to pay for that damn class.
Let's not do that.
So here's what's weird to many students is that the university is going to have a specificset of things that needs to be in the syllabus that they want in the syllabus.
Those usually come at the very end and those are going to be the same in all of theclasses.
(04:24):
So once you read that once, you're going to know what those are.
But the way that you are graded, the rules of the actual class that you're in, those aredecided by the instructor.
And those can change from class to class.
So what's an example of what can be changed from class to class and that is usuallyinstructor driven is your grade and what percentage makes an A and what percentage makes a
(04:49):
B.
So there are gonna be some instructors who just don't like pluses and minuses.
They're just gonna do A, B, C.
Can you see that that might be something important for y 'all to know?
Because if you are at an 89%, you may wanna work real hard to just get up to that 90because it's the difference between an A and a B.
On a four point scale, that's the difference between 4 .0 and 3 .0 on your GPA.
(05:14):
That may matter to you.
I know that we all assume, I don't know, do you assume that a 93 % is an A?
Do not assume that.
How do I know?
Have I worked with colleagues where a 98 % is an A and a 93 is a B?
Yes, I have.
I've also worked with the latter, where some of them are like, you know what, I just wantA's and B's, so if you get 80 and higher, you're an A, and if you get 70 to 80, you're a
(05:44):
B.
I know, those are big, drastic changes.
You're probably not gonna see that much change in one semester at your school, but pleasebe aware that it's possible.
So all of your syllabi are gonna have a grading rubric.
Check it out real quick.
Make sure that it doesn't stump you.
Make sure that you're aware of what it takes to pass that class.
(06:06):
Again, sometimes that's a 70%.
Sometimes that's a C.
Sometimes that's a D.
Sometimes that's a D minus.
Check that out so that you know for yourself what you need to get in order to pass thatclass or get whatever grade that you want to get.
Something to be aware of.
Also something to be aware of that changes instructor to instructor, our absences, howthey deal with tardies.
(06:28):
Do they do unexcused versus excused?
Do you get to make up the work?
There are some classes, again, all in the syllabus and because it's a binding document, ifyou do any of these things or break any of these rules,
the university will side with the instructor because again, you have sort of signed, notsigned a contract that you are going to do these things if you stay in that class and do
(06:54):
not withdraw.
What can this mean?
There are going to be some classes who may not give a hoot about absences.
You can miss as many classes as you want and all you need to do is show up for the exams.
good to know.
There are going to be some classes where three absences is an automatic fail.
(07:18):
Can you see that that would be important to know?
Especially perhaps if you have a trip that's already planned and you know that you'regoing to miss a whole week, which is two classes, so that you could only miss one more
class and then you automatically fail and there's no
excused absences, there's no changing of that rule.
(07:40):
You may think twice about staying in that class.
No matter what, it is really important to know.
Because if you're going to choose which class to skip, may want to skip the one that hasno consequences for not missing any classes.
Okay.
In that syllabi, you're also going to find homework, due dates, how you're going to begraded.
(08:03):
Again, this experience, this thing called college, is there to serve you.
It is a tool that is meant to enhance your life in some way.
So you get to say,
Is this something that I can do?
Does this work for me and how I want to learn and my timeframe and my work schedules andmy family and my community?
(08:29):
All of these things.
it does need to make sense for you.
The other rules that are going to shift from class to class again are going to be the in-class rules.
Are you allowed to eat?
Are you not allowed to eat?
Do like to chew gum?
Don't do this, right?
Some of them, again, it's going to be on the preferences of the instructor.
even if you think that they're ridiculous, if they are in the syllabus and you stay inthat class, you are actually agreeing to do those things that the instructor has asked.
(08:56):
So here's the concern that I see often, and it usually happens around midterms orsometimes even finals, is there's going to be something that comes up that you are not
happy about in the class.
It could happen, right?
Something happens, you're confused, you're wondering why you got a certain grade, you'rewondering why you're failing the class, but you've been showing up, and you're gonna go
(09:18):
talk to your instructor.
It's actually sort of a joke among professors.
about like, did you read the syllabus?
And there's sort of this like, you need to make sure that you read the syllabus before youcome talk to me.
Now, if you think about it like a contract, can you see that if you're in a legallybinding contract with someone for services and you have a complaint about your
(09:42):
relationship, you have a complaint about the services that have been rendered, the firstquestion is going to be,
Well, what's in the contract?
You need to check what's in the contract first so that you are aware of what you signed upfor and you're aware of what your rights are.
Okay?
So let's do that first.
So if your instructor says, well, did you read the syllabus?
(10:04):
Please have read the syllabus and be like, yes, I did.
And I still have an issue with it because this actually is outside the scope of what thesyllabus is.
Okay?
You need to know that it is the unsaid, unspoken reality of that first day of class is thesyllabus is like a contract.
(10:30):
You don't have to sign it for it to be binding.
You don't have to sign it to say that you agree.
The way that you agree is you stay in the class.
If you stay in the class, you're basically automatically agreeing to every single thingthat is in that syllabus.
(10:50):
So one last thing that I want to say about this is emails.
So every university that I know of, but I'm sure that there may be exceptions, will havesomething
in their student handbook, in an email, in your orientation that will state that emailingyour student email
(11:11):
is how people are gonna communicate with you.
That's how professors are gonna communicate with you.
That's how the school admin, that's how they're gonna communicate with you.
Now what you should know is that an email will supersede the syllabus if it comes from aninstructor.
So an instructor of course can make addendums to the syllabus if they make any addendumsto the syllabus, as in they're making a change and they give you a different copy, the new
(11:37):
copy goes.
Okay, the new copy is the one to follow.
Similarly, if they send you an email, please check the email.
Do it daily, at least three or four times a week, because if they send something in anemail, that also supersedes the original syllabus.
(12:00):
Why am I making a big deal out of this?
Because guess what?
Instructors have the right.
to change due dates in an email different from the syllabus.
And if you do not read that email, if you do not abide by whatever that email says, yourgrade can be in jeopardy.
This is an awful scenario, but I did hear of a case at a university where I was at wherean instructor changed the date of a major exam to earlier than what the original syllabus
(12:32):
said.
Earlier.
And there were several students who did not show up to the earlier exam.
And there were several students who were not prepared to take the exam early because theydid not read that email.
yes, they brought the case up to the university.
And guess who won that one?
(12:54):
The instructor did because the instructor emailed the students with the new date.
I do not want that for you.
I know, I made it all like serious and stuff.
So all of that to say, can you take it with a grain of salt?
Yes, please read them because just think of them as contracts and how you would treat acontract.
(13:15):
So if you like to skim read a contract and you're fine with signing it, know that and knowthat you don't have to sign these things.
Again, you staying in the class without withdrawing officially.
automatically has you agree to every item in that syllabus.
(13:36):
Okay, I feel like that was a lot.
So if you have any questions about syllabi, what to expect, perhaps you have somethingstrange in one of yours that you have a question about, please, please, please let me
know.
I would love to know so you can comment wherever you are watching this.
Of course, you can always message me on social, but I do.
I would really want to know what your questions are and we can answer them here.
(13:58):
All right, what do I want to leave y 'all with?
want to leave y 'all with the instructors get to create the rules of the class.
If you stay in that class, you are non -verbally agreeing to their rules.
Can you absolutely skim the syllabus?
Yes.
But I highly suggest that you slow down your skimming for some really important areas,including the grading, how you're going to be graded.
(14:26):
rules that they may be put in bold, how they deal with absences, tardies, unexcusedabsences, how to ensure ultimately that you pass the class.
and let's go one step further, y 'all, because I've seen many of my students do this.
And I think that it is so phenomenal is when you are seeing the exams and the dates, youcan actually start to put that on a calendar and you can prioritize the classes that you
(14:54):
think may be harder, the classes that are related to your major.
So you can look and see when your exams are so that you can plan ahead.
You get to start to see which weeks are going to be hard for you so that you can start tominimize or break up the study time.
Okay, I think that's where we'll leave it.
(15:19):
The good news is the first day your instructors are going to go over the things that arethe most important to you.
So if reading the syllabi makes you super nervous, you get to just listen to them and seehow they deal with it and you get to act from there.
And if you are already not vibing well with the instructor on that first day, you alreadycan't stand them.
(15:43):
You already have something up with them.
You already hate everything about how this class is going to go.
Guess what?
You get to change your class.
Okay?
You have choices.
The university may have the same class, different section.
Different instructor does that mean it's gonna be a different time.
(16:05):
Does it mean that maybe it's full?
Absolutely But there are a lot of shifts happen in that first week or the first two weeksof class So you have options y 'all maybe you hold that class for a different semester Or
a different quarter so that you can take it with a different instructor possible
Two, know y 'all, many of y 'all are on Rate My Professor, so you can always check out theclasses and the section numbers on Rate My Professor to also choose classes that vibe with
(16:35):
you better, the way that you learn.
Ooh, I love that I'm like, and one more thing, and one more thing.
Y 'all, you are allowed to take in how you like to learn and what you want to learn intoaccount.
What do I mean by that?
Well, I know learning styles,
big buzzwords, there's been quite a bit of research over the past decade that learningstyles are not really a thing related to how we learn, right?
(17:01):
This way of like that we have one way that we learn best.
What we're finding out is we have one or two ways that we like to learn best, but itdoesn't mean that we don't learn in those other modes
and that those other modes can actually enhance our learning because they're harder.
Okay.
So I wanted to make sure that I said that.
(17:22):
And at the same time, I know we're staying in the gray.
You still get to make choices based on how you like to learn.
You get to make choices on your time, on your energy, on your capabilities, on what youknow, the rest of your quarter or your semester and your life looks like.
(17:43):
Please take those into account.
Because at the end of the day, this education is for you.
This education is to serve you in some way.
So you get to choose how you want that to be done.
And yes, there may be consequences, y 'all, right?
There's still a system in place.
You may choose to actually stay in this class right now, even though it's based off of twoexams with exams rather than wait another year with the possibility of it maybe being with
(18:13):
another instructor.
Or maybe there's 40 other sections of that class.
OK, maybe not 40.
Ten other sections of that class, two of which have
openings and are at times that you can take and you can check out those instructors.
You can check out their syllabi to see if that is more of a fit for you.
(18:38):
Okay.
I feel like I've been all over the place, but I am going to wrap it up now.
Again, if you have any questions for me, any comments, any fun stories about a syllabus,I'd love to know.
Reach out.
I realize that we are at the beginning of our podcasting journey together.
(19:00):
However, if you are already excited, already wanting to share this with people in yourlives, already thinking that it would be beneficial to have these conversations on a more
global scale, there are ways that you could support that.
The main ways is to like...
follow and subscribe on which ever platform you are watching or listening to me on.
(19:26):
You could always comment.
I would love to know what you found helpful or interesting in any of the episodes.
And of course, if you have ideas about what conversations, what topics you would like tocover in the future, please let me know.
Again, this podcast is for you.
Other ways that you can find me are on social.
(19:48):
So I am on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook at Cielle Amundson.
That is at C I E L L E A M U N D S O N.
Find me there, say hi, let's start a conversation.
And if this is something that you think other people in your lives would love to be a partof, would love to hear, would love to be in conversation with,
(20:14):
please share this with them.
Thank you again and I look forward to seeing you or having you at the next episode.
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