One thing I'm told has changed about the U.S. educational system over the last 20 years is that the amount of individual mentorship that students receive has strongly declined.
When I transitioned into graduate school, one big surprise was that school actually became easier in several senses:
- I had a clear role model (mentor)
- I had several good sounding boards for ideas (professors had more time for me than for undergrads, and graduate students were also closer friends)
- More frequent communication with professors translated to better grades (if they're aware of your thought processes, they can more clearly understand how to interpret your work).
As a result, I felt much more involved in the work I was doing. That feeling of involvement made me more invested (and more confident) in my work.
I know that some colleges are working on programs to supplement mentorship and structure, and are finding great success. For example, in the ASAP program (http://www1.cuny.edu/sites/asap/), the graduation rate is more than three times the national three-year graduation rate of 16% for urban community colleges. It would be interesting to see whether life outcomes ("success") are any different for people who go through this program.
When I transitioned into graduate school, one big surprise was that school actually became easier in several senses: - I had a clear role model (mentor) - I had several good sounding boards for ideas (professors had more time for me than for undergrads, and graduate students were also closer friends) - More frequent communication with professors translated to better grades (if they're aware of your thought processes, they can more clearly understand how to interpret your work).
As a result, I felt much more involved in the work I was doing. That feeling of involvement made me more invested (and more confident) in my work.
I know that some colleges are working on programs to supplement mentorship and structure, and are finding great success. For example, in the ASAP program (http://www1.cuny.edu/sites/asap/), the graduation rate is more than three times the national three-year graduation rate of 16% for urban community colleges. It would be interesting to see whether life outcomes ("success") are any different for people who go through this program.