Dear Eric, When I was in high school, I looked forward to beginning my college experience as a graphic design major. I loved art and design and never doubted my abilities to thrive in a college environment that allowed such great opportunities and one on one professor to student engagement. But since having my first semester on campus, I have never wanted to switch my major, transfer schools, or drop out all together. This major is killing me, and something needs to be said. Throughout my one and a half years as a graphic design major at Chapman, I have learned two things: 1) Free time is a privilege. 2) Seeing your classmates in the computer labs at 4am is normal. It shouldn’t be, but it is. You work 18+ hours in classes a week, plus 10 or more outside of school to work on projects, write ups, and mock-ups. This major means projects and work first, then you time afterwards. Never reversed, never altered. I learned that time management is crucial if you wish to succeed. If you miss a deadline by a day, you’re behind on the rest of the semester, meaning the day something is assigned is the day you need to start it. When I was an incoming freshman, you glorified the idea that we all love to hang out in the computer labs until 3am for fun. That’s not true. I love my friends in this major, in fact they’re my best friends, but considering that the only times we hang out are to work on projects together, that’s a huge issue. That’s the reality of this major and how poorly made it was. Considering that graphic design isn’t even a big major on campus, you would think that it couldn't get any smaller than it already is. When I first got admitted, the graduating class for the graphic design program was 12, which is awfully small. From current experience with my class, I know at least six people who have dropped out of the major, keeping in mind that we have only had one semester on campus. This program works students until they are tired, defeated, and exhausted. This is not normal. This past semester I worked on a project worth 600 points for 65 hours outside of class. Read that again. 600 points, 65 hours, plus the 18 hours a week in class. I’m not sure how heavy course loads are for other majors, but I know that having 3 back to back 3 hour classes twice a week is not an everyday thing. I understand that there is a lot to unfold in learning design and the steps that go into it, but I have never felt more overwhelmed and overworked in my life. We’re all struggling, and you professors don’t do anything about it. On top of that, when you see students falling asleep and breaking down in class, why don’t you look around and see how overworked your students are? If falling asleep and crying in class is normal to you, I think it’s time to realize that we’re all exhausted and need a break. I don’t mean the 10 minute breaks I get during class to drink water, I mean a break from the constant project to project deadlines that overlap with one another. Have you ever thought about how the day a project is due is the day we start the next one? Or that in the next class, the 6 page write up is due, and two days later our drawn rough drafts, then revisions, print outs, and then the final? Four weeks per project is not enough time to learn the skills that you all expect us students to gain, plus completing a project with these skills new in mind. If you want us to really learn, you’ll make sure we’re understanding the content instead of giving us 10 minute demonstrations and having us complete a whole project on it in the span of 4 weeks. I don’t think it’s normal to see your classmates in a computer lab at 4am doing work and printing their projects. I don’t think it’s normal for a professor to see that half of the class is about to fall asleep. I don’t think any of this is normal. The graphic design program at Chapman needs to change. It is not normal to pull all-nighters to complete assignments every week. This is not normal. College students need sleep and rest to thrive and this program does the opposite. If teenagers need 8-10 hours of sleep a night (CDC), and only 30% get at least 8 hours (Medical News Today), why does this program constantly push students beyond their breaking point? It’s unhealthy, and it’s unrealistic. If you really care, you can start by listening to your students. Best, Kaile Sources: https://www.snhu.edu/about-us/newsroom/education/how-much-sleep-do-college-students-need https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/160265#2 As for my Instagram post, I chose to create a graphic that allows students to check in on themselves throughout this semester. I wished that I had reminded myself of these questions and affirmations as I have had far too many breakdowns and all nighters this semester. It's a great way for students to reflect and question their actions as the semester is coming to an end.
0 Comments
|
ArchivesCategories |