Tranistion from High School to College: Through the Eyes of the Professor

Transition from High School to College: Through the Eyes of a Professor

By: Tezeta Gant

In other places we have looked at students and their transitions from high school to college, this story shows how a professor used his transitions from high school to college to help his students with their classes.

Jered Studinksi is 36-year-old professor at Frostburg State University (FSU) in the Biology department. Studinksi had a very eventful time in his 20’s. Around the age of 17 he left high school and started college, at 21 he got his undergraduate degree majoring in Biology and Wildlife, by the age of 29 he had his PhD in Biology and at 30 he started his life as a father. With Studinksi, in the photo above, is his eldest daughter Stella and his youngest daughter Charlie.

‘Well, I grew up pretty poor.” Studinski mentions. He looked to his right at a pile of papers, “I am the first in my family to go to college.” He said this as if everyone should have known.

“I was a typical student, I did well in high school, but college was the tricky piece.” Studinski says. He mentions how he can’t remember what his GPA was in high school, but he did remember what he got for his first year of college.

Studinski was sitting in a rolling chair behind his desk. He rolled over to his computer, “Wait, I can tell you the exact GPA I got.” He shrugged and smiled while looking at his resume. “It was a really big struggle for me just to get past my undergraduate degree.”

“I find it sad that most students when coming to college think that they have to complete everything in 4 years in order to be seen as a ‘good student’.” Studinski shook his head. He looked as if he wanted to say more but was unsure of how to get it out.

“I mean…” Studinski stopped and looked around at his office, looking around as if he would find the words to the rest of his sentence in one of the many books he had around. “..it took me 5 years to finish my undergraduate degree. I didn’t get my act together until halfway through my second year. There was a 70% drop out rate in my major, it was ‘sink or swim’ ‘baptism by fire’. You had to make it on your own, no one else was going to help you.”

Studinski kept mentioning how he was unclear of what he wanted to do with his degree until he got into his master’s program and had to teach.

“It was there that I got my motivation. I was standing there in front of all these people who were looking up at me to inform them. It was the first time that I was really excited about school and comfortable.”

Now that Studinski has been teaching as a professor for 13 years so far he says that he has learned a lot about his students and how his view has changed throughout the years.

“I see the same thing happen to them. ‘They did well in high school and therefore think that college will be the same.’ Students get into college and are surprised when they fail their first exam. Thinking that they don’t have to study paired with the fact that most students coming into college don’t have the tools with them to know how to study. It all leads to miserable students and frustrated professors.” Studinski starts getting frustrated, he looked over at his stack of papers and looked back.

“When it comes to college, there is no safety net, you either sink or you swim.” Studinski likes to say terms and phrases to make his different points.

“I got put on academic probation, I deserved to be there.” Studinski looked upset at this point. “I don’t like to fail students, but when 60% of the classes doesn’t show up 2/3 of the class meet ups a week. It’s almost like the students are asking me to fail them.”

Frustrated by the fact that he wants to be seen as a good professor and still wanting his students to attend class and learn the information, Studinski is stuck between a rock and a hard place.

“I just wish that my students would come to my office hours more. I don’t know how to get more students in here.” Studinski says.

It is a common known thing among professors and students that most students will not go to their professor’s office hours’ even if they know that they need help in the course.

Stusinski concludes with the fact that he tries to remember how his transition from high school to college was for him and gives his students the benefit. Although, he is not a push over, he is a professor who tires to give his students all the tools they need to succeed.

"It is up to the students to obtain and use the tools I give them" Studinski says.