Skidmore professors changed my understanding of what college is all about

When I started school at Skidmore, I expected 它应该是 like my previous educational 经历. I soon realized, though, that the professors are here to do more than 只是研究和教学.

教授s at Skidmore are here to help us young people find our place in the world. They are here for short chats during office hours and incredibly profound conversations 在火博体育的伯吉斯咖啡馆外面. 他们推荐书籍、作者和演讲 — all examples of the boundless passion they have for their areas of study. 我可以 email any professor and ask to talk about class or a project I’ve been working on, 我知道你会说“是的，我很乐意”!”

This is to say, the professors here care, and their dedication extends beyond the 教室. Skidmore professors want to see you succeed — not just on an upcoming exam 但在生活中，当你成长为你想成为的人. 

同理心的遗产

During my first semester at Skidmore, I enrolled in EN 105, a class most Skidmore students take to fulfill their expository writing requirement. 研讨会的主题是， 由英语客座助理教授授课 艾琳·斯佩里, was Last Words; it examined how writing can make someone immortal, prompting us to consider whether putting something down in words can give someone or something 永生.  
 
It was an interesting class, and I found myself bookmarking many of the short stories 和我们读的诗，因为我非常喜欢它们. 学期结束时，我给他发了邮件 教授 Sperry for reading recommendations for an essay-lover like myself. 第一个 thing she recommended was Joan Didion’s “Slouching Toward Bethlehem.我回到家 for winter break and read the collection of essays, and I have been hooked ever since.  
 
教授 Sperry’s eagerness to recommend the pieces of literature that she loves was my first introduction to what Skidmore’s liberal arts experience would mean for me. Her passion also revealed that there is a lot more to learn outside the 教室, 这里的教授也非常愿意帮忙.

在写作中看到我的未来

In the fall of 2022, I took an EN 211 course on fiction with 英语教授 罗伯特·波伊尔1969年，她第一次来到校园. 他是火博体育任职时间最长的教授之一 并继续把年轻的激情带到他的演讲中.

博耶斯教授的夜校课在晚饭时间结束了. 即便如此，我也不记得看过 在时钟上一次. 这些讲座是我听过的最吸引人的. 教授 Boyers also created an environment that let everyone know that their thoughts and 意见有价值. 每个人都想参与.

One day, I was not ready to share my thoughts on a short story I had really enjoyed. I emailed 教授 Boyers that evening, telling him my opinion and how it differed 从班上其他同学那里. 博耶斯教授当晚就回复了. We later talked about the class and how much I enjoyed it, which led to me to decide 我主修英语. Because of the amazing experience I had in his class, I asked 他被任命为我的顾问. 我知道他有很多顾问，我还以为他会 very kind “no, 我可以’t at the moment” response, but I was met with “I would love to.”

I had 教授 Boyers the next semester, and we continued to have meetings not only 火博体育课程，还有文学杂志 大杂烩他与人共同创立了这家公司，并将其带到火博体育. 就是在其中一次会议上 我第一次听说 纽约州立暑期作家协会.
 
教授 Boyers nominated me to apply for this program, where student writers from across the country can share their work with established authors in a workshop setting. His belief in my writing ability motivated me to apply — something that I do not think 我本来有信心不这么做的. 他对我能力的信任鼓舞了我 我在写作中看到了未来. 

奉献的教训  

Another "aha" moment came when I took EN 228, Prose Boot 营, taught by Associate 英语教授 琳达大厅. The goal of the class  was to get one’s writing in publishable shape. 我们有小测验 火博体育语法和为虚构人物写作业普尔，作为代笔人 虚构的人物和情景.  

霍尔教授是我曾经遇到的最好的老师之一. 她知道那是什么意思 to teach and ensures that every student who walks into her 教室 w我会成为一个更好的作家. 她要求班上每个人都有一个短的 meeting with her to talk about a specific assignment at the end of the semester. 我们的 会议在规定的时间内进行得很顺利.

Her investment in the work that each student brought to her was evident, and I was amazed that someone could care so much about something as minor as an email draft.

After the semester was over, I was asked to give a short speech about Skidmore’s new 火博体育校董会的正门. 我是导游，所以新的人行横道 are especially helpful when I’m leading my tours with prospective families.我同意了 to give the speech only because I knew I could write a good one, thanks to Prose Boot 营. 

赞美之词纷至沓来. 这是一件小事，但我想我会给教授发邮件 Hall about the speech because it was exactly the kind of assignment she would give 我们为她上课. She asked if I had time to meet to talk about the speech because 她读了之后想给我一些反馈. 当天晚些时候我和她见了面， 我们讨论了一个半小时的演讲.  

We talked about the structure and the context and the language (and maybe my lack 语法技巧的一部分). 在整个谈话过程中，她都很和蔼 非常热情. 我们在会议的最后30分钟讨论 my other projects, about how much I loved our class, and her recommendation for another 我应该读的书. 教授 Hall was ready to engage, and she made me feel valued.  

一个文科梦想成真

Reflecting on my 经历 here at Skidmore, I realize how integral the commitment of professors is to their students in establishing a liberal arts mindset.

I did not understand what it meant to attend a liberal arts institution because I did not know the lengths that my professors would go to care for my educational growth ——过去只有我的家人和朋友拥有的方式.

A liberal arts education, I've learned, is more of a dialogue than a lecture. 它是 a conversation where the professors are just as interested in their students as they 是在自己的工作中吗.

Skidmore and its professors have shown me that my education can be anything I want 它应该是. 我可以成为任何我想成为的人.