The Student Perspective: Panel 2
This episode is the second panel of Temple students where they share their experiences with college. The next episode will feature a faculty response!
Show Transcript
[THEME MUSIC]
Hello and welcome to this episode of the T in Teaching.
This episode is a continuation of a series
of podcasts focused on the student's
perspective in education.
It is no secret that higher education
is undergoing drastic changes.
So we feel it makes sense to hear from the students actually
paying for and experiencing it.
This episode marks the second panel of Temple students
sharing their experiences and thoughts on college.
Stay tuned, because after this episode,
there will be an episode where professors from Temple
will respond to the students in a separate episode and offer
advice and support for both students and faculty alike.
Thank you for listening.
Please enjoy.
[THEME MUSIC]
SPEAKER: Hello and welcome back to this episode of the T
in Teaching.
With me to discuss the student experience
are three undergraduate students at Temple University.
Together, they're going to share their expectations
and experiences in college, and we're
going to see how everything is played out.
So with me, I have--
NICHOLAS SALERNO: Nicholas Salerno.
I'm a legal studies major here at the Fox School of Business.
JULIA: I'm Julia.
I'm a second year transfer student of STHM.
MAYA SMITH: I'm Maya Smith.
I am a junior management information systems major
and I have a minor in Spanish.
SPEAKER: Well, Thank you, guys.
We have a really, really broad range of majors and programs
and we're going to discuss everything
about how you guys got to where you're at.
So let's just start with that.
Let's just jump right in.
Coming into college, I'm sure you
had an expectation of what things would be
like socially and academically.
Let's talk about how that actually lined up.
So it sounds like a lot of you towards the end of your college
career, that meant that you experienced
the effects of COVID.
You guys are all from out of state.
Tell me a little bit about how that went in forcing--
informing you to come to Temple University.
NICHOLAS SALERNO: Yeah, I'd like to start off first.
I'll say during the high school process,
senior year, applying to colleges,
speaking to a lot of different admissions directors coming in,
you kind of had just an idea of what the expectations are.
College is a little bit more challenging than high school.
You're furthering yourself academically
to fulfill more of a professional route.
However, the pandemic came into swing
and there was a lot of uncertainty
during that time and everything.
We knew the expectations academically.
We knew what the expectations were socially, I felt like it.
But being a first generation college student,
you have those challenges of, OK,
my parents never went to college.
OK, you're kind of almost testing the waters out
almost with that transition from high school to college.
But then, with a pandemic thrown in the middle of it,
it made things even more harder with more undue hardships.
But just had to, figure things out through the way as time
was going, just like with the rest of society and everything.
Really harped on the resources that were available,
either the academic advisors or some of the admissions
directors, some of the faculty and everything
to try to navigate through that transition and everything.
And after that, I would say, after getting
through the pandemic, I would say
the expectation of college kind of went to what it was prior.
Because at first, that first fall semester
was totally virtual.
Couldn't eat in the dining halls.
Couldn't even leave your dorm rooms, practically.
And it's like, whoa, this is what the college experience is?
So I think it definitely made things a lot more difficult
for some students, including myself.
But just taking it one day at a time,
being optimistic and everything, and eventually getting
the grip of the pandemic, those expectations of college kind of
came into reality and everything.
SPEAKER: Yeah, I mean, I'm sure that's really confusing not
having family members who've gone to college
before and being the first one, and now there's a pandemic.
That's weird.
Maya, I see you nodding along.
What about you?
Was it similar for you?
MAYA SMITH: Yeah, it was similar for me.
Like in high school, the pandemic
hit when I was a junior.
So that was a little bit different.
So I finished out my junior year.
And we were supposed to have prom and everything.
That got canceled.
So senior year, everything was OK.
I took online school and I worked mostly
during this co-op program in my high school.
And it was really hard to tour schools and really
see what exactly--
where exactly I wanted to go.
But I always knew in the back of my head
that I wanted to choose Temple because I did this architecture
program when I was a freshman.
It was like two weeks in the summer.
And I figured out I didn't like architecture,
but I found out that I loved the campus.
I loved the diversity, the food options, and just the culture
on campus.
And that's what really led me to come here.
SPEAKER: Yeah, well, that's great to hear.
It's like addition by subtraction.
You found out you didn't like the one major that you were
coming here for, but you liked everything else,
so you decided to stay.
Julia, how about you?
You transferred into Temple.
That's got to be a little different than what
they talked about.
JULIA: Sure my experience in high school
was definitely different.
I took a program through my local community college
where I got my associate's degree
while I was in high school.
So basically, I was taking college classes
since I was a freshman in high school.
At this point, I feel like school is second nature
to me, especially college.
It's like a second job almost.
But going through community college in high school,
it definitely was different socially.
I had all the same people in all of my classes.
Even though there would be a few people added.
Always the 13 same kids that I always had in every class.
When the pandemic struck, everything
went online for colleges.
So I was, basically, all online.
And I really only got to see those 13 people.
Definitely took a toll on my social experience
of high school.
And coming into college, I guess it prepared me
for being a little bit more alone.
Not to say that that's a bad thing,
but it definitely made the transition of being a transfer
student harder considering that I'm
coming in as a sophomore with junior credits.
So I'm taking classes with juniors and upperclassmen
who aren't necessarily looking for friends.
They're not necessarily looking for people
to add to their friend groups.
So it definitely made me have to take the first step in most
of my social relationships to the point where
I was the one who had to start conversations.
And thankfully, I'm a social person and I love chatting,
so that was fine for me.
But ultimately, it didn't hold me back.
SPEAKER: Well, clearly none of you
have been held back by all the different things
that you guys have had to experience
at the start of college.
You guys are all involved in a variety of different things,
whether it's student organizations, jobs
that you guys have held on campus, or just internships
and volunteer opportunities.
So let's talk about that because that's a big social thing.
It's about talking to people, knowing the right people
and getting involved.
And even though you guys have all had your own difficulties
at the start of college, you still managed to get involved.
So what was that like/ especially maybe as a transfer
student coming in, not knowing anybody,
being in these upper level classes and kind of having
to start the conversation yourself.
Julia, do you want to start with that?
JULIA: Absolutely.
I actually became part of the Sport and Governance Association
saga.
I found them through a career fair,
SPO fair where they were looking for an event
manager for the club.
And being an event and entertainment management major,
what a great opportunity.
So I jumped on that and applied.
And that's where I am now.
SPEAKER: Maya, how about you?
MAYA SMITH: So I've been able to join multiple programs on campus
like the Association for Information Systems, the Fox
African-American Business Association,
and I'm currently the fundraising and community
service chair.
And it's really interesting to see how people come together
when we have things in common, like your major
or our ethnicity.
And yeah, it really helped me find my footing in college.
Because sometimes, it's hard to find people that look like you
and are interested in the same things.
So yeah, it was really hard for me in high school
because I felt like I was the only Black student that
were in my classes.
So I definitely wanted to come here for the diversity.
And being a part of those organizations
definitely helped me to branch out and meet
other people that were also interested in the same things.
SPEAKER: Yeah, it sounds like it wasn't terribly hard for you
to get involved with those organizations
once you've found them.
Is that right?
MAYA SMITH: No, yeah.
I joined-- I think I joined AIS--
I was hearing a bunch of stuff like in my classes.
Once I switched my major from engineering technology,
I was hearing in my first MIS class
that I should join AIS because it was a great opportunity
to grow your professional development skills.
So that's what I was really interested in.
And in the career fair, I met the FAABA table.
And I was like, oh, this is really interesting.
I love their mission and I really
wanted to be a part of the board and continue their success.
SPEAKER: Well, I think it's interesting that you pointed out
the career fair on one end, but you also
just referred to a professor or a class getting you involved.
Nick, was it the case for you as well where you found yourself
getting involved from the classes that you were in
and the professors?
NICHOLAS SALERNO: Yeah, I probably
have a very similar experience to the other two
on the panel here.
I'll say in regards of organizations on campus,
I found Phi Alpha Delta through a mixture
of some of my virtual introduction
legal course my freshman year.
But also, I remember coming into college during the pandemic.
There was an overabundance of virtual career fairs
and also virtual SPO and Temple fests.
At first it kind of sounded a little corny and cheesy.
But like, OK, organizations, different departments
on campus collaborating virtually.
I was like, huh, OK.
During the pandemic, it was really just sit-in your dorm
room, watch TV, or really take advantage
of what the university is trying to adapt to the new normalcy.
So yeah, so I went to the virtual Fox Expo
and I went to the virtual Temple Fest and career fair,
and that's where I learned about Phi Alpha Delta.
Then I heard it again.
Then I became an active member.
Then, first, being online was a little annoying a little bit.
But as spring came around 2021 when the university got
the green light for going back into in-person,
Everybody was slowly trickling back in person.
And I've been committed to the organization
ever since my freshman year.
Went from being a member, professor, development chair
to now vice president.
And the experience is also very similar
to some other organizations I became
involved in, such as the Temple Veterans Association.
I found out about them also through the career and student
temple fest and everything.
And then, ROTC, I joined prior to that,
since I was prior service in the Connecticut guard.
And I wanted to take my military career one step further by ROTC.
SPEAKER: Yeah.
And you guys have obviously all been
involved in a lot of different things outside of school.
Let's bring it back to the actual school and the program
that you guys are in.
And I think it's really interesting
what we've already heard.
Maya, you were talking about how you came here
for a little expo on the architecture program,
realized you didn't like architecture.
Julia, you were talking about how
you got your associate's degree before and now came in
with all those credits.
So you have a bunch of different backgrounds on our approach
to the from program.
I want to talk about how your actual program aligns with what
you want to do going forward.
Is it the case that you feel like the classes
and the professors-- are whatever your career
path that you're going in individually,
do you feel like it pushes you towards that
or is there a little bit of a discrepancy?
NICHOLAS SALERNO: I definitely agree, it pushes you towards it.
Prior to coming to Temple from a little age,
I always had an ambition for politics and law.
Law school was something that was always in my head
from a young age.
And when I was kind of exploring opportunities,
I was looking at a diverse set of schools
with good legal poli sci programs and everything.
But my cousin, who currently works here,
he brought to my attention about the Fox School of Business
being ranked number one with the online MBA program,
being ranked highly for their other programs.
I'm like, OK, this is definitely the place
to be, especially in the very big city
with such a very domestic and international footprint.
So that was some of the main reasons that
made me decide to come to Temple was the ability
to grow and expand internationally and here as well
and really learn a lot from the world class professors
that we have.
Jumping into the legal studies program,
I found that the legal studies program is so much more unique
compared to just being a pre-law or poli sci
because you learn the business aspect of it.
You really learn a lot about business,
the umbrella as a whole with legal tied into it.
And all the professors, they're all bar credit associates.
They're all full time attorneys.
You're getting the up to date best legal
knowledge and expertise from these professors,
which the professors are fully dedicated and determined.
And being a student and many of my other legal studies
students could speak on it.
Having professors that are driven and teaching
and education and driven and what they do
in their particular aspects--
expertise of the law, so it really
gets you more motivated and pushing the path.
And also, the faculty are very transparent in the Fox
School of Business, not just legal,
but studies professor, all of them
were-- they really take their time
to really build a roadmap for students to really succeed.
And also with SPOs too, like some of my other colleagues
here spoke about that.
The SPOs in Fox and other organizations at Temple,
they're very passionate and very driven on trying
to build that mentorship, mentee program
with upperclassmen and also alumni,
which helps you to push one step further into that career.
SPEAKER: Yeah, well, I like everything you said.
It sounds like there's a lot of options
inside of the liberal studies.
And it sounds like you have a lot of directions
that you might be interested in going.
But I want to switch to Maya.
Now, you're talking about you came here again just
to look at this program.
And then, you don't want the program,
but you stayed for the school.
So now you're at a school.
You like everything about it.
But now you got to figure out your major.
What was that like?
MAYA SMITH: Yeah, so coming into school,
I always knew I liked technology and some type of--
I was thinking engineering at first after like my freshman
year of high school when I went to Temple for the architecture
program.
I knew I had to pivot.
So I was like, OK, maybe I can be a software engineer.
And I knew in the back of my head,
I don't really like math or science.
So I started out as an engineering technology
major freshman year.
And I just wanted to see how I liked it.
And I figured out really quickly that it wasn't--
that particular major wasn't for me.
I think I really enjoy like a smaller, more intimate class
size.
And those lecture halls were super big
and it was really hard to catch up
in real time trying to learn all these coding things.
That's just not the way that I learn for me specifically.
So I was asking around my spring semester of sophomore year.
I was asking around my friends and my family members.
I was like, I don't know.
I really want to switch majors.
What would you guys suggest I do?
And my friend Stephanie actually told
me like-- she was an MIS major.
She came in being an MIS major.
And she told me that I should try it out.
It's a lot like software engineering.
You have a lot of the IT background,
but you also like tie-in the business resources with it.
And yeah, since the fall of my sophomore year,
I've been an MIS major and I declared my minor in Spanish.
And I really enjoy what I'm learning.
And I think the professors are really--
they're really good at helping you figure out what exactly you
want to do in the field and pushing you
towards getting those internships
and those professional development opportunities.
Even in my first MIS class in the spring
semester, when I first got into the curriculum,
my professor saw me.
I would sit in the first or second row with my friend.
And she saw me, she was like, you're an MIS major.
How would you feel about being an information technology
assistant for one of my classes next semester?
I was like, wow.
I really wasn't expecting that because I didn't really
say anything to her.
I didn't mention that I was interested in that.
And she saw that I had potential.
And that really pushed me to want
to learn more about the major.
And actually, yeah, be dedicated.
SPEAKER: Well, I think it's great to hear that you found
your way even though it started architecture, then maybe
engineering, the MIS.
And I think you're also not alone
to see that faculty took an interest and saw your interest
and helped bring it out of you, whether it was just
in your studies or in your actual internships.
So that's really awesome to hear.
Julia, you mentioned earlier that you would consider yourself
kind of like a lifelong learner, a student by trade at this point
because you've been in school for so long.
How was it coming from a community college
and then switching into Temple already
with some of these degrees?
Did you feel like Temple met the kind
of model of learning that you are already adjusted to?
Maya talked about how she knew her style of learning.
Did Temple feel like they provided that for you?
Because at that point, you must have already kind of figured
out how you learn best, right?
JULIA: I think that Temple has a lot of benefits
that, obviously, Nick and Maya have both touched on.
The learning style here, it does emulate
a lot of what I learned in the liberal arts
college, the community college that I went to.
Very forward progressive thinking,
looking to innovate in every industry
that the temple touches, especially for me.
I'm in STHM, Sport Tourism Hospitality Management
Program, which is an extension of the Fox School of Business.
And I also-- to speak to the same point
that Maya just made of a faculty member reaching out
and really pushing her to be the best version of herself.
I was also asked to be part of Eta Sigma Delta, which
is the honor society.
Basically, a student run organization, also the Honor
Society extension of STHM.
And so that's another way, I think,
one of my favorite things to think about sometimes
when I get down is that great people push you to be great also
because they make you feel that you too can achieve greatness.
That idea of self efficacy, that what you believe
you can accomplish, you can do.
That is something that I love about Temple.
The fact that they are constantly
encouraging their students to take that next step.
To push themselves a little bit further.
When it comes to whether this school helps me
with what I really want to do with my life,
I'd say absolutely.
I wasn't sure what I wanted to do when I graduated
with my liberal arts degree.
I wasn't sure.
So I was asking my parents similarly to Maya.
I was like, I have no idea what I want to do.
But I have so much background in entertainment.
My sister actually went to the University of the Arts
in Center City for her Bachelor's in musical theater.
And she loved Philadelphia.
Because there's so much art here,
there's so much culture here, there's so much
self-expression in this city.
And for me, as somebody who wants
to go into event and entertainment management,
that's completely beautiful, completely great.
I want to be part of that culture.
I want to be part of that innovation.
Bringing people's real life stories
to the forefront of people's minds
and, basically, just helping people achieve that flow where
you really feel like everything that you're doing
is at the perfect level that you're at.
You want to feel like you can succeed always.
And creating that in entertainment and an experience,
I'm exclusively trying to enter the tourism and hospitality
industry.
And so seeing how people come to Philadelphia to experience that
is something that I really appreciate.
SPEAKER: I think it's really interesting that you were all
able to find something at Temple or just Philadelphia
at large that really interests you, interests your career path,
and really let you lay down your roots and grow a lot.
So we've talked about it a little bit
before at this point about what people and professors do well
in classes, what makes a class better than other ones
and stand out to you.
But let's talk a little bit more specifically.
What do you see a professor or a class or in your program
in general that really clicks for you, really works and brings
the best out of you?
NICHOLAS SALERNO: I would say personally, for me,
it's definitely the energy and their character.
Most of the professors that I have throughout my legal studies
curriculum and even just some of the professors in the Fox School
of Business.
When they come to class early and they're very open,
a lot of energy brightens up the room.
And you see other students who might
have be potentially having a bad day,
their faces automatically lightens up.
And that's what keeps me motivated
and continue going through the curriculum
and going through the courses.
Because, as a business student, you
have to take some hard courses like supply chain.
A lot of my fellow Foxes will talk about.
Or the statistics 2103 or even risk management and so on.
And you're like, oh, I got to take these courses
and the material just sounds so bad.
But the professors who come in who
enjoy teaching, their teaching style, then being very
transparent, like I harped on earlier, having
a great communication and work ethic
and truly giving their all to what they do
is what really, I think, motivates and really keeps
everyone's desires going forward with their major
and taking those courses and everything.
And that's what has been very transformative
here for my experience here at Temple and everything.
JULIA: My professors at Temple have been completely wonderful.
I feel like I'm swimming in a pool of knowledge
and I'm just hoping that I don't drown in deadlines, basically.
I mean, of course, there's a lot of work.
There's a high workload.
That comes with college courses.
Again, for me, that doesn't bother me,
but that's because I have experience in it.
I think the best teachers that I've
had at Temple are the ones who really want
to hear from their students and who encourage dialogue,
encourage conversation between students as well
as with the professor.
I'm taking two classes with Dr. Lindsay Lee right now,
and she's completely wonderful.
She encourages students to think a little bit deeper
every single time, to question what
it would be like as a manager and to put themselves
in those shoes, to look at things
from a different point of view.
And that's something that is so important because, ultimately,
we're trying to enter the industry.
So not only are there teachers that
have experience and who have lived the life that you are
trying to get to, but they also are giving their advice
on things that they themselves haven't even
experienced because the world is constantly changing, especially
today.
As we've talked about with COVID, things change rapidly.
And here at Temple, we're just so
grateful to have those experiences,
to have those opportunities.
Because without the professors to connect us with those,
it would be impossible.
As I already said, it was Professor Lindsay Lee
who invited me to the Honor Society of Entertainment
Management.
And that opportunity I'm so grateful for.
It's going to set me up to be a manager
and to focus on things like job performance and motivation.
And two of the things that are hardest
to get from students as well.
And somehow she manages to do it.
So what strategies does she use?
Just emulating the role models that we see at Temple.
There are so many ways to be involved here on this campus,
just like Maya said.
There's so much diversity.
There's somewhere for everybody.
And me, I'm in entertainment management.
I'm not necessarily looking to get into sport business.
But I'm the event manager of the Sport Governance Association.
So I'm tapping into a part of my skill set that I normally
wouldn't have even thought to engage with.
I'm so grateful.
And I want to plug right here that the Saga Sport Business
Temple Sport Business Conference this year, the annual event,
is on April 5th, 2024.
And there will be a bunch of sport professionals in things
like WNBA, sports entrepreneurship, sports
media, and more.
There will be networking opportunities for anybody
who's interested in sport business
and it's open to everyone.
SPEAKER: Great.
And that's April 5, Saga.
Everybody go check it out.
But Maya, let's jump to you now.
Let's talk-- you've already mentioned
that you had a lot of interest in direction from classes
and everything like that.
What were the professors doing in those classes that really
gave you that big impact?
MAYA SMITH: Yeah, I think professors really,
like you said, having the energy and the motivation
to actually come to class every day
and tell you something interesting that you've never
known before.
Their experience in the field, both in the field
and in teaching, is what is really interesting to me.
Because a lot of them either still work in the field
or work in the field part time and teach part time.
Or they completely are out of the field
and they're just teaching full time.
And I think it's interesting to hear their perspectives
because they've been in our shoes before, a lot of them.
A lot of my MIS professors graduated from Temple
and they were in AIS and some of the organizations
that I've been in.
And it really gives me a roadmap for success.
So I know that it's possible to make it to where they are now.
And yeah, what's really inspiring is the fact--
the way that they tie-in current events
with what we're learning now.
Because it's easy to really get caught up and wrapped up
in the technicalities and the theoretical things
that we'll be experiencing in the workforce.
But really experiencing, for example,
AI develop as we're speaking in this day
and age is so interesting to me.
And the way I would see my professors get excited about it
and really tell us like a new current event that's
happening every week was just super exciting for me.
And yeah, what else?
Yeah, I think they really champion us
all coming together and being better for the world.
JULIA: I really love the point that you just made.
The type of person that comes into the classroom
to teach you and how their experience--
their role model abilities.
When you look up to a professor, I
feel like it's so easy to get lost
in that professionalism where you want
to divulge as much knowledge onto your students
as you possibly can, because of course, that's what
they're paying for, right?
But it's so beautiful, I think, here at Temple
that there's more to it than that.
I mean, when you're looking up to a professor,
there's professionalism.
There is understanding because they've been where you've been
and there's encouragement because they
want you to succeed.
But they also truly keep that part of themselves
that's truly human.
And that's something at Temple that
is really amazing because everybody here is so different.
And so bringing themself into the classroom and showing how--
they're living this life, but your career doesn't make you.
And they have all these other things going on,
all these other interests.
There are so many things in our world today
and they all kind of collide.
And yeah, that's really all I have to say.
SPEAKER: I love to hear it.
And I like the way you said it.
There's more to it.
There's more, it's professionalism
and responsibility.
But it sounds like from everything we've said,
there's more to it.
It's community, Temple community,
and you guys are a part of it.
You're living it.
You're seeing in it.
And it seems like everybody's bringing the best.
We're trying to bring the best out of each other.
And that's just amazing to hear.
So thank you guys so much for joining us on this episode.
Good luck on your [INAUDIBLE].
MAYA SMITH: Thank you.
You too.
NICHOLAS SALERNO: Thank you.
[THEME MUSIC]
