Syllabus week at Keene State is laid back for some, while others must get right to work in their new classes. Prepping for the semester ahead and going over every assignment can be stressful for students.
First-year student double majoring in management and Holocaust and genocide studies Katie Flight said during syllabus week, she makes sure she gets all her books for her classes and tries to order them for the cheapest prices from either Amazon or Chegg.
Flight is one student who has experienced syllabus week as not being so laid back.
Colton McCracken / Equinox Staff
“I noticed that a lot of the professors, well my professors, still start teaching material even during syllabus week. I think that syllabus week should be more for introducing the professors and introducing the material instead of already assigning assignments and quizzes because it could potentially freak students out and make them question the work load the class will end up having,” Flight said.
Staying on top of everything and being organized are two things Flight tries to make sure she does during the first week of classes.
Second semester senior and occupational safety and health applied sciences major Beau Donovan has experienced getting right to work, but also being dismissed early on the first day of classes.
“There are some classes that I’ve have had where homework was assigned and we begin going over material in the first class, but I would say 75-85 percent of classes just briefly speak about the syllabus and then dismiss the class. As far as outside of class, syllabus week has been notorious for just being a week to party to begin the year. All of the students are back from summer or winter break and they all just want to hang out and party again. I normally go out and hang out with my friends and not worry about classes too much yet,” Donovan said.
Donovan said syllabus week could be used more efficiently if it wasn’t announced as syllabus week, but rather called something different such as the beginning of classes.
First year elementary education student Katie Belletete said she thinks syllabus week is very important.
“It teaches students right from the bat that they need to follow these guidelines or they will not have a chance of doing very well in the class,” said Belletete.
Though Belletete said she is organized, she notices her friends aren’t always the same.
“My friends tend to slack on this week because they pretty much know for a fact they won’t have much work or put effort in because they are handed the syllabus with not many strings attached, or at least not for the first few classes anyways.
I think that is poor because every class students should be going in and giving their all no matter what day of the week it is for them,” Belletete said.
Belletete said she thinks professors should be using all the time they have on the first day of classes so they feel comfortable to stay for the whole class, rather than being let out early because the professor is done discussing the syllabus.
Donovan said, “I wouldn’t necessarily call syllabus week extremely important by any means, but it’s a nice transition week to catch up with everyone that didn’t see over break, while also getting back into the semester school schedule.”
Emma Hamilton can be contacted at ehamilton@kscequinox.com
