Expert: Rolland Puckett - 12/11/2000

Question
Hi....I am trying to find the best colleges/universities in NY state for Elementary Education, but I don't know exactly where to look.  Any suggestions on websites or anything?  

Thanks,
Donna :)

Answer
Dear Donna,

New York is LOADED with schools having excellent department for everything.  I live many miles from there, but I've known many students and (later on) many teachers who received their training in the NY university system, and in the private colleges and universities.  Some of them are truly preeminent in several majors.

All that having been stated, my best advice to you would be to visit the reference department of a good public library.  They usually have the catalogs of course study from all the accredited institutions of higher learning in that state and many more.  Enlist the help of one of the research librarians; that's what they're there for and should be very willing to help.  Be prepared to spend at least two or three hours.  

There are, also, several magazine format types of publications called something like Guide to US Colleges & Universities, published by several major new magazines: Time, Newsweek, US News & World Report, etc.  The information found in those guides is quite useful for purposes of comparison.  I see them all the time in Waldenbooks, Kroger, Barnes & Noble, etc.

Unless money and travel are of no concern to an applicant, those considerations are something to think about.  Of course, if you live around Syracuse you'd surely want to look into the education program offered by Syracuse University.  But, if you find something more attractive in Ithaca (Colgate), and if the greater financial commitment doesn't bother you, then take a look at their program.

Hope that helps at least some.  Have a marvelous academic career!  Just remember this one thing, my friend: do Not fall in love in college; don't even go near it.  Loooove is the great killer of academic careers.  Boys in college are just that: boys.  It doesn't matter one single iota if one is as "cute" as Tom Cruise and that Pitt fellow combined.  No student of either gender is ready to commit to a relationship for more than a third of a semester, and that relationship is no relationship anyone is ready for - please believe me!  Nature will shout at you, but please tell nature to take a hike.  You're there to study, to learn, to interact (for sure) with others, to make enjoyable and interesting friendships (which will almost surely not last beyond college), to gain salable skills to take care of yourself for the rest of your life.  NEVER count on any guy to take care of you!  (When you're out of grad school, turn on your radar and scan for the kind of guy who will make a great partner in life.  He's looking for you, believe me!)

AND, you'd better be a superior student, Donna, because no one much cares that you have a degree; they want to know what kind of student you were.  They will question: did she get by, or was she a pretty good student, or was she academically distinguished?  The graduates in the last category are the ones who are sought after, get the best offers, get into the best graduate schools, etc.  

The other great killer of academic careers is indifference -a ho-hum attitude which amounts to air-headed laziness.  To sum it up in two words: no motivation.  That's scary.  You do see it a lot, though: students who just sort of drift from this to that and make no real attempt to take advantage of what is an enormous opportunity.  They usually flunk out of school, and then they flunk out of life.  Life doesn't offer too many second chances, and after a short time it's too late for second chances.

Please take college very seriously, Donna.  It's not going to be easy, but get yourself all armored with determination, self respect, ignore the doubts that plague so many young people about things that don't mean anything at all, and work, work, work.  Set strict limits for yourself in dating, dawdling around, etc.  Never cut class!  Never cut class!  Never cut class!!!  Do not procrastinate!  Students who wait until two or three days before deadline to begin work on a paper assigned two weeks or a month earlier are incredibly foolish.  Get away from distractions!  That can be a roommate you wish you didn't have, a bunch of loud students who won't shut up late at night, a guy who can't stop bothering you, or things you'd really rather be doing but can't for whatever reason.  Communicate academically with your professors when you have academic problems, even small ones!  That's their duty, to respond to you.  Be civil, be mature, and just go away from potential conflicts with anyone.  Don't even try to deal with contentious people; avoid them.  TAKE CARE OF YOUR HEALTH!!!  Smoking is about the dumbest thing a young person can do.  I did it.  It was DUMB!  It's not cool; it's just...stupid to the tenth.  I won't even approach comment about the drug culture.  Those tragic people are always, always on a downhill slide.

Didn't mean to preach, Donna, but I hope you'll think about those things a lot.  Hope your studies and your career are just marvelous, and that you become a distinguished professional.

Yours,
Rolland Puckett