Five tips for managing first-year students (or it doesn't have to be the stick).
First-year students are a quandary for early career faculty.
On the one hand, you know the students were admitted for a reason - hopefully, because they are smart and hardworking.
On the other hand, your most recent student memories are of you as an independent fourth year - hopefully because you were a fantastic Ph.D. student.
So when first-year students turn up, you have high expectations- that they will be smart, hardworking, and independent.
Reality will quickly set in - you find that first-year students are smart but also may not be up to your standard for hardworking and are not independent.
In dismay, you talk to the old person in the office next door - who laughs and says, 'this is normal! Students take time to develop!'
You return to your office downtrodden. Your plans to give the kid work and set them free to do it are ruined!
So what do you do?
First, recalibrate.
Most of us retrospectively think we were great students.
Talk to your faculty.
You probably were not.
So reset expectations to the norms of where you work and to what students are capable of.
Second, teach.
You can't expect students to show up capable of doing Ph.D.-level work.
Hiring a Ph.D. student is all about raw potential.
Your job is to elevate a person who was a very good undergrad or master's student to the Ph.D. level.
So take time to show them how to do a literature review, show them how to write up a paper, take time to talk to the student, and teach them the thinking skills they need to succeed.
Third, scope.
Assign more minor, tractable tasks.
Remember, we are teaching.
You want to build the student's enactive mastery.
Small tasks, pats on the back, and realistic feedback all help.
Fourth, timing.
Most first-year students are lost in semester one.
They are trying to sort out where they fit, what they must do, and cope with lost income.
Get to know the student in semester one, set expectations, then ramp up the work in semester two.
Note. I'm suggesting lift expectations over time. Not to slam the student with tons of work.
Fifth, and this is a strategy I don't use, wait.
Don't ask for much or pay much attention in semester one.
I know faculty who deliberately ask for nothing. They want to see if a student will stick around for another semester.
Many students drop out in the first year. So some faculty take a wait-and-see approach.
This leads to less disappointment.
It also means you aren't doing your part to train kids - which is why I don't use it.
If you consider these five tips, you will find working with Ph.D. students a lot less frustrating and that your students do better than over time.
First-year students need mentoring and time to grow. Be sure to give them a little of both!
Let's build a more mindful, coherent academe for our students!
Best of luck!
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