Whether the topic is research or career options or life itself, meaningful interaction between students and professors is a vital component of the Oxy journey. Four graduating seniors and their faculty advisers reflect on the bonds they share—and the lessons they’ve taught each other.
After Mark Gad ’18 defended his honors biochemistry thesis on “Synthetic Neuroexcitatory Peptides From Fish-Hunting Cone Snails” in April to faculty and students, a number of faculty came up to his adviser, associate professor of biology Joseph Schulz, raving about his work. “They had nothing but glowing things to say about your thesis and presentation,” Schulz tells Gad. “Younger students have been inspired by your work already.”
Schulz feels lucky when students like Gad walk into his “path of existence,” and many other professors feel the same way about their students, many of whom become involved in their research initiatives or creative projects. These same faculty spend time in the classroom, office hours, and after hours having conversations with students to foster their understanding and growth. Whether it’s sharing data, discussing comps topics, mulling over career paths, or just offering them advice, these close interactions are rewarding to faculty as well as students, and a big reason they choose to teach at a small liberal arts college.
A recent Gallup-Purdue Index survey of 70,000 college graduates gained insights into several key undergraduate experiences that set up graduates to succeed not only in their work but in their lives after college. Chief among them were having a professor who cared about them as a person or a mentor who encouraged them to pursue goals or dreams, and working on a long-term project or research initiative. Graduates indicated that these experiences lead to a greater sense of well-being and satisfaction after college.
Prior to Commencement, 511 magazine spoke to four graduating seniors and their faculty mentors—including Gad and Schulz—to gain our own insights into what makes these relationships so rewarding.
