The stark contrasts between professor-student relationships in the U.S. and India
Just a few months ago I entered the University of Southern California as a freshman business administration major. I traveled 9,000 miles from my home in Jalandhar, India to Los Angeles. The whirlpool of anxiety, excitement, and motivation inside of me at that time will stay vivid in my memories for a long, long time.
I couldn’t get the classes that I really wanted, (perks of being an international freshman), which further amplified my fear. Thankfully, the first week of classes was a big relief for my troubled mind. The presence of Teaching Assistants (TAs) is something that I wasn’t accustomed to in the education system in my country. Now, I feel that these ready-to-help and amiable TAs have been a huge part of my early academic success.
As more time passed, I got more and more comfortable with calling the Professor or TA by his name rather than “Sir” (something that I can’t even imagine doing in my home country because it is considered a sign of irreverence). I also got more familiar with watching students enter and leave the classroom as they please, without notifying the professor.
The most significant difference between schooling in India and the U.S. that I have encountered is the typical relationship between professors and students. The professors here (at least most of them), try to maintain a professional yet cordial relationship, allowing students to talk to them during office hours or after class about any topic covered in the class. But the ball is in the student’s court, and it all depends on the student’s willingness to learn in and out of the classroom.
Back in India, teachers and professors do not take such a business-like approach to learning, and they take every student’s progress quite personally. They show their concern in a number of ways such as calling students on the phone to discuss their academic performance or informing the student’s guardians if matters get out of hand. Also, in India, students do not only visit counselors when they have a personal concern. Most of the teachers maintain personal relationships with students, so students don’t think twice about approaching a professor to discuss their personal issues.
When I began my studies at USC, I expected to have a similar academic experience to the one I had in India, but the lack of personal connection in class and the dearth of the concept of “the teacher is our Guru” shook me a little. Slowly, I’ve started to see the importance of professionalism in professor-student relationships, as well. Who knows, four years from now, I might wonder how I ever thought that professor-student relationships at USC lack a personal touch.
So, my advice that every international student is that it’s okay to encounter something that you could never have expected, especially in respect with the relationship that you were hoping to form with your professors. Moreover, don’t take this reminder off your phone: Every single thing that the U.S. and USC are making you go through will help you become a better person and lead a more accomplished life. So, allow your professors to impart all of their knowledge upon you, and do not weep for the lack of personal touch because, after all, USC has some amazing counselors for that purpose.
Story by: Khyati Kohli; Khyati Kohli is a freshman studying business administration. She is from Jalandhar, India.