College is an exciting time in a student’s life, but it can also be stressful learning how to balance classes, homework, family, work, friends, relationships and personal issues.

Having a bad professor can make a difficult situation even worse.

“A good professor can make all the difference,” said student Errisha Richardson. “They push you to do your best and be the best you can.”

Richardson feels that professors that use office hours to give feedback on progress and try to enhance learning by explaining the material instead of just reading textbooks are a few things that help students a great deal.

“What has happened to the professors who used to actually interact with the class?” asked Richardson. “I like to actually apply what is being taught and understand what it is that I am applying. My tuition is paying for their salary, yet lately it seems they cannot find time to help me when it is needed.”

Many students have recently said that their professors are constantly comparing the students’ lives to their own, informing students of how busy they are outside of class.

Some professors are graduate students, teaching at other campuses, have other jobs or are parents.

Students are doing some of those things as well, and if it isn’t acceptable for them to use their extracurricular activities as an excuse, professors shouldn’t allow it to affect their teaching.

“It would be nice to have professors who are well organized and who actually stick to their set game plan,” said student Christopher McBride. “ I am tired of professors being unable to accommodate students’ needs, never being at their scheduled office hours and beating around the bush when it comes to a student’s progress in their class.

“Professors should be easy to communicate with and they should interact with their students.”

Teachers expect students to leave their personal problems at the door, and give their undivided attention during class time. Students expect the same.

“Having a bad professor makes me lose interest in a class,” said student Anne Lague. “I realized last year that I started having more bad professors than good. So many of my professors spend all class period giving dull, lifeless and unenthusiastic lectures. They have no interaction with the class. When professors show no interest in the class, I lose motivation to want to succeed in that particular class.”

Last year, furloughs put a damper on students’ quality of learning.

While some professors made an effort to schedule furloughs on days that didn’t conflict with class times, others lost at least two scheduled class days from their courses, and students were still expected to know the same amount of material.

Now, professors seem to be too busy to teach, leaving students searching for compassionate professors that would go out of their way to make sure their students were on the road to success. In these trying times, students desperately need them back.

“Having a good professor is life-changing,” said student Emmanuel Udoh. “When a good professor speaks, you are encouraged to hear what they have to say, which in turn helps you learn more.”

Udoh said that students usually aren’t intimidated by good, caring professors, so they can work together to build a better learning environment.

Students are the reflection of their professors. Granted, not all students are ideal, but they are paying to be here and without paying students, there would be no CSUEB.

There are many wonderful professors here at CSUEB, and this article is not meant to say that there are more bad than good professors teaching here, but as the old saying goes, “It only takes a few rotten apples to spoil the whole bunch.”