"For all practical purposes, I was left to my own devices, both academically and socially. We were provided a student handbook with information on degrees and programs and a catalog with course descriptions and were basically required to figure stuff out from there. After I'd accrued 60 hours of credit, I didn't even need the previous pro forma sign-off of an "academic adviser." I never met with an academic adviser."
"I badly failed an Econ 101 exam after a happy hour debacle (see this old post for some details). I took a course that repeated credit I'd already earned through Advanced Placement. I switched majors six or seven times in search of the path of least resistance that was consistent with some of my interests. My transcript, while meeting the requirements for graduation, is minimally coherent as plan for future employment."
The University of Illinois provided minimal academic and social supervision from 1988–1992, leaving the student largely to navigate requirements independently. A student handbook and course catalog were the primary resources, and after 60 credit hours adviser sign-off was unnecessary; the student never met an academic adviser. Consequences included failing an Econ 101 exam after a social misadventure, repeating Advanced Placement credit, frequently changing majors, and a transcript that met graduation requirements but lacked coherence for employment planning. Campus social organizations operated with student leadership. Coursework often produced limited retained knowledge, yet the student discovered interests and learned important life skills through independent exploration.
Read at Inside Higher Ed | Higher Education News, Events and Jobs
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