english essay

Grace Harrington-Taylor Mr. Meador ENG 1310 09/19/2018 The ‘Perfect’ Education The outlook for higher education is a controversial issue involving our current education system. Schools around the Nation want to create the ideal college experience, however, students studying to get their degree often go through obstacles regarding lack of resources to study or get some advice. Texas State University offers a wide variety of academic services to ensure students are successful in and outside the classroom. Services like SLAC and PACE, provide on-campus tutoring and academic advising for those incoming and current students. Other resources like our Alkek library which carries thousands of high quality books and services that supports the Universities’ various research and teaching programs. Texas State University offers various pathways for students wanting to achieve their career goal. PACE, according to Texas State’s website is a “Mentoring and Academic Coaching (MAC) program connects first-year students to faculty, staff, peer mentors, and graduate students who offer support throughout the academic and social transitions to the campus community.”. PACE advisors work one-on-one with incoming students before classes start and during the year to establish goals, provide support, and “empower students to be productive in their own learning”. PACE is a prime example of why Texas State plays the ideal role of higher education, reaching out to students to guide them through their first year, and to connect the students to their campus to accommodate their drive for success. In comparison to online colleges like Minerva, which is and an accredited university that strictly uses an online platform and is seen as an innovation in higher education. Students attending the university live in dorms located in san Francisco. Minerva’s plan according to a lecturer in the department of political science named Graeme wood “they’ll attend university in a different place, so that after 4 years they’ll have the kind of international experience that other universities advertise but can rarely deliver.”. Online college like Minerva, is meant for those who want a leaner and cheaper version of education. However, college is not meant for everyone, but college online lacks social and physical advantages such as PACE offered at Texas State to get students eager for class. Like PACE a program known as SLAC is another great tutoring resource on campus. SLAC stands for the Student Learning Assistant Center which according to the Texas state webpage is “a multi-faceted academic support program for all Texas State students. We provide tutoring services (individual, group, online), Supplemental Instruction (collaborative group study for specific courses), learning and study skills workshops, and learning specialist consultations free of charge.” Students visit SLAC over 52,000 times a year, making SLAC a reliable tool for studying and getting extra help outside the classroom. As a student, I find it difficult to focus in lectures and often zone out, typically the notes I jot down in class I review when I return to my dorm, however, I find myself trying to re-learn the information from my notes which seems impossible. My first time going to an SI session for my biology lecture, I was able to distinguish the characteristics of Punnett squares, genes, alleles, Geno and phenotypes. The SI tutor was patient, consistent, and was adamant about meeting our goal. This made me feel comfortable and confident to ask questions based on the information discussed during the lecture. Of the many resources on Texas State’s campus, the library is one of the necessary tools students use every day. The Albert B. Alkek library holds “more than 1.5 million printed volumes, over 99,700 electronic journals, 506,000 e-books, more than 625 databases, and over half-million microform and audio-visual materials” according to Texas State’s website. Having the abundance of books and materials allows students to have the essential textbooks and curriculum for all classes. Each floor is designated for specific purposes like, SLAC, located on the 4th floor of the library or our instructional technologies support located on the first floor to aid in any technology issues students may be facing. Making the Library a vital resource to students and professors all over Texas State’s campus Texas State University offers various resources and programs for students such as PACE, SLAC, and the amenities of our 7-floor library. These opportunities open doors to students to explore career paths and choose courses based on their job interests. The University also aides in student tutoring, to help students of all major’s progress in their classes to succeed within the classroom. Furthermore, Texas State University exceeds the standard and is the ideal role for Higher Education due to the available resources and programs on campus. Works cited Wood, Graeme. “Is College Doomed.” Emerging, Bedford/St.Martin’s, 2016, pp. 512-513. “PACE Academic Advicing.” Texas State Univeristy, http://pace.Texas Stateate.edu/advising/about/about-us.html. Accessed 17 Sept. 2018. “What is SLAC?” Texas State University http://www.txstate.edu/slac/about/overview.html “Albert B. Alkek library” Texas State University http://www.library.txstate.edu/about.html