Under the guise of a student, Northern Arizona University anthropology professor Cathy Smith enrolled as a freshman at her own school for two semesters, moved into the dorms and took a full load of courses.
UW-Madison students and faculty gathered at Helen C. White Hall Thursday to discuss Smith's book detailing her repeat performance as a college freshman: 'The First Year Experience,' written under a pseudonym.
Smith said she did not reveal her identity until after the book was published, when she felt her students were prepared to handle her true identity.
In the process, she said she learned many surprising things about not only higher education, but also student life.
'My overall opinion of the book was that it was accurate,' said Wren Singer, UW-Madison director of Orientation and New Student Programs. 'I've done a lot of work with freshmen, and so the book didn't surprise me that much.'
Smith said one of the most revealing aspects of undergraduate life was the lack of interest students have in class material.
'She was imagining that her classes were opening students' minds, when really what she discovered was that what most students try to do in college is just try to perform [grade-wise],' Singer said.
Singer said Smith became sympathetic toward the students and began to understand why students do things the way they do: 'Because it's so demanding, because they have to work, because it's such a full life that they have to just do what they can to get by,' Singer said.
Smith said professors disguised as students could learn of the trials and tribulations of students. Studying is not the sole priority in a student's life; students take on various roles, whether social or academic, and Smith said professors must understand this.
'When a student invents a story about why the paper hasn't been written on time or snoozes in class, that is the small stuff, the workings of a culture,' Smith said.
'I thought she did a great job,' UW-Madison freshman Sarah Hamilton said. 'She really described what I am feeling as a student.'
Singer said after reading the book, she cut down on the amount of reading she assigned to her students.
'It tells professors that they have to do things a little differently if they want to have an impact on students,' Singer said.
