participating and presenting in college?

Question

i am really shy, and i hate all of the presenting to the class and the participation grades in my high school classes

is that an issue in college classes?

is it often that you present? is participation manidatory? if not manditory, is it expected?

you know how in high school, teachers call on people to answer questions? is it like that in college?

i hope to major in journalism

Answer 1

Unless you are in an introductory class at a large university, where there are hundreds of other students, then yes, participation is expected. Even in these courses, there is sometimes a special discussion section in which every student is expected to actively participate.

Most professors in the humanities and social sciences include participation in discussion as a substantial part of a student's grade. (I honestly don't know about the sciences.)

Some professors will call on students, and others will expect students to volunteer. Students who do not volunteer will often earn much lower grades, because lack of participation gives the impression that the student is not sufficiently engaged with the material under study.

Presentations are most common in the upper-level classes that students take in their junior and senior years.

If you are extremely shy, speak to your professors about your problem. In some cases, your professors will be sympathetic, and in some cases, they will not. Do keep in mind that participation and presentation skills are extremely important in the working world, and college is the best place to begin to develop those skills.

As a matter of fact, I have seen many very shy students begin to develop these skills over time. I bet you will learn them, too! The more you participate, the easier it becomes. Really.

Best wishes to you.

Answer 2

first of all, if you hope to major in journalism, you will need to overcome your shyness if you plan to succeed in life. As a former jhournalist, I can tell you first-hand that you will need to be quite communicative in order to succeed - not just in asking (sometimes awkward) questions, but in socializing ot make the contacts that you will need. The good news? It becomes easier as you do more of it.

Whether or not I've scared you off of journalism or not (a joke, hopefully), the same thing applies to college: students learn not justv from the prof, from the books - but from each other. There are people who avoid talking, avoid presentations (sometimes, at the expense of full credit), and while you may think you've made an easier path by doing so, you've really shortchanged yourself.

Your freshman year, taking mostly geenral-ed classes, you can probably avoid presentations, and I advise you to join clubs and committtees where you will interact in small groups. This should be good practice for what is to come.

I was very shy years ago, and I can empathize, but please... look for ways to challenge yourself, a little at a time if need be, so you're not shooting yourself in the foot down the road.

Answer 3

I was kinda like that in high school, too, but I got over it because my teachers always made us present and it just became a regular everyday kind of thing. I'd look around the class when someone else was presenting and see that all my classmates weren't paying attention anyway.
Every single college class is different, but most of my professors require participation, and some call on you to answer questions. I don't even attend a lot of my classes because attendance doesn't count and the professor lectures the whole time.
But the shyness thing...try to work on it. Maybe you'll have a job where you have to present something in front of a lot of people or even in front of a small group of peers. Standing in front of people and expressing yourself is something you will have to do eventually. Just get up there, do your best, breathe, and get it over with.

Answer 4

I also hate presenting in front of classes. I've been in college forever (couldn't make up my mind :)). I've been to a couple universities and they all required that you take a public speaking class. Participation usually isn't mandatory, but it could help the teacher remember you if your grade is borderline.

Answer 5

It depends on what the course id. If you take speech....a yeah. If you go to a major university most courses are lecture with a large test. No matter what you do, asking clarifying questions will only help. In High School teachers ask to make sure you are understanding and not left out....in other words they care. In college its all output and hope you get it. If you don't get it, retake the course and keep them in business.