Directed studies lets you graduate with something to show
The vast majority of the time, the work we do as students does nothing but get us a grade. Some amazing research happens in universities, but for the most part, few people outside the university setting appreciate it. Education does not have to be like this; it should not be like this.
One way of shaping your degree into something that more directly reflects your own interests and aspirations is to literally design your own course through the underutilized Directed Studies options. Students often complain about how irrelevant their course material will be once they’ve obtained their degree. It’s true that having a well-rounded degree is crucial, but that doesn’t make taking courses that don’t interest you any more palatable.
To start, you have to come up with a plan for what your perfect course would look like. In order to implement this, you then approach a professor who you think would be willing to supervise you. Assuming they agree, you simply fill out the paperwork required by your department and go from there.
Maybe you already know of a community group that you could approach, and then relate their research or project request to your degree. If you can find a professor who will support you, that project could be the basis of your directed studies course.
If you don’t know what group you could do it for, there are campus resources you could check out, such as SFPIRG’s Action Research eXchange (ARX) program. Community social and environmental justice groups submit a project proposal for assistance and interested students can then browse the ARX listings and apply for the opportunity.
As an undergraduate, Jennifer McRae pursued three directed studies courses. She wanted to have more autonomy to further research areas of interest not covered within her department’s courses. Through directed studies, she was able to co-author two book reviews with a professor, both of which were subsequently published in a well-known academic journal.
Another one of these courses led to her current employment position as a project coordination in the Experiential Education Project for SFU, a position she has held for the past two and a half years.
As students, we spend a huge part of our lives at school and doing school-related activities with hopes that our efforts will matter one day. However, it is worth questioning the notion that we have nothing to offer right now and that we cannot be relevant to our communities until we graduate. Students are capable of all kinds of contributions and it feels better to put energy and time into a project when you know it actually matters to someone.
Because job-readiness is a real issue, it is also worth pointing out that this kind of engaged project really does look good on a resume. In today’s competitive job market, creativity, independence and ingenuity are highly valued, and completion of a directed studies course, particularly one that involves real work in the community, can only help you to stand out when it comes to applying for your dream job.
Getting our degree is a tremendous commitment of time and energy, so why shouldn’t we make the most of it? There are lots of ways that we can really engage with our studies, and directed studies courses are one excellent tool for taking charge of our university experience.
