Class participation

Student Lounge College Life
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These questions are for all current or former LAC students (or their parents):

I’m highly interested in attending a LAC because I really enjoy the tight knit community LACs foster and also the collaborative nature of these schools. I also really like how professors are usually very accessible and are always there to help students succeed as best as they can. My only concern is that most classes are discussion-based. I’m pretty shy and introverted and get pretty nervous when I have to talk in front of people I don’t really know. This is something I do want to overcome (hopefully in college) but I know it’ll take time.

My question is if other students felt the same going into college? and were they able to overcome this? Are class discussions less intimidating than you imagined them to be? Are there a lot of students who felt the same way as I did or are the majority of them naturally comfortable with participating in class? Also, are fellow peers and professors understanding and encouraging towards shyer students?

Sorry this is a lot, but any insight would help/ be reassuring for me:) thanks in advance everyone.

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This is difficult. When my D was in elementary/HS, her report cards routinely said something like “should participate more,” “has good ideas on paper but we don’t hear from her in class,” “too shy” etc. She was tempted to choose a big school where she could get lost in the lecture hall, but pushed her boundaries and chose a very small LAC - the kind where the prof calls you when you’re not in class that day. It took a while, but she eventually overcame her reticence and now is working successfully as a professional where she intiates conversations routinely. One thing you could do is visit the prof during office hours and explain your situation; they might respond by “calling on you” which could be a way to help you overcome that barrier.

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thanks for the reply! yeah I hope it works out the same way for me as it did for your daughter :), because I would really like to overcome this and I know I’ll have to do it eventually, so sounds like an LAC would be the perfect place for me to grow