<p>I'm not calling anyone out, but in just 1.5 years, I've seen quite a few professors who just think they're the ****.... even pre-tenure too.
Why are academics more arrogant than the rest of the population?</p>
<p>Look at their CVs. They might have a PhD from Harvard or Stanford or MIT. They are certified to be at the top of their game - why argue with ignorant students? A PhD from Harvard is arguable more of an “accomplishment” (at least academically speaking) than most of their students will ever have. That, plus the only way to get ahead in academia and get funding is to constantly prove that your work is more important than what everyone else is doing. </p>
<p>That doesn’t give them an excuse to be arrogant, but it certainly explains it…</p>
<p>I don’t know.
It almost seems like it comes with the job. I guess I might not pursue academia for this reason alone.</p>
<p>I bet a lot of those professors you complain about aren’t really arrogant–they just don’t have the people skills to make people feel comfortable around them, which gets misinterpreted as arrogance.</p>
<p>The more arrogant types, I’d think, would gravitate to business, finance, etc where they’d get more money and recognition . . . not academics.</p>
<p>Cos they’ve got a Ph.D in being dicks. They think that because they have some pieces of paper with Harvard written on them that they’re superior to the rest of us.</p>
<p>You just gotta suck it up and deal with it. Those are the only two huge downsides to college - having to occasionally deal with a ***<strong><em>cake of a professor and having to deal with a *</em></strong>**cake of a professor who thinks his opinion is fact and that anyone who dissents is a moron and deserves an F.</p>
<p>I’ve been in school for five semesters and have only had one arrogant professor. He did a good job though–his arrogance wasn’t that much an impediment to my learning. Maybe I’ve had an unusual experience.</p>
<p>Might just be your particular college, to be honest. I’ve only had 1 professor (out of 18) who I thought was arrogant. most of them seemed like nice down to earth people. Except for that one guy who I thought was pedantic and intimidating, the others were decent folks. Even the arrogant guy wasn’t a bad teacher - worst professor I had was a nice woman who simply sucked at her job. </p>
<p>I don’t think academics are more arrogant than the rest of the population. but I think they have a harder job than most people, because they have to balance teaching with research, finding funding, publishing articles and papers, dealing with the ■■■■■■■■ administration (that might just be my college). Keep in mind most of them didn’t go to Harvard and don’t come from a privileged background, and might be tired of dealing with the “I’m-a-special-snowflake” generation of kids they perceive to be overentitled at whatever overpriced college they work in. </p>
<p>Also, if I was a teacher (at K-12 level) I think I would go bat****…it’s the one job I think i could never put up with. the only perk is working such short hours, everything else sucks.</p>
<p>*Edit - might be because I’m a science major - if I studied Politics, International Relations, Economics, or stuff like that I’d get tired of people trying to shove their opinions down my throat. science students are underrepresented at my college and the profs are more than happy to help us - one even contacted his friend at a college near my house so i could get a summer job there.</p>
<p>Why? Some are very, very smart, depending on the college you are at, and know it. Others think they are very, very smart, often mistakenly. Still another group knows they’re not smart and tries to cover it up with arrogance.</p>