Independent study classes pose a great opportunity for junior and senior students to work on their craft in an independent setting, getting one-on-one feedback from a professor.

The flaw in the concept is that professors do not get paid anything extra for taking time out of their busy schedules to run an independent study with a student.

With an independent study, the professor and student meet every couple weeks to work on their class material and review work, and the student works on a project independently. Most of the work is on the student, including research in most cases. Doing an independent study is a great opportunity for students to work with a professor and strengthen their skills, until the professor says “no” to doing a student’s request for an independent study.

For some professors, they have other jobs and families and may be working on research or other projects while teaching a class at Oswego State. They do not have endless amounts of time to spend on campus while having so many other commitments in their lives. That is the reason some professors turn students down who approach them about independent studies.

For seniors, registration this past week was the last time they will ever need to go through the stress of it all. With registration comes problems, such as when classes required to graduate are not available, the pressure of handing forms into the registrar’s office on time or when independent studies and teaching assistant positions are not yet solidified. The last thing students need is one more stressful experience of being told “no” to do an independent study, especially if it was too close to registration and the students do not have a backup plan or cannot find another professor in time to complete it.

For some students, independent studies are their last options. If it is their last semester, they have no choice in classes they need to take. Delaying graduation may not be an option for some students, leaving them with the realistic option of doing an independent study to fulfill certain major or minor credits.

Finding a professor who will take the time out of their busy lives to do an independent study is hard, but giving professors a stipend would make it easier.

If professors meet one hour a week with the student doing an independent study, that is an extra hour out of their week, not counting the time they spend grading the students’ projects, emails being sent back and forth and more. Students are extremely thankful for professors who are willing to go the extra mile to help their students learn more independently.

Professors have a contract with a certain number of classes figured out already about what they need to teach, and professors are not required to do a certain number of independent studies with students. It is purely educational and an experience that benefits the student. Professors should receive extra money for going out of their way to enhance the experiences of the students. 

If professors are given a stipend for each independent study they do, they may be more willing to work with independent studies, ultimately making students’ lives easier.