Liberal Arts Capstone

[studyingfortests]

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I’m not sure I would even want an expert in my topic. That sounds like double trouble. The mentor is supposed to mentor on composition, format and mechanics. Not so much the subject matter. I had Black, I don’t really recommend him unless you like chicken scratch from top to bottom. He’s very hard to please. On the other hand he always says to call him any time for assistance, if you like doing that sort of thing.

I too had Dr. Black and my experience was mixed. He made me cry after he insisted I call him on the phone to discuss a recent assignment because it was “so bad” that it was clear to him that I had “no idea how to write an academic paper.” I’ve always been skilled in writing and it’s the one subject I feel comfortable with so it was incredibly hurtful and bizarre that he withheld the feedback on my paper until he could insult me verbally over the phone for a nearly 45 minute long conversation. With that being said, after we completed our intellectual tug of war and found common ground, he eventually awarded me a PERFECT score on both my final draft and my presentation. I couldn’t decide whether he picked on me for my actual performance or because I chose an incredibly controversial topic (neuroscience of internet p0rnography). Nonetheless, even though his tactics were intense and requirements sometimes oppressive of critical thinking and creative expansion - he succeeded in challenging me immensely and I am better because of it. This was the first A I’ve ever felt really proud of and that I’d actually earned (not that I hadn’t earned it before but this one did NOT come easy). I had to stretch myself quite a bit and learn how to fit into rigid instructions. If I didn’t have to fight so hard to defend my ideas, I’m not sure my educational experience would have been as enriching. If you’re looking for an easy A, don’t pick Dr. Black. However, if you’re looking for a solid educational experience to get your moneys worth and you have a thick skin - definitely do. 

Like most people in this forum, I love school & I love education. There are many ~degree collectors in this forum who strangely(to most outsiders at least) pursue knowledge as a hobby and are simply finding affordable ways to do it. I am one of these people and I enjoyed 99% of all the classes I’ve taken. With that being said, I GREATLY underestimated the mental fortitude required for my capstone and I wanted to quit at times. Writing the friggin thing was the easy part, but the 100+ hours I invested into finding and reading articles, cataloging them into a spreadsheet, making notes, arguments and counter arguments and then synthesizing them all into a 15,000 word manuscript was intense. I ran on adrenaline and luckily was immensely interested in my topic. I enjoyed it after receiving the satisfaction of a job well done, but be prepared to give 110% of your brain to this class. My advice is to choice your mentor wisely, and select a topic you don’t mind losing yourself in completely. I’m not saying this to scare you - you can definitely do it and I have no doubt about it, I just wish I hadn’t completely underestimated the level of effort it was going to require. The mentor’s area or specialty will not matter much because the actual content is not what they’re grading. I highly doubt my mentor had any idea what I was talking about, and it was my job to educate him and present a sound academic argument. That’s all any of them are looking for. I wish you the best of luck!! Please update us how it’s going and once we can congratulate you on your shiny new degree

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My first experience with Dr. Black was similar. I got a 74 on my first assignment, with a note to call him. I called, asked how he was doing, and he said "I was doing really well until I read your paper! What in the world happened?"  

Now I, too, have written professionally for 20+ years, and it was a bit of a shock. But he was on point. My APA was awful, and he made a lot of helpful suggestions, reopened the assignment, and had me rework and resubmit. I got a 94 on the revision, and the rest were similar, always with helpful feedback. We spoke quite a bit; he helped refine my research and produce an incredibly strong paper.

My guess is that he picked on you to make your writing better. He seems incredibly nonjudgmental.

I wouldn't trade that experience for anything.  We have stayed in touch; I contacted him to thank him again when I finished my graduate degree, and he offered to write a recommendation if/when I apply for my doctorate.