Charlotte Russell

Karla Cunningham

EDPS 105

1 November 2018

Exploration Activity: Interview a Purdue Student

This is your opportunity to sit down with a Purdue student (junior or senior) currently in a
major of interest to you. A student may be in his/her third year at Purdue but not
necessarily a junior in the major. Therefore, make sure you are speaking to someone
taking classes in the third or fourth year on the plan of study for their major.

***Guidelines for this assignment:

·  You CANNOT interview the same person for this activity AND your
Student Interview assignment. 


·  This interview must be conducted in person, with a current Purdue student

who is NOT related to you. Email interviews are NOT allowed. 


·  Your instructor will conduct an academic integrity check using the contact
information you provide. Please make sure it is accurate. If any part of this
assignment is unverifiable or found to be untrue, you will receive a zero. 


·  Take this form with you to take thorough notes as you ask each of the
questions below. 


·  Type your answers to ALL the questions below, and number each response
clearly. Submit the 
final paper to Blackboard in the Assignments section. 


1. Tell us about your interviewee. Include ALL of the following information:

·  Full name (no nicknames, please)

Josie Crawford

·  Phone number and Purdue email address 


crawfo53@purdue.edu
 ·  Name of college and major 


College of Liberal Arts; English Education

·  Date the interview took place


October 30th ,2018

·  Their expected date of graduation 


May 2020

2. Why did you choose this major? Describe the process by which you decided on it. 


“I switched majors from film production to education. I wanted a more stable

job and I felt that teaching was a more stable job than film production and
would allow me to stay within this area of the country. “

3. What are typical major classes like in terms of content, format, and instructor’s style of
teaching? For example: emphasis on labs/lecture/discussion, small vs. large class
sizes, etc. 


“They are a mixture of big lectures and smaller classes. I’ve had the classes
that everyone has to go through and those classes were 100+ people. The
smallest class I’ve had related to my major had only 10 students so it really
varies. Content wise we usually have discussion based classes which I find
to be more interesting and engaging. The style of the teacher really varies
on the kind of teacher. All of my education professors have been really
approachable and they really work with you.”

4. What has been your favorite class? What did you learn, and why was it your favorite? 


“My favorite class was multiculturalism in education because we talked a lot

about a lot of different and important topics. I realized there was a lot more
to teaching then just putting something on the board and teaching it. You
have to know about your students and know how your student’s home life
effects their school life. I really enjoyed working with the other students
and I really enjoyed my professor.”

5. Which classes have been the toughest? What made them tough?
 
 “I think that technology in the classroom was the hardest and the reason it was so
hard because there was so much information and so many things we had to go so
in-depth with. A lot of things that I saw and learned in that class were things that I
didn’t think I would use in the future. They were different things I could utilize but
I didn’t really see myself using those things that we learned in the future or as a
teacher. “

6. What skills and abilities do students need in order to be successful in this major? 


“They need to have writing skills. Even if you’re just an education major and not an
English major you have to be able to write papers, cite things, you have to be able
to explain your answers, and also analyze different things. You also have to have
communication skills. This major includes working with a lot of different people
in your classes and your professors and then eventually your students. You also
have you understand context. When you have students you are going to have to
understand context in order to understand how students think and learn within
your classroom. You also have to time management. This is one of these majors
where some people think it might be easy but in reality you have to have a tight
schedule and you need to be able to manage that.”

7. What are you planning to do after graduation? Do students in this major typically need
or want to go to graduate school? What types of careers do students with this
major typically go into? 


“I’m planning on getting a teaching job and getting involved almost immediately. If I
don’t get a job immediately I know I will be able to substitute teach back at my
home area. Usually students go to graduate school because it is preferred if not
required by schools. You usually will get paid more if you get a masters. Usually
students in this major go into teaching but you could also be a counselor, an
advisor, a principal, and you could teach different levels of school.”

8. What extra-curricular opportunities related to the major have you experienced or can
you recommend? (Examples could include campus activities and organizations,
internships, research, or study abroad opportunities.) 


“There are a lot of teaching clubs. I’m not involved with those because I’m busy with a
lot of other things. I am an RA so that’s something I have learned to deal with a lot
of different types of people, being a problem solver, and being a mediator. I would
highly recommend being an RA for those who are thinking about education. Being
an RA has helped me build my problem solving and communication skills which
are things that are highly involved in education.”
9. Ask one additional thoughtful question of your own. Write the question here; then
answer it!

What are the pros and cons of switching from one major to the other?

“The pros include the fact that it relieves a lot of stress. When you switch, you finally
know that you are comfortable and interested in the major that you are involved
with. You feel like you are on the right track and you can start long term planning
versus just planning from semester to semester. The con is sometimes you are
going to have to go to college longer. Honestly, as long as you graduate with a
degree you like there’s really no cons. Another con could be the fact that it can
take more than one switch but other than that the pros really out weigh the cons.”

10. After the interview, reflect on this: Are you still considering this major
now that you have learned more? Why or why not? 
Revised 5/16/18 


I am definitely still thinking of education as a major. I think a lot of the aspects of

teaching like being social with other people and working with kids is something I
will really enjoy in a job setting. Hearing from Josie made me realize that I enjoy
the same kind of connection with students that she has found being an RA and
substitute teacher. This made me realize I may really enjoy a job as a teacher.