Program Resources
Guidelines for Essay on Partner Institution Visits

Attention: Please do not write individual essays for each partner institution you visited. Instead, write ONE "compare and contrast" essay in which you reflect on the similarities and differences between the different colleges and universities you visited. For example, you might reflect on differences you observed between public and private institutions, or compare and contrast the partner institutions you visited with your experience at, and perception of, Vanderbilt. A three- to five-page length is suggested.

First paragraph

• Descriptions of the institutions you visited:
  • Research university or liberal arts college [For a list of college and university classifications, see the Carnegie Classification of Institutions]
  • How big? (number of students, departments, faculty)
  • Do these institutions have a religious affiliation?
  • Faculty to student ratio at the college or university
  • Resources available to institutions and/or specific departments
  • Description of the departments you visited (size, courses that it offers, its focus, resources available, whether faculty teach graduate and undergraduate courses, etc.

Second paragraph

• Descriptions of the faculty and the courses you visited:
  • Departments in which faculty teach
  • Course load
  • What kind of courses do these professors tend to teach? (labs, discussion, lecture etc.)
  • What are the other responsibilities of faculty members?
  • What kinds of service to the institution do faculty members engage in?
  • Does he/she conduct research? In what area? What is the balance between teaching and research and service?
  • Why did these professors chose their institutions?
• Description of courses you visited:
  • Subject area
  • Size
  • Types of courses
  • Materials employed (computer, overhead, videos, hand-outs etc.)
  • Students' response to professors
  • Teaching techniques that struck you. Explain why these techniques caught your attention. Would you apply them or not? Why?
  • Give an overall assessment of the courses.

Third and following paragraphs

• Contrast and compare the information you received at your cohort visits with your own (previous) expectations: How did the cohort trips change or confirm your expectations regarding a specific kind of institution and the academic profession?
• Juxtapose the data you gathered at the cohort visits with the preparation you are receiving at Vanderbilt:
  • What aspects of your Vanderbilt education do and do not adequately prepare you for the job market and the duties you are expected to fulfill as a professor?
  • Reflect on how to improve the gaps in your graduate education in order to prepare yourself for the job market (Suggestion: participation in F2P2!)
• From the experience you had on your cohort trips, what are the pros and cons of a research institution and a liberal arts college. [See the Carnegie Classification of Institutions for more information.]
  • Did the cohort trips influence and/or modify the career choices you may make? How?
  • What did you learn about the different duties of a faculty member? How do you see yourself performing these duties?

Last paragraph

• Conclusion:
  • What were the most interesting aspects of your cohort visits?
  • What did you learn from your cohort trips?
  • What aspects of the cohort can be improved? Do you have any specific suggestions?