Danny Glynn
Coming from a different educational program the US Collegiate academic experience was a shock to the system. Whilst in my younger years in the UK I was considered a good student based on test scores, certainly not on my engagement or behaviour in class. As I entered my teenage years my scores also waned, leaving with me with relatively poor qualifications. This continued in my first semester at college. I then started to figure out how to get good scores, yes some of it was due to hard work and studying, but a lot of the courses were formulaic. There are things I learnt in those classes I still use today in my job and probably my life, but I had an idea that as long as I did x, y and z I would get a grade B+ or higher. I don’t think I am alone in this, as I remember the endless conversations of students when choosing classes of which teacher you should get for which subject.
This all changed in the second semester of my Junior year when I took tom’s Leadership course. This was very different. I remember it being the smallest class I took in my time at PC, I guess I had not got the memo regarding the Professor! So for you students taking tom’s class here is the warning – by the end of the class I had no more understanding what Leadership meant to me, in fact I was less sure, but by the end of the course I knew that this uncertainty was a good thing. Secondly, whilst I was no clearer, because of the format and the engagement of the class, I definitely knew more about what leadership means to other people – I guess that is the point! It is definitely something that impacts my life daily, whether that be as a parent, or a manager or colleague. There are many positive things I can say about tom and his class, but most of all it was by far the most impactful educational experience of my life.