Professor Schwartz’s talk in the Becker Rose Cafe brought some eye opening suggestions on how to succeed in college as well as supportive responses from the audience. Through his candor, Schwartz immediately let the audience know that he was about to give us some valuable advice on how to make the best of the college experience. The chronological start to his speech brought a step-by-step approach on how to succeed every year , starting from Freshman year and ending at senior year. While advocating for academic ambition, the professor also suggested that students get to know their professors very well and seek opportunities outside the classroom. I was surprised by his commitment to pushing students to find resources and projects , for he genuinely wanted undergraduates to branch out of the confinements of a classroom. His understanding of the education system in the University allowed him to come to reasonable conclusions about a student’s academic career. He emphasized the importance of joining recreational clubs and organizations that didn’t relate to one’s major and utilizing one’s summer most efficiently. Most importantly, he taught us how to prepare for the world outside the University.

One of the major topics of this talk was decisions after graduation which included joining jobs or going to graduate school. The professor was able to weigh the pros and cons of both options very well in order to let the audience decide what was best suited for them. As a professor, he explained the joys of teaching in a University and encouraged others to follow higher education, but also stated that graduate school wasn’t meant for everybody. His advice allowed the students to reflect on their desires and hopes after graduation  and start planning on how they were going to reach their goals. Professor Schwartz’s talk enlightened the minds of the young university students who were expecting to be bored by a generic speech  on success but were pleasantly surprised by the honesty of the speaker and his advice for success.