ABSTRACT
Program and course curricula are essential, but they do not comprise the totality of your college experience. There is so much more to academics. Right now, pause your reading and think about the concept of “a good college student.” What comes immediately to mind? Doing homework, paying attention in class, turning work in on time, being a solid group contributor, getting good grades? It turns out there is a long list of things that make up an ideal student, because there are different ways to think of what it means to be ideal, and ideal at what. Regardless, the specifics of what is expected of students are rarely listed in the course catalog or syllabi or mentioned in advisor meetings. The expectations of behavior between professors and students are not clear and they are not out in the open. Medical schools have long talked about this concept. They call it the hidden curriculum. It is very real and very important (Jackson, 1990; Kelly, 2009). In this chapter, I will uncover a bit of the hidden curriculum in undergraduate studies. Understanding more about these elements will help you to learn in harmony with your brain.
