Ode To Marketing

I wrote this letter to the Marketing Department at Auburn as part of a survey i had to complete in order to graduate.


The Markething department at Auburn University has become a joke. People may ask what one is doing on a given night, if they are studying, or whatever, and many times they will reply, "I'm a Marketing Major" and immediately the person questioning will laugh and agree that they have nothing to do. Of the marketing teachers i've had (Abernethey, Lett, Guffey, Harris, Sersland, and Laumer), only two have measuered up as someone who should be teaching higher education. Abernethy and Guffey should be the only teachers you keep. I had Laumer for principles, which didn't really give him an opportunity to show us what he was made of, but from hearing other people and just wathing him teach the class, I am sure he is worth keeping as well. I realize that Guffey gets many horrible reviews and people dread taking his class. There is a very good reason for this. He is a good teacher by academic terms, not by "Rate your professor" terms. If you can get over the fact that you may actually have to work in the class, and start to pay attention to him, you will realize he is actually a very good teacher. He forces us to think. We get mad at him because he is the only one who has challeneged us thuse far. We get mad because taking one of his tests requires more than a scantron and the test from last semester. He teaches the final marketing class which is supposed to sum up our experience, all it does is make one realize that to this point, we haven't actually learned much of anything. That is, of course, unless you have been one of the fortunate few who have managed to get into one of Dr. Abernethy's classes. Dr. Abernethy is probably the most redeeming factor the Marketing Dept. has as a representative. He knows what he's teaching, he is the most prepared, and he prepares his students the best. He tests you on your ability to apply what you've learned, whereas 90% of my other tests were multiple choice with definitions. It has become apparent to me that the employement field for marketing majors is not going to provide us with the most opportunities. Going into this setting, i wish i had more to stand on than this. I wish there were fewer students in the marketing program. I wish the marketing program was something that only motivated students majored in because they were goign to have to learn. Trim the fat. That means the worthless teachers, i am sure you know who they are. That also means the worthless students who are marketing because it is easy. Make the marketing department something to be proud of, not an onrunning joke. Also, James Elston in the english department is a prime example of how a teacher should care for his students. If you'll excuse me, i must now make a decision on what to do with my life. I can go home and work in a restaraunt and live with my family, or i can go to gradschool somewhere and get an education worth bragging about and eventually get a real job.