Preceptorials add flavor to academics

It is no secret that Penn students love free stuff. Preceptorials, with their unique offerings at zero cost, are natural campus favorites.

According to the Preceptorials Committee, a record number of applications were submitted this semester, hitting over 3,000.

Echoing past trends, courses that offer hands-on experience reigned as student favorites with 352 students applying for “Chef Poon’s Asian Culinary Arts Institute”, 216 for “Mad Potter’s Wheel” and 160 for a day trip to see architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater, according to College junior Julia Wong, executive director of the Preceptorials Committee.

Besides allowing students to “do cool things for free,” Preceptorials Committee Vice Chairman and College senior Greg Marvin attributed the popularity of preceptorials to the incredible opportunities they offer.

“It’s a great way to interact with Penn’s best professors and Penn’s best resources,” Marvin said.

Past preceptorial participants agreed. Wharton and College junior Barbara Gao participated in “Mad Potter’s Wheel” last spring. Gao said that she relished the chance to take an arts course “in a friendly environment” because she “didn’t want to be graded on [her] ability to do fine arts.”

She added that despite her interest in the arts, she could not afford the “time commitment to put out a quality portfolio” and the preceptorial provided a happy alternative.

Gao also attended a cheese-tasting seminar and a course on nutrition. “All of them have been worthwhile,” she concluded, noting that she still uses the dish she made in “Mad Potter’s Wheel.”

Philip Winter, a College junior, explored more academic offerings. Last year, he participated in a seminar on Penn’s history and another on architecture in the Middle East.

In addition to the “awesome opportunity to learn about an interesting topic in an easy, non-demanding way,” Winter was impressed with the enthusiasm of the preceptorial professors.

“The professors who sign up for these courses are enthusiastic and grateful for the opportunity,” Winter said. “They want to share what they know — which is why they’re doing it after hours — and they are very engaging.”

Claudia Valeggia, an Anthropology professor, is excited about her preceptorial, “Sex and the College.” It offers 10 students the opportunity to discuss interactions between the biological and cultural aspects of sex in college.

“I really like the idea of getting to meet students outside the classroom … outside their ID numbers,” Valeggia said.

She added that the experience benefits the professors as well as the students.

It gives professors the opportunity to meet “more motivated” students who are not “just looking for a better grade” and whose diverse backgrounds “really add to the discussions.”

She hopes that preceptorials will be more visible in the future, “not just among students but also among faculty.” Many of her colleagues are not involved because they don’t know how to be, she said.

The preceptorials Committee noted that anyone with an idea for a Preceptorial can contact them directly through their website, Preceptorials.org.

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