Meet Professor Joe Habraken! Professor Habraken currently teaches at the University of New England as an Associate Professor of Film and Video. He studied film and video at The American University, graduating in 1989. His research interests are currently surrounding digital media creation and screenwriting. Professor Habraken was interviewed by us, talking specifically about what a first-year student at UNE should be expecting and what they should be prepared for. To start the interview, he was asked what an incoming freshman should be prepared for that is almost never talked about before college. Joe responded with an answer about time commitment. His answer stemmed from the fact that, for most kids, this is their first time away from home, living in a different place for an extended period of time. From this, he says scheduling out your time can be very difficult, but at least making an effort to do it will make all the difference. Next Joe was asked what a few good tips are for an incoming freshman or transfer student to live by. He responded with the following: “Show up for class, schedule time for studying outside of class, and set goals of when you should complete your assignments by.” You may be noticing a theme of Professor Habraken’s answers. He believes that scheduling your time out ahead of you will be one of the hardest, but most beneficial things you can do for yourself.
In the second part of our interview, Joe was asked about the importance of getting to know students and faculty on campus. We initially asked him why networking was so important for students, when we should have been asking why it is so important to just meet people in general. Joe says that meeting people in general will help your understanding of the complexity of the world. People come from all walks of life. In the college environment, you will meet lots of different people from unique places. Meeting these people will enhance your understanding that people operate differently and should be treated fairly no matter what. We finished off this interview by asking Professor Habraken what his best piece of advice would be for an incoming freshman or transfer student. He responded with the caption under his picture below.
“Learn to take naps and pace yourself.” – Professor Joe Habraken
