Austin McDonald

This professor has taught: HESI318O

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Austin McDonald HESI318O Expecting an A Anonymous 07/31/2025	This year the class was lectured by the student coordinators alongside Austin and Ashley. The class teaches you about the different majors, schools, clubs, and resources on campus. Every two weeks there is a short quiz, which is straight forward if you pay attention in class. Although Austin is a strict professor, he taught me the importance of being on time and professional.
Austin McDonald HESI318O Expecting an A+ Anonymous 07/31/2025	Ignore the 2-star review because everything that they're complaining about was reiterated to us numerous times at interviews, emails, and even on the application itself. We knew about the 2.5 hour class, we knew about the training, we knew about the long days. They only took our phones so we could try and be engaged and understand our role. They're simply complaining about doing the job that they signed up for months ago. I will agree that Austin and Ashley, as well as the entirety of Central Staff, are very kind and nice people to work with, some of the best I've worked with. With the missing class, all you have to do, like any other professor, is that if you have a conflicting event, is to communicate with them and ask what can be done to make up for the class/information you missed. Both Austin and Ashley are very understanding (and this was also reiterated a lot) that we all have numerous involvements on campus and other commitments and that if we were to take this job that we were sure that we could commit ourselves to the rigorous schedule of orientation. Austin and Ashley don't take their staff for granted and tell us at any given moment when it's called for to give us our flowers and make sure we're being heard to the best of their capabilities. Yes, the class could've done better in preparing us for the role, but that's also what the training week was for. Additionally, with this role, a lot of it is based on your own experiences and your own individualism when it comes to your orientation and how you want to run your session and do what your college asks of you, as each college is different when it comes to orientation and advising and what they need their OAs to do for them. The quizzes were not hard at all; most of it was common knowledge. Everyone has different reasons as to why they apply or want to get involved with orientation; higher education is only one of them, but it's not a required attribute of your resume or interests to do it. Look at the application and talk to the OA staff and ask them their experience and what they gained, everyone is different in what they say for their answers.
Austin McDonald Anonymous 07/31/2025	That review completely missed the mark. Everything they’re complaining about was made clear from the start — in the application, the emails, and especially during the info session. Austin didn’t sugarcoat anything. If they were caught off guard, it’s because they clearly weren’t paying attention. Yes, the class was 2.5 hours long — but that was communicated ahead of time. It may have felt long, but considering the amount of material we needed to cover, it was necessary and reasonable. We weren’t allowed to use our phones during class so we could actually focus and absorb what we needed for orientation. Was it draining? Absolutely. But it also prepared us — not just for the job, but for showing up in life like a responsible adult. Austin and Ashley were fantastic. They were strict, yes — with time, expectations, and structure. But that’s because this role matters, and orientation is not something you can just wing. It requires real preparation and leadership, which they provided. If someone was surprised by any of this, they either weren’t paying attention or didn’t take the job seriously from the start. Maybe they should’ve thought twice before signing up.
Austin McDonald HESI318O Anonymous 07/23/2025	READ THIS BEFORE TAKING THE JOB. Austin and Ashley are both very nice and great people, but the class was low-key useless and a waste of time. I dont really think anything correlated to what we needed to know for the job. It was really boring and they TAKE YOUR PHONES!!!! You have a week-long training training 8 am-4 pm every day. All of this training could have been done DURING THE 2.5-HOUR CLASS EVERY WEEK. They are not understanding at all when it comes to missing class, no matter what the event. Some of the quizzes are hard for no reason. While the job has its good parts, it has extremely long hours, and if you do not 100% want to go into higher education, I don't know if I'd recommend it.
Austin McDonald HESI318O Expecting an A+ Anonymous 05/24/2025	A lot of busy work and group assignments. The 2.5 hours of class time are honestly not too bad but it can be really boring when you have to listen to other students presenting. Austin does a good job in explaining the material and what you have to know as an OA.
Austin McDonald HESI318O Expecting an A+ Anonymous 09/16/2024	Austin McDonald was a great professor! He was very easy going and explained content really well. Whenever I had a question, I felt comfortable asking. In order to be a great Orientation Advisor, you really need a teacher like Austin McDonald. 2.5 hours go by fast enough when you enjoy what you're being taught.