As this long and difficult semester comes to an end, I am in a reflective mood of sorts. As I prepare to graduate in two weeks, I am looking back on my hardest semester to date in terms of class requirements and a part-time job.

Fortunately, I have spent six hours each week in classes taught by two professors who have provided me with some life-changing experiences, and now I am properly prepared to enter the real world.

The first is Frank Clemente, a legend on campus for the way he teaches his SOC 005 (Social Problems) classes.

Each semester thousands of students try to register for one of the 1,100 seats in his three sections, and because of this high demand, most students have to wait until their senior year to take it.

Although the wait to take SOC 005 can stretch over several years, it is certainly worth it. Clemente's class combines an analysis of various historical and modern-day social problems with personal stories about his life.

I first took his class last spring, and because I enjoyed it so much, I decided to work this semester as a TA. Because Clemente has such an arsenal of stories, he is able to vary the stories he tells each semester.

While some of them remain the same, others change depending on what is going on in the world. But no matter what he is talking about, whether it's the sociological impact of divorce or his beloved Pittsburgh Steelers, he captivates his audience with every lecture.

Early on in the class, Clemente tells a story that lets his students know what kind of guy he is, and few students will forget this detail about his life.

After having four children of their own, he and his wife were approached by a friend to think about adoption. While most couples would consider four children to be more than enough, the Clementes decided to adopt not just once, but four times!

Other professors certainly have enough life experiences to fill a course, but to do so, most would probably rely on conventional lecture techniques such as PowerPoint presentations and speaking from behind a podium. On the contrary, Clemente speaks off the cuff and frequently moves around in the front of the class to keep things interesting.

These techniques, however, are only part of what makes this man great.

His dynamic personality shines through in each lecture, whether he's talking about his rules of drinking or the need for women to raise their expectations for the men they date and marry, he is passionate and knowledgeable about everything he discusses.

But that's not to say other classes and teaching styles used by other professors have not left an impact on me as well. Through his tough as nails PL SC 470W (Legal Brief Writing) class, Cal Golumbic has given me with the swift kick I needed to prepare for law school and the rigorous life of a lawyer that awaits me.

For all intents and purposes, Golumbic is a hardass. He employs the Socratic method, requires students to stand when answering questions and does whatever necessary to intimidate his students. His use of profanity is more than sporadic, although oftentimes he does so to loosen up his students rather than demean them.

But while Golumbic is generally vicious in nature, he truly does want his students to succeed. And furthermore, it is the fear that they will not be successful once they enter the legal world that really drives him. He doesn't dread giving students A's like some other professors I have had, and he will go out of his way to meet with students to help them do well on assignments.

Golumbic has spent more than three decades working diligently in the field in which most of his students would like to work. He does not hesitate to tell his students that he was a senior partner at a major Washington, D.C. law firm, and that he is exactly what awaits us upon graduation from law school. He knows what the legal world is like, and he brings that rigor and brutality with him to class every day.

Although Golumbic has provided me, and many others before me, with the tools necessary for a successful career, his teaching style is definitely not for everyone. Clemente, on the other hand, allows his students to decide how much effort they want to put in, which ultimately determines what they get out of the course.

But both of these men have been responsible for imparting me as I prepare to graduate with a positive impression of Penn State academics on me for years to come.