Student Skills Bootcamp Part 2: Connecting with Your Professor
/In this video I’ll explain how to start building a professional relationship with a college or university professor.
1. Don’t Be Shy
As a student, it can be intimidating to meet professors because you can’t ignore the things that make you different from them. Knowing that your professors are experts in the same field that interests you could stir feelings of inadequacy, but don’t let this stress you out. Your professors understand that you’re still pursuing your education, and they don’t expect you to have mastered the content of their courses, especially during the early days of each semester. The power imbalance between professors and students is also obvious. Professors design the evaluations that will measure your learning and, if they grade your tests and assignments personally, they will determine your results in their course. From a student’s perspective, it can feel embarrassing to know that your professor is aware of all of your mistakes, but there’s no need to feel embarrassed. Instead, focus on figuring out the causes of these errors and how you can improve in future assessments. Don’t forget: your professor’s purpose in the classroom is to help you learn about things you don’t already know so it’s normal to feel like your knowledge is incomplete.
2. Your Professor is on Your Team
Given the differences between college students and professors, you might be surprised to find that you share similarities. For starters, you’re both members of the same college community, which means you also live in the same city or region. Think about normal customs for your area but be careful to observe appropriate boundaries. For example, if you cross paths with your professor on campus say “good morning” or smile if you’ve recognized each other from some distance. On the other hand, avoid entering your professor’s personal space in the way you would if you were to try to hug them. Another thing you share with your professor is the specific course they teach. If you attend lectures regularly and keep up with the readings and other coursework, your professor will be receptive to feedback about what is and isn’t working well for you. Sharing an insight you experienced after a particular lesson is a great way to demonstrate you appreciate your professor’s efforts. You might tell your professor that the way they explained something really helped you grasp the relationship between other concepts. When you offer constructive criticism to your professor, first be sure you are up to date with the coursework they have planned for you so they will not respond with something like “Well, if you had done the readings, you would already know such and such”. Consider how it could be valuable to your professor if you were to say something like “In the earlier classes I didn’t understand what you meant every time you said ‘postmodern’, but after doing some research I think I get it. If you have a few minutes in class next day maybe you could summarize the basics because I think it would be helpful for all of my classmates.” Instead of thinking about your professor as a gatekeeper of grades, consider them as a professional who’s on your team.
3. Attend Office Hours
Did you know that professors expect at least some of their students to take the initiative to connect with them? When a professor holds “office hours” it means they have already reserved time to meet with students. Many professors plan for this time to be available on a drop-in basis, although some may prefer for you to schedule an appointment in advance. Check your course outline or webpage for this information. The purpose of office hours is to ensure that professors are available to speak with their students in person. Even though you might be able to get some questions answered over email, meet your professor in person if you wish to develop your relationship with them. Sometimes students hesitate to meet with their professors because they feel their concerns aren’t important enough, they believe they would be bothering a busy professor or they simply feel shy; however, professors intend to use this time to meet with their students so there’s no need to worry. If anything, your professor will appreciate that you are coming to them during the very time they allocated for this work, instead of another time that could be inconvenient. You might need to speak to your professor to correct an administrative error (such as a grade being recorded improperly) or you could ask for further feedback on an essay to understand how your writing could improve in the future. If you don’t have a specific issue and you’re not sure what to say when you see your professor, you could express that you are eager to enrich your learning experience, and perhaps ask them to recommend a book that is not assigned in the course. (Just be sure to read it in case they ask you about it later on.) Depending on your area of study, you might ask your professor to help you identify suitable part-time employment while you’re still studying. If you make a good impression, you will likely be at the top of the professor’s mind if any opportunities come up. Office hours are an underused tool for getting a professor’s undivided attention. Everyone in academia becomes more busy toward the end of every semester, so do your best to see your professor in the first few weeks before things get hectic.
4. Inform Your Professor About Your Needs
You are the only person who knows what you need to be successful in college, so it’s up to you to keep your professor up to date. Professors know that certain things benefit everyone. As a matter of universal design for learning, professors should speak clearly instead of mumbling, and the sequence of topics in a course should be logical. However, if you have particular needs that are related to impairment or disability, your professor likely won’t know about these unless you communicate with them. Most colleges have formal procedures to implement accommodations for students who experience disability, but depending on the nature of your needs, it may be best for you to communicate them to your professor directly. Your needs may not necessarily be related to disability. For instance, if you have to travel a long distance between classrooms on a large campus, it might be impossible for you to arrive on time. In this case, you would definitely want your professor to know that you don’t intend any disrespect. Your professor cannot read your mind, so make sure you communicate clearly.
5. Share a Unique Detail About Yourself
College professors do not always learn their students’ names. This could be because the class has hundreds of students or because they don’t make the effort to do so. If you want to connect with your professor and stand out from other students, you must introduce yourself in a way that will make you memorable. Pick something unique about yourself that you can tell your professor. Imagine how difficult it would be to forget someone who explained “I train 6 days each week for martial arts competitions, which really forces me organize my time for studying and writing.” If you speak a language that isn’t very common in the place where you study you might casually mention something like “You know, I laughed to myself in class the other day when you were talking about that writer because their name sounds like the word for…” and then explain how the similarity was humourous in your other language. You are a unique individual with positive traits, make sure your professor knows who you are.
6. Don’t Stand Out for the Wrong Reasons
Lastly, you never want to stand out for the wrong reason in college or industry. Imagine you followed this advice and met your professor during their office hours to have a productive meeting. It would be nice to send a thankyou message to your professor the next day to express your appreciation for their time or to briefly relate why that meeting was useful for you. Think of this as a chance to reinforce your professor’s positive impression of you as a student. Just take care to ensure that your efforts are appropriate. To give an example of how someone might stand out for the wrong reason: imagine sending $100-bouquet of roses to your professor along with a thank you card. The intention is clearly positive, but the gesture would come across as overblown, unnecessary and awkward. Your relationship is a professional one in which you are learning and the professor is teaching. Focus your energy on doing everything you can to learn as effectively as possible to support your success in your future career.
I hope you feel confident to network with your professors this semester. Please like this video and subscribe for future content.