How can I get to know my professors better at college?

Question

I know becoming familiar with who your professors are and visiting their office hours can be good for you both in terms of being a good student and having someone to write you recommendation letters and offer mentoring, etc. My question is, how can I approach my professors and show them I'm interested without appearing overly obseqious or too much of a kiss-up? What are some simple points to keep in mind when trying to form positive relationships with my professors? I admit, I get nervous when I think about it, especially when professors are so busy and have other students to worry about, so I don't want to waste his/her time, either.

Answer 1

I think you've hit the nail on the head already: the important thing is to make sure the contact you have is substantive, even if, after awhile, your relationship with any given professor turns into a much more casual kind of interaction.

In any given semester, most profs teaching a normal load will have at least 75 students; some may have as many as 150. (I'll have about 90 this fall which is about average for a Humanities prof.) In classes that assign graduate teaching assistants, the numbers can swell even larger. Accordingly, my first recommendation is patience: even if you're diligent and have good one-on-one contact, it may take a few weeks for professors to begin singling you out from the many students they see.

For example, most fraternities at the university where I teach urge their pledges to introduce themselves after the first class wraps up, but that contact amounts to a little handshaking and a lot of generic schmoozing. They assume that simply lodging their names in my head will realize some net benefit at the end of the road, not realizing that a dozen other students have done the same thing with me already and I, despite my best efforts, have already forgotten those names.

Most of the previous posters have hit the material points. Attentiveness and interest in class goes a long way, as does the simple mnemonic help of sitting in roughly the same place during each session. We spend a lot of time in committee meetings and shuffling from place to place, so try to be conscious of the time and timing (most profs are happy to hang around and talk after class, for example, while some have to sprint across campus for a session in the next period). In larger classes, it can be very easy to distinguish yourself, as attentiveness and an occasional question on the topic at hand will help build you a place in the prof's memory.

My own memory tends to be contextual and semantic, so for me, the best way for a student to make memorable contact is to work by extension and association. I teach English, including some relatively obscure 18th-century literature, and so I draw a lot of analogies between novels and contemporary films, for example, or compare literary figures to pop culture figures to help students get a frame of reference. The students I know best build on those connections, or else they make comparable connections of their own and ask me about them. While I'd strongly recommend resisting the temptation to pander to the tastes and preferences you *think* a prof has (I'll get many students writing essays about liberal politics, for example, if they assume I'm a liberal), most profs will tip their hands about the things that really interest and engage them (in any given week, I'll probably refer to the Patriots, horror movies, or ethics in passing, as they're often on my mind). If you can genuinely engage with them on those subjects, you may find your way into their heads more quickly, but interest and effort on your part--which I think you already demonstrate by asking the question--is probably the surest way to develop rapport.

Answer 2

Well firstly you tell him what you approach him for and keep on that topic and not everywhere else. Then try to say it short as they might be busy. Try to come and approach the proffessor at a certian point of time so maybe he would roughly know that about so and so time you will be looking for him so he can plan his work before you come or simply tell the professor that if you can take his time at so and so to so and so.Well that is all i can tell you if you believe in what i said, you already pass 50 % of the battle the other 50%, you will have to try my plan . Wish you luck with the professer.
Oh yeah if he cannot make it on the so and so time you asked him, get him to tell you when he can put some time for you so that would be better no stress for him or you.
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Answer 3

Approach Your Professor (with Courtesy)
• Contact. Determine the preferred mode of contact; check the course syllabus as professors indicate their preferred methods of contact and related information. Ask yourself: Is this urgent? If so, then contact by phone or stopping by his or her office during office hours is probably the most logical step.
Otherwise, you can try e-mail. Wait a few days for a response (remember that teaching is a professor's job, so don't expect replies over evenings, weekends, or holidays).
• Plan. Check the syllabus for the professor's office hours and policies before you make your request so that you are already familiar with their schedule. If the professor requests that you return at another time, do your best to meet at a time which is convenient for him or her (e.g., during office hours). Don't
ask a professor to go out of his or her way to meet you at a time that is inconvenient because professors have many more responsibilities than teaching (e.g., lots of meetings within the department, university, and community).
• Ask. Asking is the only way to learn your professor's preferences. Say something like, "Professor Smith, I need a few minutes of your time so that you can help me with a question/problem I'm having with ___. Is this a good time, or can we set up something that is more convenient for you?" Keep it short and to the point.

At the Meeting
• Be punctual. Punctuality signifies respect for your professor's time. Do not arrive early or late. Most professors are pressed for time. If you need to meet with your professor again, ask him or her if you can set up another appointment, following the suggestions above.
• Address. Unless your professor has indicated otherwise, address him or her by last name and with the appropriate title (e.g., Professor, Doctor).
• Gratitude. Always thank the professor for his or her time and express any gratitude that you feel is appropriate for the specific help that he or she has provided. This rapport will leave the door open for future appointments.

Answer 4

During a lecture, think of a couple of questions about the class. Then, instead of asking them during class, just go up to them after the lecture and ask them then. Ask them if you can come and talk to them about the subject matter some time at their office. Just make sure they're intelligent questions and not something they've gone through in the class. Ask them if they've got any hints or tips to help you study or learn.

The main thing is to show an interest in their lessons and in the subject matter they're teaching.

It also helps to always sit in more or less the same seat, so they know you as the person in the third row, by the aisle.

Good luck! Remember, they're just people.

Answer 5

Study and be competent in the courses they teach. A lot of professors use the classroom as a recruiting tool to pick up research assistants, etc. Also, ask about getting an REU (research experience for undergraduates) - there are NSF grants research professors will often get that have funding that can only be used for undergrad researchers. This is your golden ticket Willy Wonka style.

Answer 6

I prevented females's study as a lot as i might want to in college. the seen guy bashing became me off and the professor over the full study become style of a witch. and that i say this as a woman. i did not taken African study, yet when I had to, probably would were fascinated interior the heritage facet over the social element of it. The closed mindedness isn't constrained to those to both fields you indexed. I had a pal in college that had a instructor threaten to fail him if he watched Fox information for an task. It become her way or the extreme way. some professors seem to have forgot that they view isn't the purely view in existence.

Answer 7

I'm sorry for sounding so harsh,but what's the point of getting familiar with your professors.They are very busy people.Also,they usually feel uneasy with students loitering around them ,trying to be their friends for many reasons.Thus ,thy always try to leave a barrier or gap between them and their students.I feel this is okay as some students tend to disrespect them when they become too friendly with them .Also,since its a college,I think the relationship should be left as a student-lecturer one,and nothing more.

Though,when you come across them ,you must greet them very well,and if you had somtin u didnt understand ,u cud ask after class.

A great secret is that if u perform so excellently in a professor's test or exam,He or She will get to know u,even without u knowing

Answer 8

They are willing to spend a few valuable minutes with you before or after classes.
Asking pertinent questions during class provides the professor a forum for details. Also, if you have a question chances are your classmates have the same question, if you ask in private, classmates don't have the benefit of his/her advice.
Just don't get too enamored with your own voice. Ask your question, then take notes on the answer.

Answer 9

Try to being a research assistant to the professor's research. PRofessors love it when you show an interest in their research.

Answer 10

hello im angela the answer that i would give to you would be simply talk to them, about your school worck and then just start to
ask questions about themselves while the conversation is going if its a guy professor ask him what his favorite sport is and if he has the time maybe you and he could catch a game or watch some sports on cable or something and by all all means be yourself pretty sure their just normal people like you and me.