DEALING WITH THE PROF

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You can go your entire term–maybe even your whole program–with your only interaction with your instructor being to show up in class, hand your work in, get your work back, and get your grade.

Why bother

You will want more interaction than that if you are going to question a grade. But even if every grade or all work is A+, you are leaving a resource on the table that can have both short-term and long-term benefits. Here are some benefits of becoming more than a name on a class list to your professor:

  • If you run into difficulty with an assignment, you can get suggestions from the professor that they will find meets requirements.
  • If you need an exception or extension, you will have greater credibility if you have established your student bona fides ahead of time.
  • If you have established a positive relationship with a professor, they may be comfortable recommending you for grad school, an internship, a research assistant position, a TA position, or part-time work with someone they know.

Of course you aren’t a constant complainer, a grade grubber, or a suck-up. Maybe you are shy about approaching the professor; maybe you are in total awe of them. How do you establish the right relationship? First, you don’t want to go in blind.

Do your research

  1. Find out more about them beyond the classroom. Research their bio on the campus website and check them out on other social media. Check out their publications. Be aware of their standing–do they have tenure?
  2. Look up any of their publications, but don’t be obvious about referring to them unless one of their publications directly impacts one of your assignments.
  3. Be aware that outside the class, they have their own interests, pressures and life-as-it-happens.
  4. Note how they prefer to be contacted. Check out the syllabus. Do they have office hours? Do they stick around in class or online after class?

When your professor might expect student connection

In large classes of over 100 students (or over 50 for some professors), interaction may not be expected. Your connections will be with TAs, and lab instructors. However, in most courses of 50 students or fewer, professors expect and many welcome connection beyond the classroom. They enjoy seeing students succeed, and a bonus when students enjoy the subject matter they have devoted their academic life to.

Professors expect connection when students want to question a grade–and I am leaving that for a whole separate blog. Trust me, it will go better if you already have had some positive interaction with them.

Other reasons for connecting with your professor can include

  1. Clarification about an assignment. Go in with or outline in your email your proposed approach, and ask for suggestions.
  2. Review of your group’s approach to a group assignment–be the spokesperson for this, if you can.
  3. Volunteering for research
  4. Sharing new information about the subject of the course.
  5. Asking for an extension (separate blog on this to come).
  6. Course or department social events, even if you have to move outside your circle of comfort for this.

Making the connection

Whether you are emailing about an assignment or to set up an appointment to discuss a paper, have a plan that covers the specifics of what you want to address, make the request, and if appropriate, close with a thank you.

Compare:

“I’d like to set up an appointment to discuss the first assignment,”

with

“For the first paper I’m going to choose either the King’s failure to ratify the 1214 treaty, or papal overrule in the 13th century, but am having difficulty in limiting the scope of either one. Could we set up a time during office hours to narrow one of them down?”

Similarly, when you go in for any reason, have an agenda that shows the thought and research you have done before requesting advice.

The exception to this is if you are really struggling with the material and are seeking advice on external resources, or general information about how to improve your grade. Here you might outline the actual effort you have put in if you can do it without whingeing: A general call for help can sometimes point you to reliable assistance. Sooner, by the way, is much better than later!

Follow up

After the connection, you need to send a thank you email. As you take the advice, keep the professor posted about how you followed up on their recommendations.

Even if not every professor welcomes student interaction, those that do add a dimension of enjoyment to their course that can be a bonus beyond the grade.

Next week: Questioning your grade.

Let me know about your dealing-with-the-professor experience, or connect to chat about one you might have coming up! [email protected]

The information in this blog cannot take the place of support from your own mental health professional or community health resources. Reach out to them. And IF YOU ARE IN CRISIS PLEASE DIAL 911.