In high school, it’s easy to get to know your teachers well. With relatively small classes, it makes it simple for teachers to remember students’ faces and names. You might recall developing close connections with teachers in high school. Whether it was coming into their classroom to bother them, staying after class or school to ask for help with something, coming in during lunch to eat with them and get help for a test, or anything else, teachers made it super easy to get help in high school.
College is a little different though. It’s a bit more intimidating to seek help when you need it. Professors won’t always know your face or your name when they have classes of over 100 people. Going into a professor’s office hours knowing they won’t know who you are can be nerve wracking sometimes, especially if they are more on the stern side. It’s almost comparable to a job interview.
As an underclassman, it is especially scary because it can be a concept that is particularly foreign to you. As you get into your upperclassman years, though, you start to get more involved with classes having to do your major area of study. Depending on your university, you usually get into smaller classes as you get into your upperclassman years.
Despite the fact that college is a lot different than high school and developing relationships with professors is a lot harder than it is with teachers in high school, it is still super important to make these strong relationships with your academic professionals.
You might not think that this is an important thing to do, but once you start needing letters of recommendation from professors or contact information for people in your professional field, it really comes in handy.
College classes also tend to be harder than your high school classes. If you are struggling with a class, it is super important that you talk with your professor during office hours. Just like with in high school, if they see you are trying and making an effort to come talk to them, they will be more inclined to want to help you (especially because it is a lot less convenient to reach out to a professor in college). They will like that you are taking the initiative to seek out the right help.
I didn’t realize until my junior year why it was so important to build these relationships. Not too long ago, I was applying for scholarships that required an academic reference and I realized I had only really developed a connection with one or two professors. I figured it was time to start putting myself out there and making myself stand out to these professors in my major. After all, I’m here for a reason. I should be showing my talents to the professors that will one day be able to vouch for me as references for just about anything.
Students have been known to be employed as teacher’s assistants, which is great to put on a resume. And because of this, they essentially become your employer and can speak on behalf of your hard work.
Sometimes professors will also be the perfect people to reach out to when searching for the right connection. They are in this position for a reason. Whether they are a nursing, marketing, public relations, media, history, Spanish, or political science professor, chances are they have had experience in the field before entering their role at the university. This means that they probably have contact information of potential employers for jobs and internships. And that is always good information to have.
I, personally, wish I would have known this information earlier because I would have starting sucking up a lot earlier. Just kidding, but you know what I mean. I am just now starting to form relationships with the professors in my major and I am really seeing how valuable it is. So to all you underclassman out there start “being that guy” that has the answer to every question in class. It helps you stand out in class. Just don’t be annoying about it, ya feel?
