Communicating with your Professor

Hit a roadblock with one of your college professors?

I am sure that everyone can relate to that question above, but how many of us found the solution? College professors can be very intimidating on the outside. Some college students give professors bad reputations.

We have all heard people say negative things about professors. However, I have found that students who utter phrases like these often do not have nor do they try to form relationships with their professors.

We have a job as students of higher education to build relationships with our professors that go beyond the classroom. Someday you may need a recommendation letter or referral to get your dream job and maybe they used to work there.

All of that can be achieved by communicating with your professors. So, how can we better communicate with our professors?

I have compiled a list of helpful tips and hacks to help better communicate with your professors:

Being a conscientious student:

-  Get to class early and be present in mind.

-  Ask questions or make comments during lectures.

-  Greet your professor before or after class.

-  Turn in assignments on time.

-  Be familiar with the course syllabus, e.g.: test dates, due dates, lectures, holidays, etc.

-  Show mild interest in the material being covered.

Interacting with your professor:

-  Emailing is BIG, e.g.: proper grammar and formatting, name present.

-  Utilize the office hours that are provided in the syllabus to schedule appointments with your professor.

-  Be prepared when meeting with your professor.

-  Do not ask obvious questions that can be answered by the syllabus.

-  Always schedule appointments when you are calm, collected.

-  Be flexible with your professors; your schedule is not always the most important.

(Agnes Scott College; https://www.agnesscott.edu/orientation/additional-resources/communicate-...)

All of these tips, if put into practice, can set you apart from other college students. Many forget that having proper etiquette in communicating toward your professor could be the difference in rounding your ‘B’ to an ‘A’.