Look, let’s level for a minute; college is hard, and while it may also be fun, most people are eventually trying to graduate. So, just to make it a little easier on yourself, please go to office hours. There are so many benefits to attending office hours, but I’ll give you the top three.
Chances are there’s not enough time in class to answer all your questions, so office hours are the perfect opportunity to do so. During office hours, your professor is free to answer questions about ongoing projects, the syllabus, or anything else class related that’s been keeping you up at night. It’s also important to take advantage of this time to ask questions about the homework and gain a better understanding of the material. Office hours exist to help you and your grade, so why not get the most you can out of it.
It’s definitely easier (and significantly less stressful) to go into office hours and find out what you’re doing wrong than spending hours struggling on the internet, on your own, or with other students who are just as confused. If you have the opportunity to go over test questions or homework problems you got wrong, it’s probably worth it to sit down one-on-one with the professor and figure it out. That way, when the same type of questions inevitably appear on the final, you won’t fall into a pit of despair. The idea is not to wait until you’re really struggling to get help. By going to office hours regularly, you can avoid the whole “it’s two days before the exam and I understand this about as much as I understand people who like ranch” dilemma.
You don’t necessarily have to be struggling with a class to justify going to office hours, they can also be used to be a perfect opportunity to get to know your professor. Besides finding out that your professor is a pretty interesting person, you might also discover that your professor has some pretty interesting connections, insights, and resources. Talking with your professor is a great way to find out about research opportunities, internships, projects and other great opportunities.