Meeting with a professor for the first-time during office hours can a stressful experience. What do you say to a professsor? Should you only go when you have class-related questions?
Well, even if you don’t have class-related questions you should still be going to office hours. Professors can be amazing life mentors that can help guide you not only through school, but also throughout your career. Here are some tips for pre-, during and post-meeting best practices:
Before the meeting
Research your professor. This may sound weird, but faculty profiles on your college website have a lot of good information about where professors have worked, their areas of specialty and sometimes even where they’re from. LinkedIn is another great resource for information. If you find their specialty or former place of employment interesting, do some extra research on it.
Write a list of questions based on this research and other things you’re wondering about their career path. This is a great way to show interest in their work while getting answers to genuine questions that you’re curious about. Doing this bit of research before will help calm your nerves and eliminate any awkward silence during the meeting.
During the Meeting
As you enter their office, look around their space. Professors will often have photos of family, things from their favorite sports team, diplomas, knick knacks and more. If something like this connects with you, make a mental note to bring it up in conversation. Making the professor feel that you want to be there for professional advice and because of you’re actually interest in them is a great way to build a strong relationship.
Ask the questions you came up with earlier and be yourself. Maybe even take some notes if you feel the information warrants it! After the conversation is over, thank them for their time and wish them a good day. Shake their hand and make eye contact to show confidence.
After the meeting
Wait 24 hours and then write an email thanking the professor for their time. Include some of the information you found interesting to show that you paid attention.
It’s fine if the meeting wasn’t particularly interesting for you – you can still go back to them for class help! But if you feel that conversation was enlightening and you actually like the professor, then you may have just found a mentor.
Either way, remember that professors are people just like you and they are there to help you out. Don’t be afraid to utilize your resources!