Usually students make friends with professors to get letters of recommendation or a bump to the right side of the grade curve. But they forget that professors are people too and have much more value beyond these mundane factors. Professors can be a great source of knowledge, far beyond just what you’re learning in lecture. They have reached the positions they hold because of their consistent expertise in their fields.
A good rule of thumb is to aim to befriend one professor each semester. That way, when you get to graduation, you’ll have eight mentors to choose from. This works more in your favor during your last two years, when you’re tackling major-relevant work as opposed to more general education courses as an underclassmen.
Meeting people comes easier to some more than others. But approaching your professor, while different in its own way, does not have to be scary. I met my Sociology 100 professor as a freshman in a coffee shop one day and introduced myself to her. I’m now considering a minor in sociology. Just say hi! They don’t bite. At least not until finals …
For the less daring, the easiest way to approach your professor is by attending office hours. They are mostly held once a week and incoming students often have the misconception that you only go to office hours when you need help with your studies. While that is the most likely reason for students to attend, it is fairly common for students to go and just talk to their professors. If they are in your major’s department, you can even ask for career counseling.
Another more informal way to get to know your professor is to go out for a coffee. Big surprise, even professors need caffeine. The University of California, San Diego actually has a program called Dine-with-a-Prof which allows undergraduate students to have a meal with one of their esteemed faculty members for free to “foster informal, out-of-classroom interactions between you and your professors.” The program’s webpage even supplies interested students with table topics!
Several professors also act as ambassadors for certain campus extra-curricular clubs. My Advertising 150 professor promoted the American Advertising Federation in class, and after attending the meeting, it has become one of the most prominent organizations on my resume. But more importantly, it has given me another way of connecting to my professor.
Professors have also probably educated people who went on to be big figures in your field of interest. This can work in your favor later in the form of job shadow opportunities, internships or even a full-time offer upon graduation. If that’s not enough reason for you to connect with your professors, the obvious advantages of them being good references and also the scary graders should motivate you too.
Warning: all bets are off if you are only reading this because your professor is hot. Let’s keep it classy, collegiettes!
Photo sources:
http://www.waveguide.com/experiences/university-of-illinois-at-urbana-ch…
https://students.ucsd.edu/academics/advising/academic-success/dine-with-…
http://www.educationconnection.com/blog/2013/03