Sitting in a four hundred person lecture hall and listening to the voice of a person you have never met might be seriously hindering your college experience. Intro courses were the death of me during my first year at a university. I sat and listened, I took notes, I took exams, but I did not develop connections with my professors or delve into the content further than I needed to.
Once you reach upper division classes and the numbers dwindle to twenty or thirty chairs in the room, connecting with your professor and peers becomes a lot easier, but don’t waste those first years by not networking and creating resources for your future.
Developing relationships with your professors is incredibly important during internship and application seasons (which you may not realize until your senior year).
If that isn’t motivation enough to get you to office hours, here are three more reasons to go talk with your professors outside of class:
- Move from “Undecided” to “Decided”
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Most students come to college with a vague idea (or no idea) of what they want to study. The best way to figure out what you are passionate about and to decide what professional path you want to take is to talk to people who have experience in those very fields. With that being said, if you find yourself curious about the course content and wanting to learn more about the opportunities in the field, swing on over to office hours. Many professors are incredibly passionate about their fields and will do just about anything to recruit more students to join the major. Showing interest in the field will not only show your professor that you are taking their course seriously but will allow them to open up to sharing resources, wisdom, and their time with you. Additionally, talking more about the field with your professor will better lend to your understanding of the course content and could help bump up your grade. Office hours don’t just have to be for asking questions about your grade, but can serve as an impromptu info session on your future career. Explore a little.
- Learn About Opportunities in the Field
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Having trouble finding a reference, a professional workshop, an internship, or a job opening? Hit up office hours immediately. Professors are well connected. Just think about how many students they have every quarter, how many of those students have graduated, and now how many of those students have jobs in the field. Your professor will most likely have a good idea about what is going on in the professional community in regards to jobs, workshops, and other professional development opportunities. Going to office hours opens up the conversation about these topics. Who knows, you might go in needing help answering a homework question and come out with a list of programs to apply to (this really happens, I have witnessed it). Not to mention, your professor will likely be open to you using them as a reference in the application to the opportunities they have provided you with, what a bonus.
- Make a Connection for Life
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College may seem like a temporary part of life but the professional connections you make now often lay the basis for your career. Becoming close with one or two professors and staying in contact with them will provide you with a connection far after graduation. These professors can eventually become your colleagues and having professional connections welll versed in their specific topics can really help you when in a bind at work. The relationship goes both ways though, you can also reach out to professors after graduation to provide them with new and relevant information that can help either them or their students. Don’t undervalue your time in college and the people you invest in. You paid for that degree girl, get your money’s worth.
So the next time you are feeling confused, uninspired, or in need of direction, go to one of the many professionals at your fingertips, that’s what they’re there for (and they are probably bored of answering emails anyway).