Locked in the Ivory Tower: How to Know When to Approach Your Professor
October 9, 2009 | Lisa Kilian
You’ve been dreaming of this from the moment you got your acceptance letter in the mail: light chitchat with highly esteemed professors. Banter with the one whose opinion you cherish the most. A friendship perhaps with a professional that has been kind enough to deem you on their level.
Getting to know professors on a professional and personal level is something all college students strive for. Your professors are your most valuable resource at school. Their noggins are libraries full of all the information you could ever want, their address books contain all the contacts and connections you wish you had, and best yet, these professors are technically working for you. Every day, they walk into the classroom holding a briefcase full of notes just for you!
But if these people are working for you, then why are they so hard to talk to? Do you always think of great thoughts to bring up or questions to ask during lecture just to bail out the second your professor looks you in the eye after class? Or do you have the opposite problem? You’ve got a thought and a question after every class but the professor always seems to turn tail and run once he notices you approaching the desk.
There are two problems here. In the first instance, your professor doesn’t even realize you have something to say because you’ve never had the guts to approach him. In the second, the professor knows you have something to say but is so tired of answering your every question and listening to every thought that he runs away, hoping you’ll find someone else to unleash on.
Now, a good professor will know when a student is too intimidated to approach him and will instead approach the student himself. A good professor will also gently remind a needy student that he is not there to hold your hand, but he will listen to you and answer this question one last time.
Here’s a general rule of thumb when dealing with professors: If no one else in your class can answer your question, you should ask your professor quickly after class ends. If you’re approaching your professor two or more times a week to ask a question or share something you so wittily came up with, save it for the office hours.
Everyone has questions and everyone has unique ideas, but you must remember that your professors are incredibly busy. When they’re not in your class, they have other classes they are teaching, books they are writing, meetings with professionals and meeting with students. Some of these guys are crazy enough to have a second job. And let’s not forget their families and lives. Everyone has something to come home to, whether it’s a daughter or a dog.
However, don’t let your professor’s busy nature keep you from approaching him in the future. Remember, professors are hired to answer your questions, so go ahead and ask! But if you’re going to ask a question or talk after class, make sure it’s important and make sure you keep it quick. If there is something that is just perplexing you or an idea that you just can’t let go of then pull out your syllabus and look at the header for your professor’s office hours. Every professor sets aside office hours specifically for the students that need extra help or want to learn more. These are the times you can freely talk to your professor about whatever you want.
The good news is that most students tend to ignore these office hours. So, if you’ve got a burning question or anything that you would like to speak to your professor about in private, chances are the office will be devoid of students when you get there. And if you come to him with an important, hard-to-answer question or a very interesting thought that no one else brought up in class, you could walk away with some brownie points. Get enough brownie points and you could walk away with a new friend.
Whatever you do, don’t go running to your professor every time you have a question. That’s what libraries are for. And for heaven’s sake, don’t brown nose! Professors can sniff even a faint brown noser from a mile away and they will not be flattered or impressed.
