You just finished your first week of classes, and you ask yourself “Do I have a good professor?” It is a reasonable question, but have you ever wondered what the professor is asking himself? He walks out of the class asking, “Do I have a class of good students?”

Are you a good student? I am sure you are, but did you make it noticeable to the professor that you were a good student? And is being a good student necessary to being perceived as a good student?

I will discuss methods that you can use to build a good relationship with a professor, and they don’t actually involve being a straight-A student. Because building relationships with professors is very important. Professors are the key to accessibility to research, scholarships, internships, grad school, and future careers.

But how do you approach a professor? How do you let the professor know you are a “good” student? And if your answer is getting an “A” on the first test, you will not build a good relationship with a professor. Grades are important, but many students will go through the course and get a good grade. You need to be different!

Professors are Human

Just because someone has his or her Ph.D. does not mean that that person is no longer like “the rest of us.” They are still human, and they probably still like to be treated like a human. For example, humans like to be noticed, recognized, and cared about, but have you shown your professors that you care about them? How do you show that you care?

Showing that you Care - The life of a professor is filled with a few primary things: teaching, research, some more research, publishing books and research, and some more research. So as soon as you get the chance, maybe during the first day of class or directly after class, ask the professor, “What research are you currently working on?” If it is a younger professor, ask, “What was your graduate studies focused on?”

Then if you really want to make your professor feel appreciated, you read their book or other publications. Later you go to their office to talk to them about their research or their book. Ask them questions. Questions they know the answer to and maybe questions they have yet to discover. Offer your opinion.

If you are planning on going to graduate school, by doing the above scenario you will have opened up one of the most important doors! Undergraduate research. After talking to the professor about his or her research, the professor then srealize that you are also interested in the research. Next thing you know they are asking you if you would like to work on research with them over the summer.

Having problems speaking to your professor?

Perhaps it is half way through the semester, and you have yet to build a relationship with the professor. Now you avoid speaking to the professor because you are worried it will be awkward. What is the solution? Just go talk to them. Even if you just have a five-minute conversation with the professor. It is enough to break the awkwardness. After that you can go talk to the professor at any time.

Things To Talk About with Your Professor

• Politics
• News Regarding the Class
• An Event You Went To
• A Movie You Watched and How it Related to the Course
• Research That You Have Been Doing
• Question About the Course?
• Refer to a Magazine
• Talk About a Book You Just Finished

My Goal for you this Semester is for you to choose one professor, and build a solid relationship with that professor. What’s the first step? A five-minute conversation after class.

Once you build a relationship with a professor, you will be very satisfied you did. College will seem a lot easier for you, knowing that you have a professor you can always go to.

Already have a relationship with a Professor? Choose another professor. It never hurts to have multiple contacts, especially contacts you have a good relationship with.