Making the College Professor Your Ally

A college professor really doesn’t have to be the enemy at all, even though a lot of incoming college students seem to think that way. They’re used to the old method of thinking, popularized by the way high schools run. You’re expecting to go to war with your college professor, because your high school teacher made you do things that you don’t care for doing. You definitely have the power to shape your college experience, and it all starts with the type of perspective that you wish to build. The reality here is that you can’t just assume everything is going to fall into place merely because you’re wanting it to go that way. College takes work, but it’s not enough to just work blindly.

Indeed, the new college student of today has to think more logically than ever before. It’s not enough to just hope that everything is going to sort itself out. You have to believe that through massive action, you can make good things happen.

So let’s look at the professor-student relationship a bit differently. Why not sell yourself as a growing expert in training to your professor? We can do that by building you personal brand while in college. You can build a website that gives away a free report on a subject related to your major. You can build a case study, a whitepaper, or even just a series of interviews with established experts in your field. You can write to your professor and offer them something personally. Why not even invite them out to a small lunch or even bring them a small gift? There is something important about doing something for them before you just expect them to focus on you. Remember that your professor is a very busy person who might have multiple engagements outside of jus tending to your needs. That’s something to think about, and it’s critical that you think about things in a careful, controlled manner. You don’t want to give up on getting things done, but you also don’t want to just breathe and expect everything to come together on your terms.

Be respectful of the other persons’ time. If they have set office hours, stick to them. Unless they invite you to deviate outside of those office hours, you shouldn’t just assume. You have to push forward and make sure that your goals are being reached in a respectful manner. Nobody likes the pushy student that thinks they are entitled to a glowing relationship with their professor.
The time that you spend in class is also important. Falling asleep in class is unacceptable. Talking to other people through class is unacceptable. You might think that these things are obvious, but you might be surprised. A lot of freshmen college students act like college is just an extension of the partying and carrying on in high school, but that’s really not the case at all.