Your professor in college will be your ally in many ways. Not only will your professor bestow upon you invaluable knowledge in the field you are studying – he or she could also become your mentor and your connection to a career. This is why you want to get on your professor’s good side. Of course, you don’t want to do this just to secure a good reference, or to do better in class, you want to do it for the sake of broadening and getting the most from your education. When it comes to getting on your professor’s good side, you want to avoid becoming the teacher’s pet, but if you heed a few words of advice, you should be able to develop a comfortable teacher to student relationship.
Know the Requirements
When you start a course in college, you always want to pay attention to the syllabus. It will tell you everything – from how the professor wants you to format papers to when there will be exams. If you want to get on your professor’s good side, you always want to adhere to these requirements – even if they are vastly different from other course requirement.
Stay Engaged in Class
When you are in class, you want to stay engaged. This means that you want to be up front, and you always want to be listening – even if you don’t want to. The more engaged you are in class, the more the professor will know that you are interested. If your engagement is authentic, it can really help you make a connection with your professor. If you are not engaged, it will look like you don’t really care.
Do Well On Exams
Of course, another way to impress your professors is to do well on your exams. Whether you are going to USC Online or University of Houston, you want to be sure that you study for your exams long in advance. On game day, you want to be amped up to ace your exams. This means not pulling all-nighters – if you studied long enough in advance, you can be in a position where you don’t have to stay up all night to study.
Take Advantage of Office Hours
Most professors have office hours. These are hours where your professor is in his or her office doing paperwork or eating lunch. This is the best time to see your professor, because you will be able to ask questions, talk about the course and find out if you can do anything better. Most professors develop stronger relationships with students that visit during office hours.
Ask a Lot of Questions
On top of everything, you want to be sure that you ask a lot of questions. This will show that you are curious. Of course, in most other facets of your life, asking a lot of questions will be annoying, but your professors come to expect it and even encourage it, because it will help you learn more in the course – and it will help you get closer to the professor.