As a college professor, I have dealt with all sorts of students during my many years of teaching. Among the various types of students, there are those who truly love he subject matter and hence are totally dedicated to it; those who feel they are entitled to pass the course and hence work the bare minimum, if at all, and expect to get a good grade; those who have difficulty and hence either seek help or ignore the course completely; meaning, they may get a C or fail the course entirely. There are those who hate you as a teacher, no matter what you do. These are the less mature ones who cannot separate their dis-likeness of the subject matter from the person teaching it. There are those who simply dislike you, meaning, there is some sort of projection going on. The reverse is also true. There are those who, even having some from of disconnection with the instructor, still go around it and work on the course. There are those who are not well and those who happen to be having a tragic semester (for example: getting sick, losing someone in the family, having a car accident, and so on, all within weeks of each tragedy). There are those who truly love you regardless of what you teach and have a lot of fun in your class. There are those who need more sleep and choose your class to catch up with it; those who think that because they are paying customers they dont need to work; those who work full time and study full time; those who parent full time and study part time; young students, older students, full time students, and so on. The list seems unlimited. But now that you are to become one of them, let me give you three pieces of advice so you can enjoy all your classes and do well on them as well, regardless of your love of the subject matter or your instructor. 1. Soon after having your first classes, make a 20 min. appointment and go speak with your professors. All of them. The purpose of your visit should be to introduce yourself and get to know who is teaching you. Talk about your life, your family, your favorite things, your High School, and your expectations about the course. Ask them what they like, why they are teaching -- trust me, money is not in their priorities -- their expectations about you, their grading system, and so on. 2. Sit in front of the class and avoid wearing hats that cover your eyes. This is very important because situated in the front will tell your professor that you are interested, even though your grades may say otherwise. Also, look at them in the eyes as much as you can. You would be establishing rapport, which is absolutely necessary for a good relationship. 3. Participate in class. Ask questions; answer them. Forget what your peers think about you; do as much as possible anyway. Be prepared. Do your homework. Study for your exams. Nothing pleases anyone more than having a person who shows interest for what you do. If you think you dont need to please your professors, think again. In fact, you should strive to have good rapport with everyone you encounter. Just doing these 3 things will put you in a category apart from your peers. Trust me. This is very beneficial for you. I will discuss more of it in another article. |
