Approaching intimidatingly good faculty

[futureapppsy2]

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I guess this is more of an academic culture question than anything, but how do you get over anxiety about approaching really successful faculty, researchers, etc? For example, there's a professor in my department who is a rising star in her area, with early tenure, incredible success with grants, etc. She teaches a required class and so all the students are at least somewhat familiar with her. However, a lot of us who aren't her advisees are really intimidated about approaching her regarding consultation or collaboration, even when we have projects that could benefit from her expertise. It's not a personality issue--she seems really nice in class and mentions that she likes consulting with people about her area of expertise--but just that we're nervous about approaching someone who seems both incredibly good and incredibly busy. How do you approach someone like that without feeling like you're imposing?

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

E-mail them or stop by during office hours and share your interest. As faculty she may be busy, but a collaboration can be beneficial to all involved. Speaking from the faculty perspective, I prefer an e-mail because I can read it when I have some free time and responding is easier to track than a drop in. I think e-mail is a good way to intro and then maybe follow-up in person if there is interest. Just my 2 cents.

 

[nessa34]

Schedule in advance, do your research, know what specifically you need from the person. It sounds like she's approachable, so don't sweat it 😉