How do you talk to your professors?

[rcd]

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Hi, I'm just finishing up my sophomore year and I haven't established any professor-student relationships.

At the beginning of this semester, I did talk to my Econ professor once, but it was the most awkward conversation I've been in, and lasted about 5 minutes. I mean she was nice and everything, I just felt to akward to be there and I didn't say more than a few words the whole time.

This is obviously a problem as far as LORs go, but right now I'm more immediately concerned with research work.

 

[lilnoelle]

This wasn't difficult for me because I attended a small school. I think the easiest way to do this is sit close to the front and get involved in your class any way possible. Ask questions, answer questions, volunteer. And then, once your comfortable with the professor, stop by their office after class to ask questions or just talk. You could also continue a class disscussion with your professor as you leave the classroom after class. Get involved in your labs too. You could be a lab assistant and get to know the professor that way.

 

[Law2Doc]

Hi, I'm just finishing up my sophomore year and I haven't established any professor-student relationships.

At the beginning of this semester, I did talk to my Econ professor once, but it was the most awkward conversation I've been in, and lasted about 5 minutes. I mean she was nice and everything, I just felt to akward to be there and I didn't say more than a few words the whole time.

This is obviously a problem as far as LORs go, but right now I'm more immediately concerned with research work.

The easiest route is to come up with questions about the course material, and go to office hours.

If they got a degree at a university you might be considering for med school, that could also open a good line of inquiry.
Look at it as practice for when you will have to converse with patients who will be older than you and with whom you will have even less in common.

 

[Slide]

Don't stress about it too much. You still have a year to go. I got most of my LORs as a junior because I was taking advanced classes and I took initiative by volunteering to answer questions, go to office hours, etc.

 

[TinyFish]

I found it really easy because I went to a small college too, and all my profs were really chill.

Often our professors would offer to hold more relaxed office hours in the coffee shop/snack bar. If you have this opportunity, take it. Even if you don't, office hours are a good time to develop a relationship with them.

Also, review sessions are good opportunities to start conversations with professors.

 

[Compass]

It's awkward the first time around. Once you get to know them, they talk to you much more easily. For example, I'm a shy guy, so I don't like to talk in a 300 student bio class, but I contact him by email and talk to him on online discussion boards, and show that I participate, etc.

 

[Sarg's kid]

Hi, I'm just finishing up my sophomore year and I haven't established any professor-student relationships.

At the beginning of this semester, I did talk to my Econ professor once, but it was the most awkward conversation I've been in, and lasted about 5 minutes. I mean she was nice and everything, I just felt to akward to be there and I didn't say more than a few words the whole time.

This is obviously a problem as far as LORs go, but right now I'm more immediately concerned with research work.

The best way to get in good enough with a prof to ask for a LOR is to show up to class early, every day. Take good notes. Sit in the front row. Don't fall asleep or whisper during class. Ace the tests. Pretty much just be a good student. Go to their office and ask a couple of questions.

When it comes time to ask them for a LOR, they'll likely remember you. All of my profs were really cool about it. I asked them, and provided them with a stamped envelope with all the materials in it. They all had to go to Grad School, and know how it is.

Same goes for research.
Good luck.

 

[tacrum43]

Office hours and lab are the best times in my opinion.

 

[Compass]

Well, I do fall asleep in the front row sometimes, because I have early classes, but I still ace my quizzes, so my teacher thinks I'm insane or something. 😛

 

[PariPari]

office hours are great. i semi-stalked (looked up old publications off his CV that's online for our bio dept) one prof i thought was interesting in class & he was way cool, so i'd go into office hours, ask questions for class & ask about what he was doing etc
i did research in one lab & my PI is friends w/ one of my LOR writers i had him in a class, but he knew me from being in the lab as well. Lab parties rock

 

[EMH]

Get involved in any clubs that the professors sponsor and attend meetings. Try to get a volunteer spot as a lab assistant (it may have many advantages). Office hours are good, try to bring inteligent questions, but not rediclious ones.

I can relate to having a hard time talking with professors. I think this is because many professors have a hard time talking to people that aren't their peers. Most research professors I've encountered are still at Universites because of the Ivory Tower idea. I even had one professor say this in class, "I wouldn't make it in the real world."
I get along well with my research professor and can have good conversations with her but everytime we end a conversation there is an awkwardness I beleive that comes from the fact that neither of us are comfortable in social situations.

 

[SpeakLittleB]

It sounds like everyone is stalking their professor. haha. I feel more comfortable when I have a genuine question or really need advice. otherwise I feel awkward by forcing a conversation. I would just try to remind yourself that you have the option to ask your professor next time you have a career question or wonder about a scientific issue or a problem tangentially related to the course. Usually, your profs will have great ideas to contribute, and you can have a productive conversation. The important thing is to remember to ask, since normally you may only think to ask your friends, or post on SDN, or just about anything besides talking to the prof. Good luck!

 

[riceman04]

This wasn't difficult for me because I attended a small school. I think the easiest way to do this is sit close to the front and get involved in your class any way possible. Ask questions, answer questions, volunteer. And then, once your comfortable with the professor, stop by their office after class to ask questions or just talk. You could also continue a class disscussion with your professor as you leave the classroom after class. Get involved in your labs too. You could be a lab assistant and get to know the professor that way.

yeah I was in the same type of small environment...made it very very easy to get to know your profs.

I second this advice!!! 👍

whenever you have questions, use that opp to go to the profs office and ask in person. Dont be all overbearing...just show interest in the material...show that you want to learn...and in good time profs will be able to write a great letter of rec for you!!!

 

[medicalbound]

I agree that being engaged in the course is important. Remember that a good LOR will contain more than "Student X made good grades". The admissions committees can see that for themselves via your transcript. You need to provide the prof with enough experience with you to be able to actually recommend you for medical school. As others have said, don't force a conversation, but ask pertinent questions in class and in office hours. If you are uncomfortable talking with professors, this is something you need to overcome. Who do you think will be interviewing you for medical school? Adcoms can recognize a real recommendation vs. a "letter from a prof who really didn't know the student" a mile away. If you have not been through the admissions process yet, it is something you don't want to do twice if you can help it - instead, do everything you can to build a strong application and better your chances of getting in. Also, many schools weight LORs very highly - it can certainly pay to get great ones and certainly will never hurt. Best of luck in your endeavors!

 

[Nexus777]

I think these questions are pretty ridiculous. Your professors are people too - just interact with them as if you are interacting with a classmate whom you don't know, but is your age. The more real you are with professors, the better the relationship you will have with them. I just joked around with professors before and after class. Professors invited me to dinner and I hung out with them, had interesting talks with them, etc. Half my interactions were making fun of them, just as I do with my similar-age friends, of course only in jovial ways. Sometimes, they would ask my advice on issues concerning their kids. You are 21 years old, an adult. Interact as a charasmatic one now and you will have no problem with recs for med school.

 

[fpr85]

I think these questions are pretty ridiculous. Your professors are people too - just interact with them as if you are interacting with a classmate whom you don't know, but is your age.

Good advice.

If you have a tough time talking to your professors, you'll be screwed when it comes time to interviews. Make sure you practice!

 

[rajad10]

honestly, if you're smart and never need office hours, go and ask questions to which you already know the answers. don't feel bad about feigning dumb to show the teacher who you are and get your name out there. another idea i've tried is to printing out a published paper by the prof if they do research, reading it, understanding the gist of it, bringing it to office hours and asking specific questions about the paper and their research. profs who do research, love their research above all other things, including their teaching. if you show interest in their research, they'll show interest in you

 

[austinap]

The professors that I've gotten close to I've always been able to have peer-to-peer conversations with them. We'll joke about administrative issues, talk more in-depth about certain topics (covered in class or not), I'll stop by to talk to them even if I don't have a class with them that semester, always say hi to them in the hallways, etc. I can't pinpoint exactly how each of these relationships started, but I can tell you that it wasn't through sucking up to them or coming up with fake conversation pieces. I was genuinely interested in what they had to say, and otherwise thought they were cool people. One common way I'll start talking to professors is to come to their office hours with a question relating to the material but somewhat more advanced our outside the scope of the actual course work. They were always questions I was really interested in, but it does make for good conversation because professors usually love to have students that are interested in learning more than whats required.

Professors generally don't want suckups. They can usually spot them a mile away. I don't buy into the advice of sitting in the front row, answering all the questions stuff at all. I think the not sleeping thing is just a general common courtesy thing. Professors do like to see hard work, and they like to see people who actually use their heads and apply what they know to more complicated situations. Think about what you want them to say in the letters, and try to be the person you want them to describe. You can't be fake about it, but you can actually try to be that person. Do you want them to write about how hard working you are? Then work your ass off. Do you want them to write about how down to earth you are? Talk about every day things, especially those not related to the course work. Look around their offices, they usually have quite a few conversation pieces around. Professors are people, and usually pretty interesting ones too. The best you can do is to let a professor really get to know you. That will give you the best letter of recommendation (unless, of course, you're just a bad person... then... well 🙄 )

 

[omgwtfbbq?]

I tell them they better recognize, then I flash them a big smile and the diamond chip in my gold tooth mesmerizes them into loving me. its really quite simple.

 

[Law2Doc]

honestly, if you're smart and never need office hours, go and ask questions to which you already know the answers. don't feel bad about feigning dumb

In science, there are so many areas that people spend their entire lives researching and still don't know the answer. I'd be shocked if you couldn't find something you legitimately didn't know in pretty much any course. So you needn't feign dumbness. You just need to feign interest in the answer. 🙂

 

[MossPoh]

I go to a 40k person uni and felt the same problem at first...but it gets easier especially when classes start to get a bit more specialized...which is junior year for most. It isn't a matter of sitting anywhere in particular, but just try to be active if it is a big class and perhaps go up and ask a few questions and joke around a bit. For German I talked to my prof and wound up getting private tutoring, within 3 weeks we were chilling out and having beer while watching soccer after the sessions. Even in my massive econ class I'd walk by the prof every now and then outside and just give a friendly hello.....that combined with hardwork or at least semi hard work really helps. My information science classes I just acted myself, discrete math wasn't my strong suit but I explained that to him, and talked about my team interaction (the entire program is based on PBL)...next thing I know I was elected to be a teaching instructor for the next semester..which I couldn't do because I am in Germany..but he still remembers my name so I left an impression. Bottom line..make yourself available, ask questions or say if you are having problems, and just be a normal friendly person and you should be fine...the recs will come.

 

[MasonPrehealth]

Well, I'm not faculty yet, but as you can tell from my sig file, I will be soon.

I'm going to ask you to view your situation from the endgame and go backwards. The endgame is the LOR for most of you. If this is your only reason to get to know your professor, then you're not going to get a good reference. You're using me to get what you want, but as a professor, I'm not willing to just be your lackey.

If I don't remember you from a class I took and you ask a ref from me, I'm not going to do a good job. I need to know how you treat me (even if I am a "higher up" in the academic ladder) and how you respect the things I care about. Don't be condescending or patronizing... really think about and be considerate of what I do (administratively, faculty, or research). Make me genuinely interested in your life and goals, and inspire me to help you.

The critical mistake that most undergraduates make is that it's all about face time. If the face time wastes my time, it's not worth my time. So go to your professor to discuss your academic and professional goals; believe me, every professor loves to talk about himself/herself and what he/she does professionally or even extra-professionally. Have an agenda, but have a timeline to follow-up. Don't just meet your professor once a year and be done with it.

Suggestions to organize socials with your profs is a really good one. Any faculty who is a club advisor is a valuable one if it's a club you want to join and be active in it.

[There's a lot more I can say, but I haven't learned all the trade secrets yet.]

 

[Hopeful_Doc]

I usually start with the good ol' fashioned "hello" or "hi professor so and so" and go from there.

they are there to help you, not bite your head off. (well ok so some are belligerent but for the most part they are like anyone else you may interact with 😛 )

introduce yourself early in the semester, stay positive and focused while in their class and most importantly (as many have said already) make them remember you.

 

[badlydrawnvik]

I guess it depends on the size of the school you go to, but third year my classes got really small so I got to know professors really well. In fact on Friday a bunch of us ended up at the bar with one of our favorite professors and the old chair of the bio department. A few professors also have a tendency to also invite students to their house for dinner after classes end.

 

[TypeA]

I went to big university (25K+) and really had no problem at all developing relationships. I developed personal relationships with some and still get together with one every now and again...it's been 10 years!

So, here's my suggestion. (Take it for what's it worth...and you get to determine that!) Go in for some random class question durng office hours. Profs always have lots of junk in their office...books, pictures, etc. If you see many worn books or an interesting one, comment on it...ask if they enjoy reading...ask if they ahve always enjoyed reading (stupid stuff goes a long way). If you see pictures (like of child or dog) comment on how adorable it is and ask realtion they have to the person..."is that your daughter? son? flesh-eating dino-fish?" whatever. People like to talk about themselves. OK, not all but those with pictures in their offices...DO! If you see a souvenir from a foreign country, ask when they went and how they enjoyed their stay. Tell them that you have always wanted to go there...even if you don't. Act interested if you have to, but sincerity is the best. Who knows, maybe you will find a Pam (my prof) of your own. The friendship is awesome and the insight is invaluable. Good luck!

 

[happydays]

How? with a British accent 👍