Office Hours...

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rasajdak

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What do y'all do during a professor's office hours?

I went to my calc professor's once, and he was having lunch with a fellow professor... It was kind of awkward so I only went once.

What are you supposed to do, ask, etc?

--Ryan
 
I hardly ever go, only when I planned to ask for a letter of rec. The questions asked in office hours are usually so obvious that the solution can easily be found in reading and lecture material, or so obscure that there is no need to know the answer.
 
rasajdak said:
What do y'all do during a professor's office hours?

I went to my calc professor's once, and he was having lunch with a fellow professor... It was kind of awkward so I only went once.

What are you supposed to do, ask, etc?

--Ryan

It is best if you go to the office hours with specific questions that you want to ask. In order to have questions, you must do your reading and work the homework problems before going to see the professor. You should ask him to help you with any of the problems that you were not able to solve on your own. If you are going to his office during officially scheduled office hour time, you should not feel bad about speaking up and telling him that you are there to get help, even if he is eating his lunch! He is supposed to help you during his office hours; that's why he has them.
 
Also you get to know the professor better, you might be interested in his reaseach.

Some professors say things in the office hours that they never mention in the lecture.

I find office hours very useful.
 
It's a great chance to get to know your professors. I usually only go if I have questions on the course material, but if I really like the professor for a class, I will attend office hours.
 
I rarely go to OHs, except for my dynamics class. Really, I have nothing to ask because in most of my classes, HW's score don't contribute to your grades. Furthermore, I think if you need help with the HWs, TAs is better ppl to ask because they will give out the solutions, and profs won't =)

If you go to OHs, make sure you have some questions. Or if you want to get knowing your profs more (for letter of rec later), just make up some questions =)
 
Be selective with what you come to ask about; a prof will feel like you're wasting his time if you could have asked a TA the same question.
 
I know you should be selective about what you are asking, but then again, it's your time to ask whatever you need to ask. I hate professors who are jerks when you ask what they think is a "stupid" question! grrr!!

During lecture, if there is something that is uclear, mark it and ask in OH for the professor to elaborate more on the topic. That's probably the easiest thing to do.
 
I always thought the best thing you could really do is get to know your profs really well. I try hard to do that every semester. I sit in the front row so they would recognize me, and I go into their office hours and ask them questions. Or you could just ask them questions before class or after class that carry more weight than "Wait, will gauche be on the test?". I avoid after class questions because usually there is a long line to see the prof. Introduce yourself, say "Hi, my name is Hindiana Jones, and I was wondering about blah blag blah" When I go to their office hours after I am done asking questions directly related to class I ask them about topics related to the subject material but not directly related. For instances, I asked my history of film prof about Star Wars, just because I was curious about what she though. I asked my cell biology professor about her research, because why not. I found to be what she was doing kind of borning, but she knows who I am, knows my name, and knows I am proactive enough to go get my questions anwsered. The better they know you the better LOR they can write. Having them write "This student got an A in my class" isn't very helpful. Professors are people too.Some may be rude, or nonresponsive, but you can use your judgement on that. You don't have to be buddy buddy with every single one, but you should try. Going in the day before a major paper is due or a major paper is about to happen makes it transparent that all you care about is the grade. Thats just my opinion.
 
I definately agree. there are some teachers that i've gone to lunch with numerous times and others for coffee. to some people it might look like sucking up, but honestly the recommendation letters they wrote were really good. almost all the interviewers i've had said that they were impressed with them. so I dunno, i guess from the decisions i've heard that the time spent with the professors was helpful. not only did it help me with the grades but also learning about stuff. my philosophy teacher is one of my best friends. we talk about a lot of stuff and it's good to have a professional mentor that people respect. aight... holla.
 
The only purpose in attending office hours is to establish a relationship with the prof. If you have a bullsh*t question, the prof can see through it and you will look stupid. So just be honest, tell him the real reason you are there (recomms) and then educate him about yourself. You will be better off for it. Trust me - it worked for me, and I'm an MS1 at MSU.
 
I almost never go, and usually only when I have an issue that needs resolving. I did become friends with one professor, but he was a much younger guy.
 
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