getting to know your professors -- Virtually Advising Q+A

The Q: I never bothered getting to know my professors too well in high school - they were always just kind of THERE. But a few other students here tell me that establishing a relationship with your professors in college is really important if you want to get good grades. Does it really matter? Should I really spend time getting to know my professors, and how do I actually go about doing that?

The A: If you're sitting in a lecture room with 500 students, don't bother. Faculty in big lecture courses can't possibly get to know their students; students asking for attention can be a drain, even when they have the most genuine interest. But in a course under a hundred or so, it'll probably helps your grade if your instructor has positive associations with your name. That doesn't mean sucking up - most of us recognize and dislike obsequious student behavior. But it does mean turning things in on time, participating when it's asked for, asking thoughtful questions and so on.

There's more at stake here than a good grade in a single class. Students who build relationships with me are making a wise investment in a number of ways. First, while it's unconscious, I probably give them more time and leeway - not better grades, but more attention, and maybe a little less hassle over an absence.

Second, I'll have a lot more to say about them when it comes time to write recommendation letters for scholarships, study abroad applications, jobs or graduate school. I actually know something about them and their interests, and I can communicate their unique strengths in my letters.

Hear me well, though: personal contact never stands in for hard work. Over the years, I've been fond of many students who didn't work hard enough. No matter how good my personal relationships with them were, they didn't get A's or excellent recommendation letters. Most faculty, in my experience, care most about what the students learn. To the degree that a more personal relationship extends that learning experience, it's inevitably in your interest.

—Anahid Kassabian, Chief Advisor