We discussed in many previous blogs how the college could be fun and a challenging time in one’s life. After all, making a transition from school is not that easy because things entirely change in college.
Besides the many things students have to take care of alone, building a good relationship with professors is essential. They are the ones who help students succeed in life by teaching them about various subjects.
But the thing is, most students think of professors as just professors. They don’t realize that professors are ordinary people like them, having the same emotions as them. Few students take the initiative of building a good relationship with their professors. But we feel every student must work towards it.
So, in this blog, we’ll tell you 10 tips on how you can be the favourite student of professors in college.
Be Excited
The first point is to be genuinely excited in classes. It will show professors that you take an interest in what they teach. You have to know that your expressions and body language can tell a lot to professors whether you like the class or not.
So, make sure to sit with an upright posture, a smile on your face and maintain eye contact. Often, these things work better than verbal communication. Remember that you have to smile and not laugh, and the eye contact must not be overdone (don’t stare as it can make the professor feel uncomfortable).
Initially, it can seem like you’re forcing yourself into doing all these things and looking excited. But don’t worry. After some time, your mind will get used to it, and these things will become a habit.
Introduce Yourself
When you’re just starting college, you’re not familiar with other students and the teachers. Similarly, teachers also don’t know about you. Many students don’t think about this. But we want you to if you're going to be a favourite student of professors.
Go and introduce yourself to them after a lecture. We know doing this may be something completely out of your comfort zone. But we insist because we know it can be highly beneficial in helping you create a good relationship with professors.
When you introduce yourself to them, the professors may get surprised because rarely anyone does this. As it’s out of the ordinary, they will happily introduce themselves. We believe this will be an excellent start to a good relationship with your professors.
Complete Assignments On Time
This point is related to completing the work on time that professors assign. Whether it is homework or an assignment, you have to complete and deliver it on time. Professors highly value students who do what they ask the entire class to do.
Completing assignments is pretty easy if you have some knowledge about the subject. In case you don’t, you can always refer to expert assignment helpers who have been in the industry for many years and know everything about assignments and how to get good grades in them.
Consider this- you’re a professor, and you assign some work to students. Some of them completed it, while some partially did it, and others didn’t even start. Who are you going to value the most? Obviously, the ones who completed it. So, when you’re on the other end of the spectrum, know that this is how professors will know you’re a good student or not.
Volunteer
There are often times when professors ask the class whether someone would come in front and explain a topic or do something. Also, remember that you tried to hide when it happened in school, so the teacher didn’t call you.
But in college, you have to stop doing it and do the complete opposite of it, that is, to volunteer. Know that most students will feel shy when they have to get up when professors call them. To avoid that from happening to you, you have to take the initiative, which will help you feel confident. Also, the other students in the class and the professors will know that you’re confident.
Moreover, after some time of volunteering, you’ll forget that you ever were shy in doing what you now do so easily.
Ask Questions
Remember how teachers from your school encouraged you to ask questions as many times until your doubts got cleared. But the thing is, most students never ask questions in school, which also becomes a habit in college. If this habit is carried with a person in their professional life, the consequences can be serious.
So, make it a point to ask questions from teachers when you don’t understand something. And do it at the time when they’re explaining the topic. Now, in the process of becoming a better student in a professor’s eyes, we don’t want you to look pretentious. No one likes it. Not your professor nor the students.
So, only ask genuine questions. When you ask a question, the chances are that some other students will also have the same question. So, when the professor answers your questions, know that it will benefit other students and not just you.
Go The Extra Mile
You have to make extra efforts if you want to become a good student in the eyes of your professors, as everyone around you is doing what the professors ask them to. No one is over-delivering. Now, over-delivering doesn’t mean you exert yourself to the point of feeling tired and stressed out all the time.
You can do simple things that will let professors know that you went the extra mile. The things you can do are- additional research on the assignments you complete, knowing the topics that will be taught in the future, searching the internet for some new trends in the topic you’ll cover in the next class, and so many other things. There is no end to what you can do.
We can assure you that your professors will notice the extra effort you put in, and they’ll appreciate you. Who knows, they can also give your example to other classes or students in the future.
Greet Them Outside Class
It is common to see your professor outside the classroom in the campus, canteen or dorms. When most students see their teachers outside class, they act like they don’t know them. If you’ve been doing this, then STOP!
Don’t act like a stranger because your professors are the same people you meet in the class every day. They have the same personality and characteristics that they have in class. So, address them like a professor even outside the class.
So, next time you see your professors anywhere outside the class, make sure you greet them and do small talk. If you’re not a fan of small talk, you can avoid it. Know that your interaction outside the classroom may be different because the professor is relaxed as they don’t have to teach. You can even crack jokes.
Help Other Students In Class
This point is not directly related to professors because it is about helping other students in class. You may think, “But that’s the professor’s job, right?”. It isn’t, actually. The job of professors is to teach about a subject to the entire class. They also help clear the doubts that may arise in students’ minds.
Often, students are not comfortable asking questions to the professors (we talked about it in a point above). At that time, many students resort to asking the same questions from their mates. And the majority of the time, the other students can successfully clear their doubts.
We want you to be that student from who other students ask for help. Whether related to studies or other things, it’s a great feeling when students think you can solve their problems. We also recommend you proactively help students when they’re stuck at some problem. It doesn’t matter if you’re friends with them or not.
When you start helping others in a class, teachers will notice it, ultimately leading to a good relationship with them. They may even give you good grades in the internal assessment because of your helpful nature.
Talk To Them About Your Issues
This point is similar to the point above. The only difference is that you’ll ask questions and share study-related problems or personal problems with your professors. We feel you must talk about your issues with them.
After reading this point, many students will not consider it because they may think only the people their age can understand their problems. But the thing is, professors have passed through the same age and know the issues that students commonly face. We feel they could give you the best advice.
When you follow this tip, you’ll notice that you built a stronger and deeper relationship with your professors. So, next time you’re going through something in your life or want to get help about what to do in the future after your studies, we recommend that you consider talking to your professors.
Conclusion
Becoming the favourite student of professors can seem challenging. The reason it seems difficult is because of the lack of knowledge about what needs to be done. But once you know the tips, the path becomes easy.
In this blog, we talked about how you can be the favourite student of professors in college. We explained all the tips in a simple manner so that everyone could understand them.
So, start following them and see how your college life transforms positively.
