Nerdify Reviews 4 Reasons Why You Should Actually Attend Office Hours (Despite any Initial Awkwardness That Might Occur)
Considering most high school students bolt out of class as soon as the bell rings without turning back, many are surprised when they learn that college students spend their free time meeting with professors during their office hours. Some students write online on forums like Reddit reviews that talking with their professors one-on-one is daunting (and depending on the person, more or less awkward when attending online office hours), while others think office hours are primarily for those who want to be a “teacher’s pet.” While there’s nothing wrong with wanting to make a good impression on professors, our Nerdify reviews experts want you to know there are other advantages to meeting either virtually or in-person with your teachers, in addition to good optics.
1. Show That You’re Not Just One Face in the Crowd
Depending on the size of your campus and the popularity of a class you’re taking, many introductory “101” courses might be hosted in a lecture hall, attended by anywhere from 100 to 300 students, or hosted in a Zoom chatroom with that many tiles of students’ faces (if they even turn on their webcams). At that point, unless you meet with your professor in person or participate in class, they only know you by the name on your papers. Sure, it might be nice in some regards to be able to hide in a group knowing you’re not likely to get called on randomly to answer questions, but with that sort of anonymity, your professor might grade your work more harshly (if they even grade it themselves instead of handing it off to a teacher’s assistant), as they do not consider the person behind the work, nor notice how the quality of your work has progressed over the course.
However, chatting with your professor during their office hours shows them that you care about their class. If your instructor learns that you are a hard worker, they are likely to be more accommodating if something comes up in your personal life that requires an extension on a project. They would trust your word that you need help — despite your best efforts to complete a task on time — much more than a faceless student that always skips class. Besides getting possible commiseration points, there are other benefits to talking with your professor that can help you succeed in class, say our Nerdify reviews experts.
2. Ask for Guidance on How to Improve Your Grade
We all know the feeling of an instructor giving back an assignment, only to receive a grade much lower than anticipated, with little or vague feedback as to what went wrong. Instead of searching aimlessly on the internet for Reddit review tips, by discussing the work back to your professor, you can ask them for clarification on their marks. While they likely won’t give you points back nor change your grade, your instructor explaining their marks is beneficial because you can better understand how to avoid making the same errors in the future. Beyond just specific assignments, most professors notice erroneous trends threaded throughout their students’ work, habits you might be completely oblivious to because they are so second nature. Perhaps you use incorrect grammar and punctuation in an essay, have an unclear organization in a paper, don’t adequately show your work in math, and so on. Talking with your professor is undoubtedly helpful for the classes you’re taking with them, but they can also help you with your studies.
3. Get Advice on the Future, Both in Your Class and Beyond
In addition to asking your instructor about what went wrong on past projects, you can also ask for help on upcoming assignments. Obviously, asking for answers to future tests won’t get you anywhere, but professors are more than happy to clarify guidelines, state their opinions on thesis statements for upcoming essays, and even give advice on avenues for research, as they likely specialize in the topic of your class.
More than simply seeking help regarding the class you are taking with your professor, you can ask them for advice on your major at large, as they can advise you on relevant courses going forward. Even further beyond your collegiate studies, our Nerdify review experts say they likely have insight into career prospects for your particular major, as at the very least they have firsthand experience pursuing academia in the field.
4. Becoming their Mentee can Lead to Research Opportunities
Depending on your major, you might be required to participate in research or an internship to graduate. Our Nerdify reviews experts say it would be more ideal to have built a mentor/mentee relationship with a professor you like than to pick a teacher at random and hope that you get along with them. Even if you don’t plan on going into the professor’s specialty, having the experience of working in a positive environment is an excellent introduction to the professional world. Sometimes, it is just as beneficial to participate in an internship and find out that you aren’t interested in something as it is if you interned in something you enjoyed, because either way, you’ll have narrowed down what you would like to pursue in the future. If a professor is impressed with your work, they might even help you hone your work to present at an academic conference.
