Hey all,

Welcome back to The College Blog! Today’s post is about connecting with your professors. As I talked about in the previous post on the changes of class structure, your professors are extremely important to your success, academically, and career-wise. It is vital that you form connections with your professors—and, like I talked about in email etiquette, they often decide how strong of an applicant you are regarding future jobs and internships. There are several ways to connect with your professors, all of which will allow them to know you, like you, and want to help you succeed.

Office Hours

Office hours is time that professors set aside for you to ask any questions you need to, either about the course or outside of class—both of which I highly encourage. If you don’t take advantage of office hours, especially if you’re going to a large university like Penn State, your professor likely will not have any knowledge of who you are, apart from any emails you send, if you send any at all.

I encourage you to spend time talking to your professors in office hours, or email them to talk outside of that time if it conflicts with your schedule—and make sure to follow email etiquette rules outlined in my previous post. Even if you have nothing course-related to talk about, you can always ask them about their lives: the path they took in college and graduate school, their favorite sports team, movies, books, etc.

Major-related Lectures

In some colleges and universities, organized talks around a certain department take place in lecture halls. Going to these talks could allow you to either a) cross paths with your professor, or b) give you something to ask them about in office hours, if you don’t see them. These lectures can also help you gain clarity in picking a major—often the research talks from visiting lecturers give a clear picture of the kind of work you would be doing in a certain field.

Emailing and Asking Questions—Often!

As I stated in the email etiquette and transitioning from SLA to college post, it’s important to ask questions throughout the semester, whether that be electronically or digitally. The more you are present in class and out of it, the more the professor will remember you.

Remember, professors are an essential part of both your college education, and your future in the career path you choose.

To your success!

Lara Rosenbach

Class of 2024