How to Build Successful Relationships With Your Professors

High school time is over. Life in a university will be completely different from that in high school. The first thing you need to keep in mind is "Don't make yourself solely immersed in striving for a full GPA". But don't mistake me. You should make your GPA as high as possible because a high GPA, on one hand, makes you feel more confident when you are hesitating at the doorway of your professor's office, on the other hand, impresses your professor positively when it is the first time to meet him. And sometimes it's hard to achieve this. But here what I'm telling you is not about how to be an excellent student, but how to be an outstanding student.

Ambitions are the first thing that you should be equipped with. You should have a strong desire of achieving success, here specifically, a strong desire of building strong relationships with your professors. This strong desire is also important in the sense that it will inject energy and courage when you are afraid to take steps necessary.

Secondly, don't give yourself a vague instruction or goal. Be as specific as possible. For instance, don't tell yourself "I will see my professor someday". Change it to a more specific and forceful way "I will see my professor tomorrow morning from 10:00-11:00 a.m. during his office hour" or "I will see my professor this Thursday by appointment". Once you have a clear picture of what to do at what time, you will not end up doing nothing but making promises that could never be realized.

This is only a start. Don't go to your professor's office hour with nothing to talk to him. Be prepared with some questions in reasonable amount and difficulty so that all of your questions could be addressed fully by your professor. Why? Actually the process of building a good relationship with your professor is the process of making the professor enjoy talking to you. How could you make him enjoy the conversation? Besides demonstrating some basic etiquette which I'm sure every normal college student should have, you should let your professor feel the joy of helping you and making you appreciate his answers. So leave the time for him to address each question and make comments now and then to make sure that you are in pace with him. You should be bright in the sense of quickly comprehending what the professor will to enunciate rather than in the sense of outwitting professor.

Thirdly, brainstorm all of the possible situations that could happen if this is your first time and if you are not acquainted with him. Think of possible and appropriate reactions you would take if one or more of the situations really happened. Moreover, take care of the order of the questions you plan to ask. The first question should be the easiest in the sense that it is the easiest for you to ask and for the professor to answer. Make the language you use to ask the questions more academic since you are not talking to your peers or GSI.

The above-mentioned are the most basic but useful advice which I draw from my years' of experiences of contact with my professors. I hope that could at least lead you onto the right track towards the successful relationships from which you will largely benefit during your whole university years.