The Dos and Don’ts of Going to Office Hours

By Lauren Hooker on January 28, 2014
Photo via www.rentcafe.comEvery professor says “Come to office hours. Please! I’ll love you forever!” or some variation of that. But we all know it’s not as simple as it sounds. We all know how it feels–that horrifying twinge in your stomach just before the door opens, just before you stumble awkwardly through the door and blurt out the first thing that comes to mind.
“HI.”
(Insert horrifyingly uncomfortable silence.)
“TEACH ME YOUR WISDOM.”
“Please leave my office.”
To avoid any embarrassment, here are some tips for office hours:
  1. Don’t be intimidated.  It took me years to muster up the courage to start going to my professors’ office hours because I was so in awe of their brilliance and so terrified of sounding stupid in front of them.  That, and I felt like I would be bothering them.  But in my experience, most professors actually want to talk to their students, especially when their students want to talk to them.
  2. Do come prepared with something to say.  It doesn’t really matter what.  A lot of students think they should only go to office hours if they have questions pertaining to the class, and while office hours are definitely helpful for that, they aren’t the only reason to go.  You can go to ask your professor for career advice.  You can go simply to introduce yourself and tell them how much you are enjoying the class.  Most professors are good are carrying the conversation, but just in case, you should come with something to say, otherwise it might get a little awkward.
  3. Do go more than once.  You go to office hours to get to know your professor, but you also go so they can get to know you.  This can come in handy down the road, like next semester when you’re trying to get in to their 4000-level seminar but you’re only a second-year, or when you need a recommendation.
  4. Do ask them if you can meet at another time if their office hours don’t work for you.  Like I said, professors genuinely want to talk to their students, so if you make it clear that you want to talk to them, many of them will go out of their way to make that happen.  Just give them a list of several other times when you could meet.
  5. Don’t blow them off if they’ve scheduled a special time to meet with you.  For one thing, it’s just rude.  For another, it might alter their opinion of you for the worse, which is especially unfortunate if you were counting on them to write you a recommendation.  And if you do miss your appointment for some reason, make sure to apologize!
  6. Do take advantage of this opportunity!  Seriously, I wish I hadn’t waited so long to start going to office hours.  Getting to know my professors has not only opened doors but has also made my college experience that much more fulfilling.

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