How many times has this happened to you? It’s the end of the semester and you finished a great class. You did well, maybe attended office hours a couple of times but not too often. The professor was great and passionate about teaching the class, enough to receive stellar review from yourself and your peers. Months pass and you’re on the search for a candidate to write you a letter of recommendation. You reach out to this stellar professor, ready to hear a strong “I would love to”.
However, days later, you receive this response:
“I would love to…but I’m afraid I don’t know you well enough to write a strong letter on your behalf”
Darn.
This does not have to be your fate, dear reader, for we here at the Career Exploration Center have a guide explicitly made for building a strong academic and mentee relationship with that neat professor.
Step 1: Go to Office Hours (Consistently)
Office Hours can often seem like the afterthought on the syllabus that we ultimately ignore until the first prelim, only to fall back into our subconscious until the next big assignment is due. Though it’s tempting to ignore this unassuming little blurb on the sheet, I would advise you not to. Office Hours are a great way to not only speak to your professors more, but also gain useful tips about excelling in the class. Attending Office Hours will open the opportunity for you to talk to your professor about their career path and passions. You may learn something new about your own career goals in the process. Rather than being another face in the crowd, attending Office Hours will help you become an active learner, both in the course and life as a whole. This may also open opportunities for a potential Teaching Assistantship in the future.
(Bonus points if they inform you about their favorite psychology podcast. That will take you far)
Step 2: Understand that Effort and Participation are the Keys to Success
Success and failure are two sides of the same coin. Even if you do not do well on a specific assignment, the one thing that professors want to see most is active improvement. Take your lower grades as an opportunity to learn from your mistakes and ask how you can do better. Work collaboratively with other students and email your professor or teaching assistants with questions about how you can improve your strategies for success. Don’t be afraid to respectfully advocate for a better grade either if you noticed that something may have been graded incorrectly according to the rubric. All of these actions will contribute to you not only becoming a better student, but a more active scholar in the course.
Step 3: Continue to Keep in Contact with the Professor Throughout Your Academic Career:
Don’t be a stranger! Your professors are here to teach you about the fields they have dedicated their careers to. By showing continued interest in learning more about their fields of study and checking in on their wellbeing, you are showing that you appreciate their efforts and want to learn more from them. This is where mentorship begins. Don’t be afraid to ask professors for a Zoom chat or a conversation every couple of months. The more they know about your academic progress, the better.
Step 4: Know That You’re Worthy:
Scholarship is more than a grade. It is the continued growth of our understanding about the world around us. Your professor is there to facilitate this growth, and they couldn’t be happier to help you in your endeavors. As long as you make the effort to reach out, they will reach back.
Now! Good luck, reader. Go and make yourself, your parents, and future mentors proud. Don’t be a stranger, and always feel free to come around to the Career Exploration Center for even more fantastic resources!