GETTING HELP FROM
PROFESSORS
Why we sometimes seem like jerks
Yes, it is the job of a professor to help students. So why are they
so cranky when you ask them for help? The short answer is
bitterness.
But seriously….
Most professors are approachable and willing to help. But every
now and then, you might unknowingly frustrate or exasperate
them because your academic experiences are different than
theirs when they were your age.
An example: One of the great stressors of academic life is writing
a term paper or essay. Conducting research for papers is often
frustrating. It requires a lot of reading, persistence, creativity,
organization, and no small amount of luck. And that does not
include the process of trying to figure out what you want to write
about.
However, you will not get much sympathy from us because, even
for relatively young professors, literature searches and research
used to be much more difficult. Back in my day, there was no
Google, no Wikipedia, no on-line library search engines, no .pdf
documents. We had to photocopy all book chapters and journal
articles to use the material outside of the library. We even had to
investigate large volumes of encyclopaedic directories just to find
the specific journal an article was in.
Back in my day, we had this revolutionary technology called a CD-
ROM. Our university just got PsycLIT, a searchable database on
one CD-ROM…for the entire university…that you could only use 2
hours at a time before returning it so the next person on the
waiting list could use it…making sure to put your own name on
the waiting list again for the umpteenth time. I could go on, but
you get my point and I’m sounding like a cranky old man.
This is how your professor grew up; the professor you are now
telling about your frustration trying to find journal articles after a
day of internet searches. Whippersnapper.
Suggestions
There is never an excuse for a professor to be rude to a student,
but that does not mean you should tempt fate.
In no particular order:
Try first. Take initiative and find answers for yourself before
going to your professor. Even if you are unsuccessful, you’d
be surprised how much clearer a professor’s advice becomes
after you’ve made some initial attempts at problem solving.
Even if it makes you feel stupid, ask for clarification if you
don’t fully understand.
Be genuine. Don’t try to act cool. Don’t act like the professor’s
colleague, even if you’re older. It doesn’t garner you respect;
that only works on TV.
Turn off your cell phone’s ringtone and don’t ever look at your
cell phone when you’re meeting with a professor (or anyone
else in your life, for that matter). It conveys disrespect,
disinterest, and gives us all flashbacks of high-school
alienation.
Prepare a list of specific questions you want to ask. Trying to
wing the meeting guarantees that you’ll forget to ask
something.
Take notes but don’t copy what the professor says verbatim.
It’s more important to listen and understand.
Make it obvious that you go to lectures and read the
textbook.
Read and re-read the course outline before the meeting.
Trust me. You’ll thank me later.
Never complain about too much work or too much reading.
(Back in my day…).
If you demonstrate you want to learn and are putting in the
effort, you’ll be surprised how much time a professor will give
you.