First Week of Class

During the first week of class you have one priority. Get your professor to recognize you as an individual. This is easier than you think. Most students go to great lengths to avoid their professors. In fact, this week I heard one comment, "My plan is to only speak if I am spoken to."

That is a bad plan. Your professor is not your enemy. Actually, your professor should be seen as your friend. Most people who teach do so because they are fulfilled at seeing young people develop into learned scholars. There are actually very few professors who are not altruistic about higher education.

Your professors want to know that their teaching methods are working. They want to know that you think what they have to say is important. The people teaching you in the classroom are experts in their fields. Many of the fields are very small. If you show any interest at all in the subject or teaching method you will immediately set yourself out from the rest of the pack.

A typical university professor will have anywhere between 75 and 750 students any given semester. Separating yourself out from this hoard of indifferent students is your primary objective during the first week of class. The professor needs to see you as an individual student with an individual learning style, and an individual educational goal.

So first and foremost, speak to your professor after class during the first week. Find something about the class that you can comment on in the form of a compliment, or in one sentence tell a little something about yourself. But always say your name first. "Hi, I am Martin Hitch, the history of the laboring class is an area I know nothing about, and I am really looking forward to this class."

If you ever see a professor on campus outside of class it is imperative that you go out of your way to speak to them. Again, anytime you speak to a professor start with your name and let them know you are getting something out of class. "Hello Professor Blankington, Martin Hitch from your labor history class. That was a great lecture last week. I still can't believe Eugene Debs ran for president while he was in jail."

You don't want to stand around and chat. You don't want to take up your professor's time. Repeat after me. Name and compliment. Name and compliment. Name and compliment.

If you ever have problems in a class and need something from a professor everything will be much easier if they already know you by name. At large universities, and increasingly at small ones too, information on a student is tied to a social security number or a student ID number. Often this is what you see when assigning a grade. It is very easy to give a C or a D to a number. It is very difficult to give anything lower than a B to someone you know. Especially someone you are friendly with.

During your first week of class you must become a name instead of a number.