The Power of Professors by Julia

The Power of Professors by Julia - April 2016 Scholarship Essay

The moment has finally come. You’re finally starting your first year of college. You have your books, your bedding, and your shower caddy. The first week of classes arrive. You walk into the giant lecture hall of the class you’ve most been looking forward to. You’re too nervous to sit in the front, but you don’t want to be one of "those people" who sit in the very back, so you choose a nice, safe spot somewhere in the middle. Suddenly it all becomes overwhelming. The upperclassmen know so much more than you, seem so much more confident. You don’t raise your hand, but you actively listen. The class ends, and you quietly leave without saying a word. Sure, everyone said you should talk to your professors, but how important could that really be? Especially when your professor is so incredibly experienced that you can’t imagine what on earth you could say that would interest them.

We’ve all been there. Most of us went through college having a few meaningful relationships with faculty, and passing by many that could have truly benefitted us and our futures. As an undergraduate, it’s natural to only focus on the grades, passing the exams. However, building relationships with people with experience in your area of interest is equally as important as passing those exams. That is why, if I had to share one piece of advice with younger students, it would be this: do not underestimate the importance of talking to your professors.

Why is talking to your professors so important? The most obvious reason is that they will be more willing to help you if you have problems with coursework down the road. Nobody likes being bombarded with questions hours before the final exam. If you have a good relationship with your professor beforehand, he or she will know you take his or her course seriously and thus be more willing to help. The other obvious reason is that having good relationships with professors will be useful later when you need letters of recommendation, whether for job applications or graduate school. Letters of recommendation, while uncomfortable to ask for, are a necessary evil, and having detailed letters from professors who clearly know you well will distinguish you from the other candidates.

Those are the immediate benefits of talking to your professors, but doing so can also affect you for much longer than your spring semester class. If you’re a college freshman deciding if accounting is the right career path for you, who better to talk to than your accounting professor? Professors can help you define your goals and interests. They can introduce you to other professors or practitioners who can help you determine the best career path for you. I also think it goes without saying that professors are just interesting people in general. There is so much more you can learn from them than what they say in class; all you have to do is go up to them and begin the conversation.

At this point you’re probably thinking, “Yeah, easier said than done. What can I say to a professor who is so knowledgeable in his or her subject while I’m only in his or her 100-level class?” As undergraduates, I think we forget that professors are just people. After graduating, I became an English teacher in Spain. I can say from personal experience that I absolutely love when students talk to me after class. It’s a strange feeling to be standing up in front of so many people every day, talking “at them” instead of “with them.” Professors like getting to know their students. They want your input, and they enjoy talking about their experiences. So, for younger students starting their college careers, my advice is to take a deep breath and remember that, when all is said and done, you’re just having a chat. However, you never know if that simple decision might somehow change your entire future for the better.