This page is under construction. It will contain hints for survival for students who are enrolled in large classes.

Getting to Know the Professor

There will be a big payoff later, if you get acquainted with your professor now, even in a big class. "But," you say. "There are 300 other students. How could I possibly get to know the professor?"

Well, it's not easy, but it definitely can be done. You need to be a bit assertive, however. Start by either dropping in at Prof's regular office hour, which is usually first come; first served. or make an appointment. Easiest way to do this is to see him/her right after lecture. If he/she asks what you'd like to talk about, don't say any of the following (or anything like these things) A) What's going to be on the exam? B)Do I need to know xxxx?, C)How many points do I need for a B-?, etc. etc.
You want to convey the impression that you are interested in the subject not the grade. You and the teacher both know that grades are important to students, but remember, professors don't become professors unless they LOVE the subject, and they get really turned on (in an intellectual way) if they think they've found a student who also LOVES the subject. You don't have to be a major to be fascinated by a subject-I was a Zoology major, but two of the most interesting courses I took as a student were Economics and Chinese Poetry.

If you do go see the professor in his/her office, introduce yourself every time you visit-you're likely to be one of several hundred students. If you have a question about something, you'll need to demonstrate that you have made a good faith effort to understand it. For example, in my area of biology,if a student comes in and says "I don't understand genetics," right after I've finished 3 lectures on genetics, I tell them to go home and read the book. On the other hand, if the student says, "In the Hardy-Weinberg Law, I understand where p and q come from, but why is it 2pq in the middle term?"  This is the kind of student I love, and want to get to know better.

It's okay to challenge a prof, and most of us like it if we have to show evidence for what we say. Just be polite about it.
(to be continued).