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Professors are people, too. As professionals who are so heavily involved in your education and career development, it can be incredibly beneficial for you to connect with your professors beyond the lecture hall. It’s not as weird or scary as you might think—and the thing is, professors want to connect with you, too.
Believe it or not, most professors do care about their students and want them to do well. With the experiences, advice, insights, and safe spaces that many professors offer, faculty is one of the greatest resources for success that a student can tap into during their time in college.
Here are five points to get you thinking about how you can best connect and build rapport with your professors:
1. Talk to professors right before or after class.
Before class
Resist the urge to get on your phone. Talk to your professor instead. You don’t have to necessarily ask them a question about the homework. In fact, if you’re really trying to build a connection, talk with them on a personal level. Engage in small talk: Ask how their day is going, and share something about your own—remember, professors are human too, and they appreciate connecting with others just as much as we do.
After class
Don’t bolt out the door the second the professor says, “I’ll see you all next class.” Take your time packing up your things. You never know, the professor might actually start talking to you first. But even if they don’t, you can start the conversation by mentioning something from the class period that you found particularly interesting, or you can ask the professor what their personal opinion is about what was discussed in class that day. Whatever you end up doing, remember that the goal here is to connect with another person. So, be yourself, and don’t overthink it. Just have a normal conversation.
2. Share an idea or resource with them over email.
It might seem strange to reach out to your professor via email if you aren’t asking them a question about the class, homework, or an exam—but professors appreciate the occasional email that shows them a student is engaging with their content outside of the classroom. You can:
Email them with an idea or thought that builds on what you learned in class that day.
Share a resource that you think they may find helpful.
Offer feedback on something that resonated with you in class.
Recommend a book or video that aligns with the course material.
Seek their opinion on something related to the course or your career development as it relates to their subject.
Here’s an example of when I reached out to my Spanish linguistics professor about something I found outside of class that I thought she might find interesting (don’t be intimidated by how long my email is—I like to write a lot, but you certainly don’t have to):
3. Strategically use office hours as a time to build rapport.
Professors dedicate a lot of time to their subjects, their classes, and to you. Nearly all professors are willing to talk with you during their office hours, even if it isn’t about an upcoming paper or exam. If you feel awkward randomly dropping by or aren’t sure if you can schedule office hours for only a chat rather than for help on an assignment, just ask them after class one day. It’s not weird—they used to be in your shoes, so most of them totally get it.
Another thing to keep in mind: Connecting with professors doesn’t necessarily mean you need to get something tangible out of the social exchange with them (i.e. an answer to a homework question or an extension on your project). If you’re truly trying to connect with your professor, steer away from questions that have immediate yes/no answers. Try to build authentic conversation.
Ask professors questions about themselves. Why did they pick the field they teach about? What made them interested in it? What other research or work have they done outside of class? What experiences do they have besides teaching?
The “trick” here is that you need to be curious, and you need to be genuine.
4. Show your face as much as possible.
This is pretty easy to do in smaller classes of 20 or less, but it can be super difficult to do in medium or large-sized classes. You want to make it as easy as possible for your professor to recall your name and match it with your face. Here’s what you can do:
Insert a headshot as your email profile pic. When you email your professor, they’ll see your face every time. Very few students actually do this.
Participate in class. This method is more effective in smaller classes of 45 or less, but do your best. Offering meaningful contribution during class, even if it’s just a question, will stand out as a positive thing to your professor.
Sit toward the front, consistently. Even if you don’t participate much, your professor will at least know that you exist.
5. Build a positive reputation in the class.
Participation and sitting toward the front of the class definitely help with this, but there are other ways to build a positive reputation in the class that don’t require you to be an outgoing extravert. This method is as simple as do well in the course. Make decent grades, turn things in on time, do your best on every assignment and exam, ask thoughtful questions (even if it’s over email), pay attention in class, and just be a good student overall. Your professors will take notice.
Show them that you’re interested in what they have to say and teach—doing that in and of itself will help you stand out and put you in a good position for making connections with your professors.
