I wrote last about starting the studying early for you midterms. I still think you should do this but, I also gave the recommendation to speak with your professor as to what the test will look like. I got thinking about how important this is.
Now speaking with him or her about the midterm is ok but, what I really want to talk about is how many students, not only don’t speak to their professors but actually try to hide from their professors. They actually prefer to be hidden within the herd of the classroom. They move when the herd moves and sit in non-distinct locations, all in an attempt to not be noticed by the professor. Is this you?
I think this is normal considering the situation. An incoming freshman cannot help but be overwhelmed by the entire college experience. There is the whole roommate thing, the new found freedoms, the upperclassman that won’t even look at you. On and on. And then there is the professor: Standing in front of a very large group of students, obviously, having complete control of the class, the subject matter, and your future. This cannot help but be intimidating. And then there is the fear of looking stupid to the professor and to the class if you were to ask a question.
Most of the intimidation of the new college experience is gotten over pretty quickly, except the relationship building with your professors. This is a shame.
Let’s think about something for a moment. Let’s say that you are at basketball practice. Your coach is yelling that you are out of position. Now, you did not know that you were out of position. You don’t know what it the right position is nor do you know how you were supposed to get there or why. What do you do? I would surmise that you wouldn’t think twice about, first apologizing for screwing up, but then would ask the coach these questions. After which you will practice doing what the coach asks.
You need to learn to think of your professor as being like your coach. Let’s say you hire a personal trainer to get you into shape. The trainer says to do 35 crunches, but you don’t know what a crunch is. You would ask. Right? After being shown, you try to do them.
This analogy of the personal trainer, I think, is a good one. You have hired this person to push you, to make you do what is necessary to get into shape. Now, you don’t have to do it. You could fire the trainer. But you don’t get into shape either.
Well, you can’t fire the professor, but if you don’t do the crunches and do them correctly, you will not get the grade you could have. The point is, the professor is there to help you understand the material, to help you to know how to do the crunches. If you ask, then practice the crunches your grades will be in much better shape.
Step out of your comfort zone. Ask when you don’t understand. If you are not ready to go as far as asking in front of your peers, ask after class or during office hours. Trust me, your professors won’t bite.
This will get easier each and every time you do it. And your grades will be better for it, as well. But the most important thing you will learn from these experiences is that you can approach anyone, of any stature, with professionalism and confidence. This is a very valuable skill to learn and you will use throughout the rest of your life.
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