Notes From The Edge - Military Times Edge

In grad school, I had a professor who would keep tick marks beside students’ names, indicating how often each person contributed to class discussions. Those with too few marks would receive a low grade for class participation, which counted for 20 percent of the final grade.

I suppose it was one way of ensuring students were doing their homework, so to speak. But, more often than not, this subtle intimidation tactic would backfire. Instead of focusing on the subject matter, my classmates and I became nervously obsessed with trying to count the ticks made by our professor’s hand.

Talk to anyone who has been to college, and, chances are, they have at least one such horrifying tale of a professor from hell. But for every story of a bad professor, there likely are more about the good ones.

Still, professors can be a pretty intimidating lot, especially if it’s been awhile since you’ve ventured into a classroom. If you’re preparing to start college, or return to the classroom after some time away, don’t spend an entire semester living in fear of the person standing at the front of the room. With planning and initiative, you can weed out the “bad” professors and ensure your name and face are known to the good ones.

Avoiding the jerks on a faculty can be as easy as getting advance word from peers about what different professors are like, according to Carl Thum, director of the Academic Skills Center at Dartmouth. Ask friends or people in your program for advice about whom to take and whom to avoid. Web sites like RateMyProfessors.com even allow students to get the virtual word out about good and not-so-good instructors.

Once you’re in a class, get to know your professor, said Thum, who notes that many of his fellow professors complain that students rarely come to talk to them. Relay your hopes and fears. Tell the professor that you’ve been out of school for years, or that you’re attending school and working full-time. “Go in and just sort of put it out there,” he said.

Get to know at least one of your professors each semester, Thum recommends. “You don’t have to become best buddies. Go sit down with them, and chat a few minutes.”