Office Hours & How to Make Them Benefit You
A new semester has started (how did the break end so soon?!). That means new things to learn, assignments to do and exams to prep for. It’s pretty much guaranteed that at some point you’ll feel totally lost about a new concept. One of the best ways to get around this hurdle is to take advantage of your prof’s office hours.
Every professor is required to have office hours. Some have open hours, some have a scheduled block of time for you to come in, and some want you to make an appointment. Regardless of how the times are set up though, you should make it a point to go if you’re needing help. Before you go though make sure you know the dos and don’ts of office hours.
You don’t want to be the student that comes off as needy, unprepared, and/or rude. These tips will help you get the most out of your visit and, to top it off, will give a good impression.
Review the material you have questions about before you go in
Highlight the sections in your notes where you need more clarification. This will keep you focused on the trouble spots instead of aimlessly flipping through your notes while in your prof’s office. It’s really apparent that you haven’t prepared for the visit when you show up and aren’t sure what or where your questions are.
Attempt homework problems beforehand.
Whatever you do, don’t go in and say you have no idea how to do the homework so you didn’t bother trying it. Always attempt the problems and take whatever work you’ve done in there with you, even if it’s completely wrong.
This will let the professor know that you’re trying. Plus, if they can look at your work, more than likely they’ll be able to pinpoint what you’re doing wrong. It really is useful to see how you tried to solve the problems so don’t be embarrassed about it. Trust me on this!
Don’t take up a huge portion of time
There’s only so much time available for all the students. If you go in and take up the entire block of office hours, you’re going to have a lot of fellow students annoyed with you. So, if you have a lot of questions, you definitely want to schedule an appointment where you’ll have more time without feeling rushed.
Going in with a group of students is useful as well. This way everyone gets to hear all the questions and answers. So, if there are people outside waiting for their turn ask if they want to join you. It does take more time but you’ll get extra info you might not have gotten. Plus, there won’t be a line of students waiting for you to leave so you won’t feel rushed.
Don’t expect a personal lecture
If you missed class for a personal reason like oversleeping, don’t go in expecting your professor to teach you everything you missed. This is a major annoyance for faculty. It’s always the student’s responsibility to get caught up on missed material. More than likely, you’ll not get a good response to this kind of request, so it’s best just to ask a friend in class for the notes. Once you review the notes, then go in with your questions.
Equation Sheets
A lot of students don’t think about this one. Have a test coming up that allows a formula sheet? Take your formula sheet in and ask your prof to look it over. Why you ask? Well, students have a huge tendency to write down every equation they’ve ever seen, regardless if they’ve used it or not. We’ve all seen the pics of the equation sheets that are written in size 4 font without a millimeter of space to spare.
These kind of equation sheets seem great but in reality, they tend to cause more confusion during a test. If your prof reviews your sheet, they may give you some pointers on what to keep and what to get rid of. I know I do this for my students just to help them out.
Also, some instructors have rules you must follow for your formula sheets. It’s better to confirm that what you have is acceptable before the exam, rather than find out after the fact that you didn’t follow the rules.
To sum it up…
If you follow these simple tips, your office hour visits will be productive and help you do better in class. Plus, your instructor will get a good impression of you. This can come in handy later when you’re applying for scholarships or looking for a job. Happy studying!
