College is difficult enough as it is. Whether you go to Norwich University or Sarah Lawrence, you don’t just need to be a good student, you should also connect with really great professors to further deepen your understanding of the material. If you are in any classes with particularly difficult professors, then you need a few coping mechanisms in order pass your course without losing your mind or compromising your GPA. Here is how to deal with a difficult professor in college.
- Always Treat Them With Respect
No matter how much you may disagree with a professor, you always want to treat him or her with the utmost respect. If he or she takes the time to talk to you before or after class, be sure that you thank them for their time. If you are writing your professor an email, always use formal and courteous language, and be sure to ask them where you went wrong. You never want to even border on accusatory language that will only escalate tensions.
- Go to Office Hours
When you are in lecture, your professor has a lot of going on. He or she needs to focus on the subject matter, engage with students, and be sure to cover all of the required course material in the allotted time period. This means that it can be hard to get the individual attention that you might need. However, if you go to your professor’s office hours, you will demonstrate that you are willing to go the extra mile and resolve any potential issues on your own time, rather than everyone else’s. Plus, you can develop a personal relationship with that professor, which can go a long way in some cases.
- Always Submit Assignments on Time
One of the biggest ways that you communicate with your teacher and display your understanding of and passion for the taught material is with your homework assignments. One aspect of those assignments is the actual content itself, and the other aspect is how well it meets the requirements laid out by your professor. For some professors, the assignment will not be graded if it is not turned in on time and in the exact format they request. So be sure that you always comply with those rules if you even want the chance to defend the quality of your work.
- Find a Study Buddy
If you are working hard in a class but still not performing well, then you may want to find a study buddy. Whomever you choose, you want to make sure that this person is performing well in the class and is willing to share notes or study techniques with you. In addition, you want to be sure that you always spend your time together productively, or you could just be giving yourself another unneeded distraction that only makes your situation worse.
- Transfer if Necessary
If you have tried appealing to your professor in a respectful manner and tried to find a study buddy without any real success, then it may be necessary to transfer or drop the class. Just be sure that you do it before it’s too late, because most schools only give you a short window to withdraw from classes or switch professors.