I run a bi-weekly workshop for applying to grad school for first gen students and every semester going to office hours and building relationships with professors is one the tasks that students have the hardest time with.
I know the feeling. I’m a first-gen student too, and even though I knew I needed letters of recommendation, getting myself to go to office hours was really hard. I felt intimidated, like the professors would be judging me, waiting to test me on some obscure piece of information from our class, or would want me to prove what a genius I was before they would help me. The end result was that unless I was really comfortable with a professor, I just wouldn’t go talk to them outside of class.
Now that I’m on the other side of the desk, let me tell you a secret, you don’t need to impress us. We almost never get anyone coming to office hours, usually it’s empty. If you show up, that alone is impressive by itself! You don’t need to wow us with your knowledge or your intelligence, you don’t have to have some amazing insight into that week’s readings, we’ll be happy enough if you just opened the book.
The reality is that office hours are a chance for you to gain access to a person who has had time to make a lot more connections, read more books, gain more insight and generally has more experience than you have. If you are a first-gen student like me that is super valuable. For most of us as first-gen students we don’t have access to people in our close networks of friends and family who have college degrees, have jobs that require college degrees, or have contact with other people who can help make the most of our time in college. If that’s you, then you need to take advantage of your campus community and make build those networks there.
The other secret of office hours is that we often really WANT to help out! We’ve all been students with hardly any info and fewer connections, now that we have a job and a degree it feels good to be able to give back, and help others in ways that we received help when we were in your shoes. By coming to office hours you are giving us a chance to give back!
If you’re considering graduate school, then going to office hours, emailing professors, making contact and asking questions is one of the most important steps, so start now!
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