Talking to Advisors & Faculty

Office Hours

A scheduled number of hours in which a professor agrees to be in his/her office and available to meet with students. Professors want to see students in office hours; they want you to talk to them and ask them questions! Unless you make an appointment for a specific time, meetings during office hours are on a first-come-first-served basis. Especially for a large course, or during a busy time of the term, it’s not uncommon for there to be a line of students waiting to meet with a professor. If there is a line, you shouldn’t run away! It is totally normal to wait while the professor meets with other students. If you need to leave for class, you can knock quickly and ask if there’s another time they can meet, or you can send your professor an email asking to schedule another appointment (mention that you came to office hours, but had to leave). 

1. Check the course syllabus for the office hours. If the hours aren’t listed or they won’t work with your schedule, approach the instructor and ask him/her when he/she can meet with you. 
   1. Example “Professor ______, I’d like to meet with you to discuss some things about the course but I can’t make your office hours. Is there a time when you would be available to meet with me?
      NOTE: Since titles and preferences vary, it’s usually a good idea to ask your instructor what he/she would like to be called in the beginning of the course. If don’t know or are not sure, you should default to the more formal “Professor [Last Name]” title.
2. Prepare for your meeting by gathering any materials you may need (tests, papers, course texts, notes, etc.) and writing down anything you want to be sure to ask or discuss.
3. When you arrive at your professor’s office, knock on the door (even if it’s open) and introduce yourself. 
   1. Example “Hi, Professor _______. My name is _________ and I’m in your ________ class. I was hoping to talk to you about __________.”
4. Present clearly what you want to discuss or ask, or what you want help with.
   1. If you’re concerned about your grade in the course, ask your professor if they have any suggestions for how you might improve. 
      1. It’s a good idea to avoid questions like “Can I still get a B in this class?”, or “Will this affect my grade?”. It’s okay to tell your professor that you’re nervous about your grade, but it’s more productive to quickly move on to asking what you can do to improve your work and better meet the expectations of the course.
      2. When you’re preparing for your meeting, try to make sure that you’re clear about your goals and what you’re doing to meet them – communicating your goals and efforts to the professor will allow him/her to give you more specific suggestions about how to improve. 
   2. If you have a question about a particular idea or element of course content, try to identify ahead of time what you find confusing or most interesting. 
   3. If you have a question about a piece of feedback on an assignment or exam, try to be clear about what you find confusing or what you’re asking for from the professor (clarification of what they meant, ways to implement the feedback, their expectations regarding the assignment, etc.).
   4. If you don’t have a specific problem or concern about the class, but want to talk at greater length with the professor about the course content, the professor’s work, or to get more ideas about how to get involved with the course or the department. Attending office hours just because you’re interested in the subject and want to know more is a great way to expand your education and make great connections with faculty (from whom you might need letters of recommendation someday). 
5. Be prepared to listen to what your professor has to say, jot down notes if you need to, and try to ask follow-up questions if you’re still unclear.
6. Depending on what you’re meeting about, try to have a plan of action before you leave. What needs to be done moving forward? Do you or the professor need to follow up with anything?
7. Thank the professor for his/her time and help.

 Email

1. Write something relevant in the subject line of the email (perhaps including your last name, subject code and course number: ex. MATH 243). 
2. Begin the email with a salutation (If you’ve been given permission to use their first name, “Dear _______,” will be fine. Since titles and preferences vary, it’s usually a good idea to ask your instructor what he/she would like to be called in the beginning of the course. If don’t know or are not sure, you can default to the more formal “Professor ____” title.)
3. Briefly state your question, problem, or concern (the reason for the email). You should be sure to provide the information he/she will need to offer a full response.
   1. If this is your first email contact with your professor, or if the class is very large, you should provide your name, too. 
4. In stating your reason for emailing, also make it clear what – if anything - needs to be done to resolve the situation and by when such action needs to be taken.
5. Thank the professor for his/her time.
6. Finish your email with a signature (Sincerely; Thank you; Best Regards, [Your Name]).