I may not be a professor, but my office hours are also open to all! Photo credit, Unsplash.
Welcome to the start of a new semester! I am in a bit of disbelief that this is the last one of my undergraduate Columbia experiences. I thought I would start off my posts this new year by unpacking possibly one of the most mysterious parts of the academic experience: office hours. If you are nervous about approaching or meeting with a professor, read on. I hope I can share some insights and general recommendations about overcoming your initial hesitations about office hours and making the most of this wonderful resource.
Office hours are daunting. Or at least, as a younger underclassman, I felt very anxious about talking with professors. What if I made a fool of myself in front of an accomplished scholar? Perhaps you are worried you will have nothing to say, and the meeting will be filled with awkward silences. Perhaps the class is a large lecture course, and the professor you are meeting with does not grade your work or immediately know who you are. Maybe you believe these professors do not care to learn about their students. Perhaps the professor you are approaching is not even your professor, but someone whose research interests and/or career align with your curiosities. Whatever the reason may be, I want to validate your concerns. It can be overwhelming, but it is important to emphasize that professors have to dedicate office hours to each class they teach. They want to help and get to know their students, talk about topics they may not have time to explore during class, and so on. Whether or not students show up, professors will be in their offices (or in their virtual Zoom rooms) during these set aside times. And so your presence in office hours is valued, and the best professors will make that clear.
For me, once I ripped off the band-aid and started attending my professors’ office hours regularly, the mental hurdle of going was gradually lowered. This habit formed with the help of some techniques that made me feel more comfortable talking to my professors. Although it required a bit of preparation, I liked to note down prior to the meeting particular questions (e.g. about something mentioned in class, something happening in the world) or even just a tangentially related topic to discuss. I could draw on these tidbits to keep the conversation flowing and to keep my ideas organized. Another way I tried to make the most of my professors’ time was to come prepared with drafts of an assignment, along with targeted questions about the draft that I wanted to unpack. In this way, I could be in command of the materials we talked about and share the interests that led me to produce that specific work. One last tip: peruse professors’ websites, publications, and even their public profiles beforehand to get a feel for their scholarship and what interests you may share with them. Professors were students once too, and their experiences can help guide you in your academic journey.
What you can get out of office hours is limitless. You can learn about a field that you are interested in pursuing–or you can explore a topic that simply fascinates you. When I attended the office hours of a CS professor (I am FAR from a CS major), I was enthralled hearing about the social scientific aspect of this faculty member’s work. Besides getting your questions answered and growing your curiosities, office hours can also help you develop a deeper professional relationship with your professor. If you intend on asking for a recommendation from them, attending office hours from the get-go demonstrates your investment in the class and the subject. (And remember! Letter writers are mentors, too!)
If office hours are not being utilized by the rest of the class and you are one of few who attend, your efforts will be even more recognizable. Even if the professor you hope to speak to is not your professor, it can never hurt to put yourself out there and make a connection. Christian, my fellow Rose Research Fellow, shared how he cold-outreached a Columbia Business School professor to attend her office hours and interview her for a class project. She was more than happy to assist, and Christian’s initiative even earned him a research job with the professor down the line. His story is a testimony to how attending office hours can lead to new and exciting pathways of discovery, just as it can potentially lead you to opportunities you might otherwise have never been exposed to.
I encourage you to go into office hours with an open mind and treat the experience as a two-way street.