other alleged profs and admin on the reddit thread supplied the following advice. It provided largely verbatim, but since I provide the link and this isn’t a formal paper, certain liberties are taken with format, tense, etc. Use “control F” if you want to find exact source. NOTE: these words are not mine but from other faculty and admin. They reflect how faculty and admin think.
- Try your best to arrive on time; if you are late, don’t make a habit of it.
If you are in a smaller class, acknowledge your tardiness and apologize.[I disagree with word choice, apologize, and remind students that all actions have consequences, regardless of what precipitated the action] - Don’t make excuses for late or missing work. Unless the professor is brand new, we’ve heard many well-crafted fake excuses. [ it isn’t that we don’t care, it is that it doesn’t matter].
- Address professors as “Professor” unless they explicitly tell you otherwise.
- Friendly and warm exchanges go a long way. Even if you professor is absolutely wrong about something, don’t act like an ass. It rarely helps you to be effective in conveying your point.
- Read the[explitive deleted] syllabus. A good professor will have a syllabus that is well organized, appropriately detailed, and provides a schedule for the course.
- If you’re struggling, don’t wait to get help. Seriously. If your school is halfway decent, there are is at least one other resource outside of your professor that you can consult for tutoring. You will regret letting your pride and/or laziness get in the way of passing a class.
- Don’t plagiarize. We’ll catch you. If we do, fess up! The first several times, the students said “I don’t know how that happened.” Remember that uncommon knowledge should be cited.
- If the prof asks you to come in for help, DO IT. We can’t help you if you don’t.
- I can’t tell you how many “smart kids” have dropped out. If you get so behind that you feel overwhelmed, talk to someone, anyone, and everyone until you get back on track. You may need professional help.
- Get involved. The more connected you are, the better you’ll do.
- You’ll get some great profs and some crappy ones. No matter what school you go to. If all of them are great, let me know and I’ll put my application in. I’m not being egotistical. I just don’t like having uncomfortable conversations with students about their bad profs. Also, who one student feels is awful may end up being your favorite.
- There will be classes that, no matter how hard you try, you will be terrible with.
- If you are sick do not bring a note from your parents. [or doctor, or for cripes sake do not bring in medical waste!].
