One of the smartest things you can do as an undergrad is to cultivate close working relationships with favorite professors. Instructors can provide useful extra instruction, put students on the inside track for special research and internship opportunities, open doors to helpful career connections, and give invaluable tips and advice of all kinds to those who go the extra mile to show a sincere interest in their courses and chosen field.
This is a good idea even before you decide on a major. The fact that you've taken the initiative to arrange an informal one-on-one meeting outside of class says much about your maturity and intentionality, and teachers will usually return the interest and bend over backwards to help you.
Once you've decided on your field of study, fostering close, productive, professional relationships with key professors is no longer optional – it's absolutely essential and expected. Formal and informal mentorship can be the result, and nothing is more important in making a mark in your department and advancing career prospects.
Considering all there is to gain, you'd be surprised how underclassmen do this. All the better for you, since their indolence makes you stand out even more as a self-motivated go-getter.
Taking a professor to lunch is one of an annotated list of suggestions in
101 Things to Do Before You Graduate, a wonderful book by author and performance coach Julien Gordon. Although the book is a bit dated, I still recommend it to every rising college freshman. Those about to go off to college are almost certain to find several ideas in the book that will pique their interest and help them derive the most benefit from their precious college years.
Why not take a professor to lunch?
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Copyright © 2006-present: Christopher R. Borland. All rights reserved.
