Welcome to Colby! And welcome to “Stalled,” a poster series that provides suggestions to help you maximize your academic success. Why is it called “Stalled?” We hope to give you advice before your schoolwork stalls. Also, you’ll find these posters in the bathrooms stalls of academic buildings several times each semester. This digital-only edition provides information on a topic that all liberal arts college students should know about: office hours.
Why should I go to office hours?
Most students don’t start college with a clear understanding of the purpose of office hours. Here’s some information to help you make the most of them!
WHAT ARE OFFICE HOURS? Every professor holds weekly office hours so that students know when to find them for one-on-one conversations. Some professors require students to attend office hours, but it’s generally understood that you should go even if office hours are not required. Some professors may ask you to schedule a time to visit them in office hours, so be sure to check your course’s syllabus for details (and for the location of your professors’ offices).
WHY ARE THEY IMPORTANT? Getting to know your professors will make you more comfortable in class — and better understanding their students helps professors know how best to facilitate learning in their courses. Colby is a small liberal arts college, and one of the advantages at a school like this (instead of a huge state school or massive private university) is that you have frequent opportunity to talk to your professors — and that’s not an opportunity that every college student enjoys!
WHAT SHOULD I TALK ABOUT IN OFFICE HOURS?
You will not have time to talk about all of these things in one visit, so we suggest picking just one to start.
HOW THE READING RELATES TO THE COURSE. Readings are assigned for particular reasons, so you should ask your professor if you don’t understand how a particular reading relates to course themes. This is also likely to help you if you need to grapple with readings for an essay or other assignment. If you need advice about how to read the course’s texts effectively, talk about that, too!
Also, some professors will construct their lectures or class discussions with the assumption that you complete assigned reading before class or, possibly, after class. Office hours offer you a chance to talk about how best to schedule your reading for each course.
HOW TO DO WELL. If you’re visiting office hours at the start of a term, ask about the habits or behaviors that help students succeed in the course. You can also ask how to improve your performance on tests, essays/reports, presentations, or any other task. If the professor works in the department in which you are seeking a major or minor, consider asking about how your work in this specific class fits into your work towards your major or minor. You can also ask about what habits successful majors or minors cultivate.
What you should not do is ask how to get an A in the class. Different people need different things to achieve high grades, and your class performance will be better if you focus on how best tolearn rather than how to achieve a specific grade.
HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR WRITING. Different disciplines have different ideas and guidelines for what constitutes good writing. So, consider asking your professor for writing advice before your first writing assignment/task in their course is due. If you have specific questions about any feedback your professor provided on draft or final versions of your writing, bring a copy of your work with their comments.
LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION. If you need a letter of recommendation, go talk to your professor. Tell them what the letter is for, what the letter should emphasize, and, if it’s been a while since you took a course with them, remind them about what course(s) you were in. Pro tips: give them the most recent version of your resume at the same time, and give them at least 3 weeks advance notice. But be aware that some professors will need more time than that. So, it’s essential to know well ahead of any letter deadline what kind of lead time each professor will need.
WHAT’S NOT GOING WELL. If you find something in the course material confusing, if you don’t understand the parameters of an assignment, or if you are experiencing personal difficulties that affect your schoolwork, talk to your professor in person during their office hours. It’s helpful to talk face-to-face to discuss these things, which can be harder to do effectively via email, phone, or other remote communication channel.
ABOUT YOUR PROFESSOR. Ask about their research, or ask about what got them into their field. Your professor might be writing an article or book of interest to you, they might be engaging in fieldwork related to your studies, or they make have exhibits or performances coming up that you’d like to know about. You might find a professor with whom you’d like to do research, and you might even be surprised at what you learn about them!
FURTHER RESOURCES
Cornell University Learning Strategies Center. “How to Use Office Hours.”
Harvard College. “A Guide to Office Hours.”
Santa Clara University. “Tips Using Office Hours.”
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Learning Center. “Using Office Hours Effectively.”
