<p>So I've been very curious by this concept. When a professor says to keep in touch, do they mean it? If you email them to give them an update about something or if you pop in their office to say hi, will they be surprised? Happy? Startled? </p>
<p>There are a few professors that I've really liked. I emailed one last week (no response) and there's another that I'd like to see again. I know professors are very busy people with lots to do and lots of students in their life, but how can one keep up a relationship with them?</p>
<p>If you already had a positive relationship with a professor, yes, try to stay in touch. Popping in to office hours to discuss something, or ask a question, or for advice is a great way to do so. Once in a while, saying “hey, would you like to grab a coffee” or something isn’t a bad idea either. I graduated college in 1989, and I am still very, very close to my professor who then became my mentor, and now cherished friend. I would not be the professional I am today without many wonderful visits and chats that came well after I had left college! I know for a fact, this former professor also stays in contact with a few other students from many years ago, so she is a caring, interested person in general! Not all professors are. If a prof says “keep in touch”, I think they mean it. This person may become a wonderful mentor who can write recommendations for you, or give you suggestions on jobs down the road. I can only hope that my kids find such great profs during their years in college. I feel so lucky, and am very glad I also reached out, struck up conversations, asked for advise about how my mentor’s career started, etc. You have to put yourself out there a bit, which some students aren’t comfortable doing. It’s actually easiest when the prof is no longer your teacher for a class; then it doesn’t look like “brown nosing”, etc. After you graduate, continue to email once in a while, or share good news, or relate a current experience to something that person taught you and let them know…Stop in when you’re in town, ask how their life is going, etc!</p>
<p>As long as you’re not like… stalking them or something, yes, most professors like to know what their students, especially one’s that they know better, are up to.</p>
<p>I have a professor who I really like in college. Even I graduated from community college, I still keep in touch with him regularly. Just say Hi to him on Facebook (or email) and ask him out for tea once in a while.</p>
<p>So, question: I’m pretty sure that one of my former professors has office hours today. I had tried emailing them, but they never got back to me. Would it be weird to stop by their office on the off chance that they’re there and available? This professor is actually in my field and has been helping me with stuff, and I was hoping to keep them updated on my progress. </p>
<p>But I don’t want to be pushy, and I certainly don’t want to be annoying.</p>
<p>So, from your experience as both a professor and a student, it’s not weird or “creepy” to just drop by a prof’s office? Even if you haven’t had email correspondence with them (though you’ve tried)?</p>
<p>My husband loves hearing from former students, whether via Facebook, e-mail, or a drop-by (he gets lots of visits at Homecoming). If the prof is weirded out, or didn’t really mean it, they’ll find a polite way to decline. Odds are, they really meant “keep in touch”. No response to the e-mail? Might be there wasn’t time to read it yet, or it got spam-filtered.</p>
<p>The other thing about e-mail is that the list grows and grows and down goes e e-mail. It is easy to lose one or forget it. Profs are going in lots of different directions.</p>
<p>@persona3: I know people who still drop by and say hi and thanks to our high school teachers, and you can tell in their face that they are ecstatic! It’s adorable!!</p>
<p>It’s true!! I went and saw them yesterday, and they were so genuinely happy to see me. It was like I never left, but at the same time, we had a different kind of “friend” rapport. We even made dinner plans in a couple of weeks :)</p>
<p>having a professor as a mentor/guidance figure is awesome. I feel like I have someone trustworthy to go to for advice yet also someone who I can still learn from and who can help me in my academic field. </p>
<p>My friends may think it’s weird, but I think it’s a true gift.</p>
This is also the same question i ask. I recently finished a summer class and it was a very memorable minimester. I appreciated how nice my professor was to me, on the last day of class she told me to keep in touch. I have tried emailing her but no response? It has not been a week yet, only about 3 days. I am also wondering if she read it and might just be ignoring my email? Lol i don’t wanna seem to pushy if i keep emailing her but i want to keep in touch with her for future reference so when i apply to a grad school i will have a professor who might put in a good word for me. She was really helpful to me, and really liked my essays. I was very reliable to her in class she complimented my work and it gave me more confidence. I’ve never kept in touch with a professor so i’m not sure how to without seeming to annoying.
Stopping by the office of a prof is not creepy or pushy especially if you’re coming by during posted office hours.
H loves to hear from former students. He won’t friend anyone on Facebook until they’ve graduated, but that’s typically a better way to reach out to him than email - as stated above, emails get buried over time. He really enjoys when former students stop by or go for coffee when they’re in the area. And we’ve been invited to quite a few weddings…
This is one of those rare threads which I will leave open, even though we don’t like resurrection of threads this old. But there really is no time element to this topic that makes it different than three years ago, plus it isn’t pages and pages long already. So have at it if you want.
Yes, we love to hear from our old students, good or not-so-good. Obviously, we’d prefer that people are doing well and are happy, but it’s great to hear from everyone. I also only “friend” grads on facebook and enjoy following their adult lives. I connect with all students on LinkedIn but since I’m not an active user there, it doesn’t have the same impact.
And from my kids’ perspective, their “old” professors have responded very positively when they’ve reached out. Three kids, three schools with very different majors and cultures.
@fallenchemist thanks for your careful consideration and flexibility!
You are right it might be because their emails have grown. It is possible that they might not have had a chance to read the emails, but it’s a bit sad when they haven’t gotten back to you. I have only sent a few emails but i feel annoying. I know most of us think negative when we haven’t gotten feedback but i try to look on the positive side. I just get worried i may have said something wrong or my emails are not important lol
They really do mean it. My chemistry teacher from 2 years ago told me to keep in touch because we got along super well and one day I decided to email her to see how she was doing and we ended up becoming friends! I’ve been to her house to eat multiple times and I’ve met her kid and we even had a dinner to celebrate my achievements because she was proud of me.
Through the initiative of emailing her that one day she has become a mentor and friend to me and always gives me advice. We text each other and she helped me deal with a difficult moment in my life. If it wasn’t for that one day I would have never known that she appreciated me so much. She admitted that I was her best student in her 15+ years of teaching. And she has even told me she talks about me to her friends because she admires me.
Never be scared to stay in touch with professors. They really do mean it
