<p>do professors generally appreciate them most of the time? what if they came from a student they barely even know? or a student who skipped class 1/3-1/4 the time?</p>
<p>It depends on the professor and your relationship. I mean, it would be kind of awkward to give the professor a card if they don’t even know you. </p>
<p>If it was a lecture hall, for example, I know kids who go up to the professor after class (usually on the last day) and tell them thanks and how much they learned and enjoyed the class. </p>
<p>A card? Maybe not if the professor doesn’t know you, especially your name. But I guess if you really did like the class and enjoyed it, you can just send a note as a kind gesture, especially if they made a difference in your life or they were just a darn good teacher =)</p>
<p>I don’t think it would hurt. It would probably make the professor feel pretty special and grateful. I imagine teaching hundreds of kids every day can be pretty intimidating when you never really know if they’re actually getting anything out of your class.</p>
<p>I’ve only written one thank you note to a professor (not including thank you notes for LORs, that is), but it was for a seminar. I learned so much from that class, and to this day, she’s one of my favorite professors. I’ve learned a lot from my other classes and have had other fantastic professors, but this class stood out to me, and I really wanted my professor to know how much of a difference it made.</p>
<p>I think as long as the feeling is sincere, your professor will appreciate the note even if s/he doesn’t know you very well.</p>
<p>I’m a prof and everyone I work with really appreciates getting a card or a note or an email from a student. That’s pretty much what keeps us going.</p>
<p>If you send it after grades have already been posted, that’s even nicer (especially if you “skipped class 1/3-1/4 the time”. :)</p>
<p>As long as you send it after grades have been submitted or any letters of recommendation that you’ve already asked for (or are about to ask for) have been sent, so that there is no way that anyone can misconstrue your motives – and as long as you haven’t chosen an inappropriate card – the professor would almost certainly be thrilled. Many, many students seem not to care at all about school or to take for granted the work that professors do, even professors who put in much, much more effort than they are really expected to.</p>
<p>If you can, I would include at least a sentence explaining what it was that moved you to send the card or letter, because that would mean a lot too, especially if the professor doesn’t know you well enough to know what you appreciate.</p>
<p>I sent a thank-you card to the professors I asked recommendations for (that happened to be the teachers I appreciated/enjoyed most) and in the thank you card I not only thanked them for the recommendation but also for being a great teacher for these so-and-so reasons. It has to be quite common…however, if it is just a general thank you for being an awesome teacher card I’d just tell them in person (completely up to you though)</p>
<p>If you want to send a card, send a card.</p>
<p>I don’t get how some of these people function if they can’t make basic decisions on their own.</p>
<p>Such things are very common among the ass-kissing population - so you’re just fine. ;)</p>