Hey fellow college people! I am currently a freshman and majoring in Chemistry with an emphasis in Forensics and possibly minoring in Anthropology. I am also a premed student. I want to go be able to build professional relationships with my professors, knowing that it will be very beneficial for me, whether its for research, medicine, or even just to have another personal friend. However, I don’t know how/where to start, I want to go to some of my professors’ office hours, but I don’t know why I would go, as I am not struggling in any of their classes, so do I just go in and be like “Hey Dr./Professor __, I’m in your class”. Like someone help me out please.
One of the ways to be connected with a prof is to go to every office hours he has and ask as many questions as you can. Make sure that prof is who you want to impress and it is one of the premed requisites.
I’d make a slight modification to the advice given above:
go to office hours, introduce yourself and ask a few thoughtful and intelligent questions. Don’t ask a million inane questions just to have something to say.
You don’t need to go to office hours every week, but do go several times during the semester. If the professor isn’t busy (no other students waiting to speak with him), you can try to strike up a conversation on a topic other than lecture material. Ask him/her about their research or bring up topic the prof mentioned in passing during lecture. You can even say something about the weather–always an ice breaker or ask for suggestion of a book to read.
You may find it easier to get to know a prof in your upper level classes since the class size is much smaller-- 15-25 vs 250+ in intro level classes.
Also doing well in the class helps a lot when it comes to a professor remembering you.
For med school, you’ll need LORs from both science and non science professors. Science LORs don’t have to be from profs who taught you in pre-req classes, but they do have to be from BCPM profs.
(BCPM = bio, chem, physics, math)
Okay so you’re not struggling in chem now, but go to chem prof’s office anyways (or other current profs) and ask a couple of questions if anything to build your confidence, your ability to interact with profs. You can’t start from your dorm room.
^^Obviously question asked must be thoughtful and intelligent.
One thing I think you can impress the med school is to get strong recommendations and grades from outside of your major. A bio professor’s strong lor will go long way for a Chem major. Of cause you should also get a strong lor from Chem department as well.
Strangely in my college days for those classes I went to every professor’s office hours I always got an A