On Office Hours

<p>There is a brilliant prof I want to get to know, build a long-term relationship with, and receive a LOR from after 2~3 years. </p>

<li><p>Her weekly office hours don’t fit with my schedule, and I never went to her office hours yet since the start of this semester. I can always make appointments, but since I intended to go to office hours regularly, would this mean I should make an appointment every week? That would be annoying for both me and the prof. How can you solve this problem?</p></li>
<li><p>Of course, quality is as important as quantity, but, usually, how many hours of office hours should you visit to get to know the prof personally and allow him/her to write you a great LOR, assuming that you do well on the course?</p></li>
<li><p>Every semester, when is it too late to get to know your prof deeply and personally? 1/2 into the semester? 1/3? 1/4?.. I’m in a quarter system.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>well the best way given you can't go to office hours is to try and take another class (or classes) from them.</p>

<p>Also, don't be a suck up. There's little reason, unless you are really struggling to go every single week. </p>

<p>Also I don't know that "deeply and personally" is a great goal - you want them to know you - not the other way around. It's impossible to do that in a semester. Hence take more classes they teach. </p>

<p>Finally, keep in mind that many gen chem and intro bio profs get asked to write dozens of letters. You're better off finding a prof in an upper level class (again ideally that you've had for several semesters), and knows your work closer to your application, than someone who is brilliant, but writing 30 LOR's for Med school, 18 for dental school and 4 for PA school students. One of my sociology profs who I had only senior year but had known through time spent on my college's curriculum committee didn't often write LOR's and was thrilled that I even asked her to do it.</p>

<p>... are you really expecting that there will be a formula stating how often you ought to see your professor for them to get you "deeply and personally"?</p>

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... are you really expecting that there will be a formula stating how often you ought to see your professor for them to get you "deeply and personally"?

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</p>

<p>it's pre-med neuroticism at its best...</p>