<p>I read response #1 as “I know who you are”. And maybe even “I can tell if you are having a bad day”. Such a person (am I hoping for too much?) would be able to read whether you, the student, would like more contact, or would rather be left alone. I guess I’m wishing for too much for $50,000 a year- mine and/or the endowment’s.
I graduated from a state flagship and had the same quality (distant) relationship with professors the one term I did at Harvard.</p>