I go out for drinks with about five professors from my department once a week. I also snapchat a former professor on a fairly regular basis. Right now, some of you are probably judging me (or them) for that. You’re probably thinking “why would you do that?”, or “that’s weird”, or “that’s unprofessional”. Well, I’ll tell you right now: these are some of the smartest things I can do.
Sometimes my classmates and I will pop into our favorite former professor’s office just to say hey. We have all added her on Facebook. We bought her a shirt and a picture frame to commemorate our time together as her favorite class. Again, these things are not as weird as they may seem; they are beneficial.
Get to know your professors, people!
Start small. Go to office hours. Chat for a few minutes before and after class. Say hi in the halls. I probably wouldn’t suggest asking to go out for drinks with them before doing these things – that might come off a little strong.
Because of all these lovely aforementioned people, I have lists upon lists of references at the ready. Professors will remember the ones who went out for weekly bloodies with them more compared to the ones who simply got the good grades. They get to know you beyond the paper and beyond the grades, no matter how great those grades may be. She will remember the one who stayed a few minutes after class to listen to her enthusiastic story about her angsty teen daughter. He will remember the one who came to his office to simply discuss how extraordinary books are (or whatever your focus may be).
One of these professors I know on a personal level works at my dream school. She literally runs the program of my dream job. Because I got to know her beyond the class, I was able to sit down with her and tell her “I have a criminal record. It’s from a while ago, and it’s not pretty. But, I want to work at your school more than anything”. Thanks to our personal relationship, she took that information and told me “you can prove that that does not matter. You can show the rest of the panel who you are now”. Do you know how liberating that feels?
Show them who you are. Indulge in their nerdiness over your subject. Maybe even snapchat them! That snapchat friend has written me at least three references – so yeah, I’ll deal with comments about the oddities of snapping a professor if it means I get ahead in every job application I submit. When professionals in your field see who you really are as a person – a real, not just ass-kissing person – doors will fly open for you. Professionals in your area will suddenly strive to make sure you succeed, more than they even did before.
Show them you’re a great human! Show them you deserve to be in their field. Actions speak louder than grades. No one will remember a fantastic paper you wrote when asked about you years from now. You have a personality that far surpasses your grades.
