Last year I somehow found myself, a freshman in communications, in English 492, a class for upperclassmen and graduate students of film and technical studies. I had no business being in there. It was the struggle of a lifetime, but I didn't drop the class, because sometimes when you're a freshman you just shrug and say "I guess this is a normal college class." It was not a normal class. It was so hard. I had been keeping my head above water, barely grasping the concepts taught in class when we were assigned a five-page paper analyzing "2001: A Space Odyssey" (the worst movie of all time, in my opinion). I had no idea what I was going to do, or how I could write five pages about this awful movie, which, by the way, has no plot and no dialogue.

I very clearly needed help. I needed to go to the dreaded office hours. I was terrified of being face to face with my professor, someone that I had only ever been in the presence of amid a class of seventy-five other students. I was positive that this experience would be nothing short of humiliating. I knew that he would be unimpressed with my knowledge of film, disappointed with the number of his teachings I had retained, and definitely know that I hadn't done the readings for the past two weeks. When the time was nigh, I meekly walked down the hallway to my professor's cracked door, threw back my iced coffee, and knocked. What I found upon entering the office was not the serious, intimidating man that I had seen giving advanced lectures about rotoscoping and the Schüfftan process. What I found was my professor and his 4-year-old daughter sitting at his desk reading a "Frozen" picture book.

"Oh! I didn't expect anyone to come! Welcome!" My professor had his adorable daughter with him for the day, because his wife was working. Nothing makes a professor seem more human than watching him read to his daughter about Elsa and Anna. So, the three of us got to work on how I could tackle this daunting essay. He showed me useful references for my paper, answered my questions thoroughly, and even pulled up a past assignment I had turned in, showing me how I could improve my writing based on his specifications. Pulling up my previous paper was his suggestion- he was coming up with ways to help me that I had never even thought of. Shockingly, nowhere in this short meeting did he mock me, roll his eyes, or scoff! He was genuinely delighted that I had set aside my free time to get help with his class!

That's the purpose of office hours, to help you. If you are not taking advantage of office hours, honestly you are playing yourself. Through attending office hours, your professor will literally give you answers and explanations of crucial things that you need to get through their course. Unlike what I originally thought, professors will never be annoyed with you going to their hours. You are showing interest in the topic that they have dedicated their lives to, they are more than happy to discuss it with you.

Also, going to their hours lets them get to know you. In my experience, professors are more lenient with grading after I have been to office hours because my name sticks out in the sea of papers. A professor may see your name and think "Oh, this guy came to my office hours, seeking out more information" and "I remember her, she actually cares." You are not just another student winging it, you are going the extra mile to get a more thorough understanding of their course.

If you aren't already running to your professor's room, here's another reason to head to those office hours: grade raises. We've all been in a situation where we need one extra point to be bumped up to the next letter grade. And every professor has experienced the week after exams when their inbox is full of students begging for that little boost. Don't be another random student in the inbox, who the professor has never heard from or met. Go to office hours now, invest time in your grade, familiarize yourself with the professor, and in that last week, your professor will be much more likely to help you out. Your professor knows that you have put in work, consistently given a crap, and will be much more empathetic with you.

So what are you waiting for? Pull up your syllabus, find your professor's office hours, and GO. Even if you don't have a pressing question right now, think of something to ask them and go show them that their class is important to you. It will help you in the end and definitely result in a higher grade.