What to do if your college professor isn’t your cup of tea It’s likely that you’ll have to take a class from a professor you don’t particularly enjoy at some point during your time in college.
This sometimes occurs when you enroll in your major classes and discover that the subject you need to pass your degree requirements is only taught by one professor.
You actually spend your entire academic career following RateMyProfessors.com and asking other students for recommendations on which professors to take, but when the schedule for the upcoming semester is released, you learn that you are required to enroll in this professor’s course.
Wow, what a bummer!
Despite the fact that this may not be the best circumstance, dealing with the professor is a must if you want to pass the course.
We’ll concentrate on the first option as I don’t think the second one is very viable.
What to do if you don’t like your college professor? Here are my suggestions:
RIGHT AWAY, ESTABLISH YOUR PRESENCE There could be a number of reasons why you don’t like your college lecturer, depending on what you’ve heard or read:
They never involve the class in a discussion while lecturing in a monotone. They assign grades harshly. They come out as incredibly prejudiced and set in their ways. The list is endless.
You won’t be doing yourself any favors if you don’t at least show up to class, ask questions, and introduce yourself, regardless of the reasons you don’t like your college lecturer.
Some college students, in my opinion, fail to remember that teachers are also persons. They certainly had a lot of students who they didn’t like seat down in their class, but that doesn’t mean they stopped coming.
Give them the benefit of the doubt and at the very least let them know you are there. Every now and again, make an effort to connect with them, develop a connection, and demonstrate your commitment to doing well in school.
By the end of the semester, you might be pleasantly surprised to discover that the teacher you initially found objectionable is actually an excellent teacher who just has a different style of instruction.
QUESTION THEM TO EXPLAIN WHAT YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND Many college students dislike the way some professors conduct their classes.
That makes perfect sense because everyone has a unique manner of learning and absorbing knowledge.
Unfortunately, class schedules often prevent you from enrolling in a professor from whom you are confident you would learn, therefore you must be adaptable.
Contacting your professor and asking them to explain anything you might not have understood during the lecture is one of the finest strategies to achieve this.
Because one of my professors occasionally likes to bounce around during her lectures, I really did this with her.
I went to her office and asked her what she expected because I truly didn’t know what she wanted when it comes to writing major papers (and I knew she was a hard grader).
She came across very differently in our one-on-one session than she did in lectures, so this was literally the best thing I could have done for myself!
I could have slapped myself for delaying my visit to her office…
Sometimes we have to go the additional mile to finish challenging classes with challenging lecturers.
Respect differences and be aware that it’s acceptable not to agree with everything people say. I clearly recall being quite unhappy as I sat in one of my first-year seminars because it appeared like both of my teachers were deliberately making things that I disagreed with.
Although that was a foolish assumption to make, it was the situation I found myself in at the time.
Because I felt so uneasy, I deliberately avoided those lecturers in the future. I dreaded going to that class.
I wish I had known back then that this was actually a fantastic chance for me to develop my own viewpoints and stand up for what I believed to be right.
I believe that if I had taken that class today, I would have been much more receptive to the information they were presenting because I would be able to acknowledge that everyone has various perspectives and origins.
Too many college students reach a point when they dislike their instructors as a result of their remarks or the positions they take.
We’re all just people, and we all have our own opinions, at the end of the day. You are not being shunned or looked down upon just because you disagree with your teachers. In fact, you might discover that your professor’s opinions serve to support your own!
Consider these distinctions with an open mind and observe how your opinions of your professor alter.
AIM TO DO YOUR BEST WORK. Even if it may seem exceedingly difficult to give your best work when you dislike your college professor, I assure you that this situation will arise often throughout your life.
There will always be people you don’t get along with well, but it shouldn’t stop you from accomplishing your objectives.
You can refocus your attention by reading some of my excellent pieces with college advice, which will enable you to devote more time to the task at hand and less time to hating your professor:
Have you ever had a bad experience with a professor? What steps did you take to address the problem?
