On college campuses across the country, prospective students are assured that regardless the size of their classes, professors make themselves accessible to students. Tufts is no exception — true to the promises of admissions representatives, all professors and lecturers are required to hold office hours each week.
Unfortunately, here on the Hill, some students feel more comfortable picking up a cute guy or girl at the Burren than knocking on their professor's door.
"I'm intimidated to go to office hours," freshman Caroline Welch said.
Freshman Ariel Lefland agreed and has devised a plan involving a wingman of sorts next time she goes to visit a professor; she and her friend are going to see a biology professor together, she said."I feel like I have to have a purpose to go," Lefland said.
Professor Edith Balbach, senior lecturer of community health, feels that office hours can be of great benefit to students and hence tries to help them overcome their discomfort early on in their college careers. Her solution? She makes office hour attendance mandatory.
"I force my freshmen advisees to go to office hours — other than mine — and report back to their classmates about the experience," Balbach said. "I think it's good for students to know that there is an hour-and-a-half time slot when they can come find you."
Balbach encourages all of her students to visit her, whether to ask questions or just to talk. "The great thing is that you don't have to act like you have something so important to discuss," she said. "It's neighborly."
Senior Evan Steinberg said that while some students are hesitant to attend office hours, they usually recognize that doing so is probably a good idea. Steinberg does not visit his professors regularly, but he sees value in occasional visits.
"It definitely doesn't hurt to get some solo time with your professor," he said. "You can get them to answer your specific questions and it lets them know you care."
Sophomore Quentin Lott feels strongly that all students should take advantage of office hours as an opportunity to become acquainted with their professors.
"I go to all of my classes' office hours at the beginning of the semester, just to get to know the professors," he said.
Lott thinks it is unfortunate that more students do not take the chance to engage with professors, pointing out that professors are not only interesting people but will also be useful resources in the future. At some point, when students look to apply for jobs or to graduate school, they will need recommendations from their professors, he said.
"That is going to be hard if your professors don't know you," Lott said.
According to Lott, office hours can be especially helpful for students in large lecture classes, who might not otherwise have the opportunity to establish relationships with their teachers.
Steinberg said the opposite: He goes to office hours more often now that he is in higher-level classes, which tend to have fewer students.
"I found that in really big classes, I wouldn't need to talk to professors about anything," he said. "But in more difficult classes where I have more freedom to do what I want, I actually need to talk to the professors more."
Another way for intimidated students to start establishing contact with academic professionals and receive one-on-one help, freshman Nick Hwang said, is by attending Teaching Assistants' (TAs) office hours.
"I feel more comfortable going to my TA — I have a really nice TA," he said. Hwang feels that meeting with a TA is often more desirable than venturing to visit an older and more established professor.
Balbach agrees with Hwang that TAs are a useful resource, and as a result, puts a lot of importance on picking out approachable and friendly TAs.
Since TAs often grade assignments in large lecture classes, Steinberg sometimes feels a greater need to get to know the TA than the professor teaching the class.
"In big lecture classes, it makes more sense to go to the TA because that's the person who actually grades you," Steinberg said.
