As students of the University, most of us have had our fair share of professors by now. Here’s a little taste of the variety of professors you will encounter — or may have already encountered — during your time here.
1. The Difficult One
This type of professor seems to be self-explanatory, but let me give you a little taste of what you will encounter with “The Difficult One”. As a cautious student, you do what most people would do before they sign up for a class — you pull up the sanctuary known as the Course Forum, your guide to every class at the University. Here is where you find out what really goes on in that class that had a 3.89 difficulty rating. You begin scrolling and then you see it — “Don’t take this class unless you absolutely have to.” This should be your first sign that you will most likely encounter “The Difficult One” if you enroll. It will be almost impossible to get an A in this class.
2. The Connection Seeker
There’s always that one teacher who wants to feel a deep connection with their students. If they don’t feel your devotion towards their course, they might leave you in the dust. This is the teacher whose comments in the Course Forum read, “Make a good impression on the professor early on or your grade will suffer.” With this professor, it is important to make an effort. My suggestion is to stop by “The Connection Seeker’s” office hours or stay after class to strike up a conversation with them about their thoughts on matcha lattes.
3. The Lecturer
When going to “The Lecturer’s” class, you best have your notebook in place and pencil in hand the moment they start speaking. “The Lecturer” may have slides with a couple of diagrams and pictures, but the meat of what they say will be spoken, and certainly not projected on the screen for you to mindlessly copy down. “The Lecturer” will keep direct eye contact during class, and if they catch you on your phone, they will most definitely call you out. You do not want to make these professors mad — they work very hard to prepare each and every one of their extensive lectures.
4. The Overly-Passionate Nerd
Be prepared to spring from your chair at any given moment with “The Overly-Passionate Nerd.” It should not come as a surprise to you when they suddenly — and aggressively — yell, “Isn’t that just amazing?” You may often find that this type of professor doesn’t use many forms of technology. The chalkboard is their oyster. Remember to cut them some slack. They just get a little overly excited about quantitative reasoning.
5. The Strange One
With “The Strange One”, you just don’t know what to expect. They tend to awkwardly pace around the room, get lost in their own thoughts during a lecture and maybe forget what time class ends. With this professor, it is important to admire them for their strangeness. While at times you may be wondering what could possibly be going on inside of their heads, you will find that “The Strange Ones” almost always brighten your day in the most unexpected ways.
6. The Enthusiast
“The Enthusiast” tends to exaggerate just how awesome their course is going to be. These professors will often introduce themselves and the class by saying, “Everything you are going to learn in this course will stick with you for a long, long time. This is going to be great. Everyone get excited.” These professors may impulsively jump around the room, toss their hands in the air and throw Expo markers towards the ceiling. “The Enthusiasts” tend to teach very interesting classes. Their passion for the subject they teach often shines through in their students.
7. The Boring One
Basically, “The Boring One” will spend all of class clicking through their slides as they stand behind the podium, drinking their fifth coffee of the day. You will often hear of this class referred to as the one that you don’t need to pay attention to, or better yet, the class you don’t need to go to. “The Boring One” will upload all of their lecture slides with all of the information you need to know for the exam on Collab. My advice is to go to class. You do not want to find yourself cramming for “The Boring One’s” exams the night before with a semester’s worth of information to memorize. Been there, done that.
8. The Over-Teller
In “The Over-Teller’s” class, you may find out just a little too much about this professor’s life. “The Over-Tellers” enjoy sharing personal moments and experiences throughout their lectures. You will find that these professors like to show their class pictures of their spouses, maybe their dogs and on occasion, their last family excursions. My best advice in this professor’s class is to sit back, smile and at least try to act like you are interested.
9. The Funny One
In “The Funny One’s” class, be prepared to be fully entertained. “The Funny One” tends to crack jokes throughout their class, some of which only they find funny. These professors tend to have a very distinct laugh, and this will become obvious early on in their course. Enjoy yourself during this class. It’s always great when a professor has a sense of humor to lighten the process of learning the ins and outs of chemiosmosis.
10. The Admirable Genius
You may be scared of “The Admirable Genius” at first because of their hefty course work and intimidating introductory lecture. However, you will find as the course goes on that their teaching style makes you want to learn more and form a strong connection with them. Even if you find yourself struggling in this course, it is worth it. “The Admirable Genius’s” class may end up being your favorite course at the University.
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