Alright, alright I know – you’ve already been told to do this countless times by peers, family members, professors, your high school college counselor, and the list goes on. But I am going to tell you again; go to office hours. Especially during this time in history, for your personal and academic success this step is even more crucial.
So, here’s a personal story of my own experience in office hours as a freshman (a story you’ve also probably already heard before but bear with me). Having just started my freshman year at UW, I was doing pretty well in my classes – I finished autumn quarter with an above 3.5 GPA with maybe only going to one office hour. Coming off my success of my first quarter (coming from a small town where not many people go to UW it was very plausible that I could fail out) I felt proud of myself. I got through one quarter! Then winter quarter came – and at this point, you probably know how rough Seattle winters can be and deduce what happened to me. I did really poor, and of course there were multiple reasons compacting why I did so poorly, but guess what I also did not do? Go to office hours. Not once. After this quarter, I decided I needed to change my study and academic habits, and that started with going to office hours.
Fast forward to today, and I go to office hours regularly. Sure, there are times I’m busy or I don’t “need” to go, but the relationships I have built with faculty has ultimately helped me in many ways, both personal and academic. Your professors want to also build a relationship with you, and one step towards that is office hours. Don’t be afraid to have to repeat questions to them either; luckily, university isn’t like high school where someone may snicker if you ask a “dumb” question, and if it is something you feel uncomfortable asking in front of a whole class, office hours are the perfect opportunity. Even as a junior I still ask “repeat” and “dumb” questions, and professors barely chastise or are annoyed by these (at least they don’t seem to be, however, there are unfortunate exceptions). If anything, these questions show your drive, ambition, and dedication to your academics, especially if it’s something you’re struggling with and your still actively and openly trying to figure it out and that’s admirable.
All of this just to say – go to office hours. But also remember to be vulnerable, open, and ask questions. Your grades will (probably) thank you for it later.