By Lana Sullivan, college sophomore
In college, the professors you have and the ways you can adapt to their different teaching styles can make or break your grades as well as impact your academic experience. It’s important to know how to manage and adapt to professor teaching styles and/or their personalities. Throughout my first year of college in college I’ve ran into at least four different archetypes of professors. Here’s how I categorized them and how I’ve learned to manage their different teaching styles so I can be successful in their classes.
The first type of professor, and my personal favorite, is the one I like to refer to as Mr. Zen. Mr. Zen is the type of professor that is the most personable and understanding. He is usually younger (or just really cool for his age) and is very interactive with his teaching style. He has no preference with your style of note taking and is usually flexible with deadlines. He demonstrates an emphasis on the importance of self care and encourages you to take a few mental health days if you need it. While this type of professor seems like a dream come true, it’s very important not to let yourself go and relax too much. With a professor that is very relaxed like this, more responsibility tends to fall on the student to maintain motivation and take initiative to manage assignment deadlines on their own.
On the other end of the spectrum, we have Miss Ironclad. Miss Ironclad is the strictest on the scale of professors - and probably your least favorite. She has higher expectations and holds her students to a standard that she doesn't like to budge on.
This professor believes that your work is 100% your responsibility regardless of the circumstances.
She tends to be a lot tougher about deadlines, attendance, and participation than some of your other professors. Professors like this can really mess with your head and make you upset, but the key is not to let them. Don’t let their behaviors or teaching style affect you personally; at the end of the day teaching is just their job and it’s nothing personal to you.
If you have an issue with a professor, one of the best things you can do is to schedule a meeting with them.
Sometimes, professors like Miss Ironclad become a lot more understanding when you get the chance to speak with them one-on-one about your concerns. But then again, not all professors are the same, and they may just be a tough nut to crack. In that case the best thing you can do is try your best to get a good grade and let their attitudes slide right off your back. Chances are, you’re not the only student in your class who is struggling with the professor.
The next type of professor I’ve discovered is Mr. Independence. Mr. Independence acts exactly like his name. His teaching style is typically lecture based and not very interactive. He assigns papers and projects with limited specified instructions and leaves most things up to interpretation. If you miss work he will typically tell you to refer to another classmate to catch up rather than providing you with the content.
This type of professor doesn’t give reminders about when things are due and wholeheartedly believes that everything in college should remain independent to the student. What I’ve found to be the most helpful with professors like this is to communicate with other students in your class and create group chats or study groups to work together in. This way the work feels less daunting and lonely and gives you people to connect with and share questions and answers among each other.
Lastly, we have Miss Oldschool. While most schooling has shifted to digital and technology based, there still remain a few professors that are extremely old school in their beliefs about education and learning. Their teaching style usually sticks close to a textbook and they give long, LONG lectures. They sometimes have a hard time using platforms like Blackboard, Canvas and Brightspace to post assignments, so you have to rely on your memory and word of mouth if the professor doesn't put details about assignments onto the college's online portal.
This type of professor may limit the technology and devices you area allowed to use in the classroom and prefer students to take notes with a pen and notebook. This can be hard to adjust to, especially if your high school required you to complete your homework digitally. Some of the best strategies that have helped me with this type of professor are to write down assignments and deadlines when they’re said aloud in class so that I don’t forget later on. Professors like Miss Oldschool also highly value preparedness and punctuality, so it’s imperative to follow their policies and standards (which they will remind you are in the syllabus) in order to stand out in class (in a good way).
In conclusion, dealing with different types of professors is key to doing well in college. Whether you have a laid-back Mr. Zen, a strict Miss Ironclad, a Mr. Independence, or a Miss Oldschool, each type of professor has their own strengths and challenges.
By adjusting your approach, staying organized and working with classmates, you can handle any teaching style and make the most of your college experience. Just remember to stay flexible and proactive and you’ll be able to succeed no matter who your professor is.
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