Us students are paying thousands of dollars to go to this top ranked university. However, not all of us are using our “free” available resources to our advantage. You’ve heard of office hours, but have you been? I promise they’re not a myth!
Starting classes at UW-Madison was an experience I had never had. There were so many people, so it felt hard to stand out. I liked my large lectures, but I did not like being anonymous to my professors and TAs.
I decided to fix this and went to office hours on a whim. To my surprise (although everyone seems to advocate for this already), I truly enjoyed going. First off, my grades significantly improved, especially in math. The TAs and professors were very helpful and the extra work paid off.
Going to office hours was also an opportunity to make a connection with the professors that have career paths that inspire me. They often knew about special programs and recommended courses that I otherwise would not have known about. I was also introduced to a handful of faculty members of which have since recommended various internships and research positions.
Finally, going to office hours makes our big school feel smaller. It’s a way to be unique in a lecture of hundreds of people. I can’t recommend going to office hours enough.