University of California-Berkeley Top Questions

My professors are amazing. They are all so helpful and they enjoy discussing with the students the material. They offer up office hours so that students can come outside of class and talk to them in a less pressured setting about topics that weren't brought up in class or other topics of research that might have nothing to do with the class. They try their best to make information available through the use of bSpace by posting additional readings, extra sources, or even through provoking questions. They facilitate outside discussion by opening forums and just allowing students to connect with each other outside the pressure of a lecture room.

The professors can be some of the most inspiring people you've ever encountered. A few of my professors have motivated me to pursue research, and even graduate school. I suggest getting to know the professors, you really find interesting. They tend to have a much richer set of experiences and are very willing to share them with you. The key is not to be afraid, and to realize that they are people, too. Some professors cannot teach at all but do brilliant research. Sometimes showing your professor that you have been reading his/her research is the beginning of an academic alliance. If not, at least it brings a smile to a face.

I hesitate to speak in terms of specifics (names), but I will just say that my professors have all been brilliant--they wouldn't be at Cal otherwise--as well as kind and approachable. There are, of course, not-so-good professors, and not-so-kind professors, but none of them have fallen into that myth-category of the arrogant, tenured intellectual, angry at the teaching position his research entails. It all varies, though; some professors likely don't remember my name, others I house-sit for or go to lunch with. Some edit my poetry for me, others invite me to poetry readings on or off campus, at their house or in bookstores. I am even facebook friends with some. Others maintain a distance and air of professionalism, but that does not necessarily preclude kindness and approachability.