Getting into the right classes can be quite a difficult task in college, especially in your first couple of years, when you do not have registration priority.  Since you do not get to register first, sometimes you will find yourself in a class with a difficult professor.

This is also the case when it comes to required classes, for a major or minor; but, you can find a way to survive, and succeed in the class.

So if you leave the first lecture in fear or disgust, know that there are ways to endure this tough situation

Use the TA

If you have a professor whom you find insufferable, consult the TA for further help.  If you have a discussion section, it can be a great way to get clarification on difficult or confusing material.

When I took Statistics in my freshman year, I could not stand my professor.  She moved through the material far too quickly, and her strong accent caused me even more confusion.

Fortunately, my TA was fantastic, pretty much saving my grade in the class.  His discussion section made the material understandable, and his one section more valuable for me than the professor’s three lectures.

Go to the office

In a big lecture hall, professors can seem larger than life.  But remember that they are people too, not figures to be afraid of.

All professors have office hours, and most will make appointments to accommodate your schedule.  Talk to them, because they want to help you.  Even if their lectures are excruciating, they are likely approachable one-on-one, and it is worth a visit if you need help.

I took my first upper division class in my sophomore year, and my teacher was extremely difficult.  Her lectures contained more information than I could process, and her homework assignments were very difficult.

But when I finally got up the courage to visit her office, she helped me with the subject matter, and remained patient with me.  So don’t be afraid or intimidated, because they want to help you.

And if/when you do visit office hours, make sure you are polite, no matter how insufferable their lectures may be.

If anyone else has advice on dealing with difficult professors, please post below.

Professors Lynn Jacobs and Jeremy Hyman, educators and higher education experts, recently published a list on The Huffington Post about “red flags” that college students should look out for when encountering new professors. I tend to be wary of absolute statements like some of the advice that they offer while other tips rang true for me as well.

For one thing, Jacobs and Hyman advise staying away from professors that are “boring” and write that you can tell right away if a professor will be boring or not. I feel that “boring” is a very subjective term and although it can certainly describe many people (or at least their approach to teaching or public speaking), I think that it is a bit unfair to make such an absolute statement. Students respond to different teaching styles—the professor that one student finds totally intriguing very well may bore another student. I put off taking a course with a professor that some classmates said was boring. When I finally took his class, I loved it! Furthermore, the first class of the semester is a bit of a throwaway class: personal introductions, going over the syllabus, and realizing that the assigned classroom is either way too big or too small for the size of the class. Sorry if it’s boring, but I would urge students not to judge a professor’s teaching style on that first class.
Jacobs and Hyman also caution against professors who assign an “undoable amount of work—or none at all.” First of all, every college has different ways of organizing courses according to level and it’s important that students pay attention to the number/level of the courses as well as their titles; courses above a certain number (or letter, code, etc.) may be considered advanced or upper-level and thus too challenging for underclassmen. Double check before you register.

Also, some professors “front load” their courses in order to get the best work out of students before the inevitable avalanche of final papers at the end of the semester—my advisor actually did this with all of her classes and it worked very well. It meant jumping into paper-writing earlier than other classes demanded, but her classes typically closed with less arduous assignments to balance things out.

I would be surprised to find a professor who can get away with assigning nothing at all, if only because most universities have some sort of overarching policy that would not allow zero or barely existent coursework. So if Jacobs and Hyman are concerned with professors who base the majority of the final grade on one big paper and the rest on everybody’s favorite phenomenon, participation, then I understand this concern. Again, I think that it is a matter of how advanced the course is and its role in the overall curriculum.

While I believe that it is perfectly acceptable and even advantageous to students and professors alike to focus on an extended research paper in upper-level courses, students deserve earlier and more frequent evaluations of their learning in introductory and survey courses. If a student finds himself/herself in a class with only one major grade and feels dissatisfied with this format, then I would suggest talking to the department chair to find a suitable substitute for the particular course.

Check out the rest of Jacobs and Hyman’s advice and let us know what you think—have you experienced any of the scenarios that they present? What are your professorial “red flags” What should not be considered a bad sign?

I caught this “13 Things Students Love to Hate About College” article on the excellent Professors’ Guide page on USNews.com. They pick up on several common complaints that students have in college and I thought I’d offer my two cents on a few that resonated the most with me.

3. My professor is unbelievably boring. What you can do: Drop the course and find another one with a better professor. Every college has its duds, but there’s no reason why you have to get stuck with one. Even if the professor is the only person teaching a required course, there are always possibilities of getting the adviser or the department chair to authorize a substitution for a requirement. Or just wait until the course is next offered, ideally with an instructor who at least makes a minimal effort to keep you awake.

Okay, now this is a bit extreme…I didn’t necessarily click with every professor I had in college (or even like them all, let’s be honest) but to write a professor off as a “dud” before even trying to make it work would be a mistake. This is where I really see office hours being useful–stop by, ask a question or maybe additional feedback on an assignment. Office hours are a great way for professors to get to know you–and for you to get to them as well.

6. I hate writing papers. What you can do: Think about a paper as simple communication. Can you think up five reasons why the cop shouldn’t give you a ticket when you were going 77 mph in a 25 mph zone? If this were a paper, the claim that you don’t deserve a ticket would be your thesis statement, and your five reasons would be the ways you prove your thesis. Now apply this to your history paper assignment.

I agree that the art of a clear thesis is often overlooked. Also, I can’t emphasize enough how beneficial peer writing centers/advisories can be. Working with juniors and seniors on my own writing allowed me to communicate candidly and sharpen my writing skills. And honestly, these things are not remedial…even after I worked in my college’s writing center, I still exchanged drafts with other tutors! Different colleges may operate such services in distinct ways, but they are generally extremely useful, especially for students who aren’t too keen on writing.

13. This college is nothing like what I expected it to be. It can happen, especially when you’ve paid too much attention to the YouTube-style videos on the college website put out by the admissions office. What you can do: Seek out those places and activities at the college that attracted you in the first place. Going to a few fun activities—and meeting a few fun people—can change your perspective about the school 100 percent.

I feel like we spend so much time and energy on college admissions these days that we forget about what happens once that hurdle is passed and it’s time to, well, live life at college. I think my first year or two of college reflected some of the most intense highs and lows I’ve ever experienced–it’s normal. I agree that seeking out new activities is a good way to combat this issue, and it doesn’t even have to be a big commitment; colleges host tons of speakers and workshops that are worth checking out as well.