By Olivia Puppolo
There are two types of students in every classroom; one the teacher secretly loves, and those who make them question their entire career choices, and if you’re not sure which one you are, keep reading.
Okay, your professor doesn’t hate you…probably. But if they do, it’s not because they’re mean or heartless, it’s because of you.
Your emails, your behavior in class, or that time in class you asked, “Wait, are we doing anything important today?” like their entire career is just background noise.
Let’s be real though, college classrooms have multiple cases of different student behavior. Some students treat each class as a personal TED Talk, raising their hand every five seconds with something “insightful” to say. Others show up, physically, but mentally are reliving or rethinking the night before or just straight up asleep. Then there are the students who live off of chaos and anxiety who email their professor at 3 a.m. begging for an extension on an assignment they didn’t know existed.
So, if you’ve ever wondered, Does my professor secretly hate me? Here are some signs that you just might be the problem.
The “Did I miss anything important” student. No, we just sat in silence, waiting for you to return. Of course you missed something important, it’s a college class. Things happen in class, lessons are taught, and notes are taken. Instead of sending your professor an email they have probably received for the tenth time in one day, try this: check the syllabus, ask a classmate, and if you must email, at least phrase it like a functioning adult.
The “Chaotic Email” student. Professors dread emails, especially the ones with zero context, zero punctuation, or the ones with just too much detail. If your email looks like a text you’d send your best friends, rewrite it. Your professor is not your mom, your therapist, or your late-night academic lifeline. Use your name, full sentences, and avoid sending novel-length messages with your existential crises attached.
The “Chronic Excuse” student. This student always has an excuse, and it’s always last minute. Their entire academic career is a series of tragic events that just happen to line up perfectly with deadlines. “I swear I turned it in, but Canvas must have glitched,” “I had a family emergency,” (every assignment and class), “My Wi-Fi just stopped working,” (but were online two minutes ago). Professors have heard it all and they are exhausted.
So, does your professor hate you? The good news is your professors don’t actually hate you. The bad news is, if you saw yourself in some points on this list, you might want to rethink your approach before you send another 3 a.m. email.
College is a chaotic time, but a little self-awareness goes a long way. Engage in class, email like an adult, and remember your professor is human too.
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