How to develop a great relationship with your professors - Pradeep Moon Gunasekaran

How to develop a great relationship with your professors

by Pradeep Moon Gunasekaran, PhD, Chemical Biology

In the 1999 David Fincher movie ‘Fight Club’, Brad Pitt’s character Tyler Durden said “The first rule of fight club is: You do not talk about Fight Club”. A quote so famous that people who have never seen the movie are still familiar with it. Similar to Mr Durden’s simplistic directive, in my opinion graduate school too has one main rule: Always try talking to your professors.

I have been a graduate student at the University of Michigan for well over a year now. Apart from the initial culture shock, change in time zone and acclimatizing to the weather, I found it was very easy to adjust to living in the United States of America. But as far as graduate school itself is concerned, I initially struggled. I come from a part of the world where you do not speak to your professors unless they address you first or unless you have to pass some information onto them. Being from such a conservative background, I initially struggled in my new environment which is quite dynamic in nature. The classes are very lively with professors asking stimulating questions and students bouncing innovative ideas amongst each other. This can be a lot of fun, but can take some getting used to. As a graduate student, you are expected to be able to handle the academic responsibilities placed upon you, but in order for you to do so you must have the cooperation of your professors. Professors at the University of Michigan are brilliant and are the pioneers in their respective fields. This makes them your primary resource for knowledge and innovation. Hence it is in your best interest to have a good relationship with them. After experiencing two full terms of graduate school, I have understood quite a lot about the academic culture here at the University of Michigan as well as graduate school in the US in general. The following are the key points that I feel are essential to not only establish a good relationship with your professors, but to maintain them as well:

• Professors at the University of Michigan are very outgoing and expect their students to be willing to return the favour as well. This does not mean you have to be extroverted, it just means that you should be willing to initiate conversations.
• If you meet your professor in the hallway or in the lounge, do not hesitate to greet them and ask them how they are. Not all conversations with your professors have to be formal. Outside the classroom or lab, they could very well be your friends.
• Another thing I learnt after coming here is the way to address your professors. In my earlier education, we were always said to address our professors with honorifics such as Sir or Madam. This is not the case in the US. Here they prefer to be addressed by their name and not Sir/Madam. This also applies to when you communicate with them through email as well.
• Now with respect to graduate students who intend to perform research during their time at the University of Michigan, it is of great importance to frequently meet your principal investigator or PI and to maintain a practice of meeting them at least once a week. The PI themselves might organize weekly office hours in most cases, but in case they don’t do so, it is best to take the initiative yourself.
• If you are like me a person who is shy and is afraid to initiate conversations, you should try and ease into this transition. The prospect of initiating a conversation can be overwhelming at first, but once you make it a habit it become very easy to do on a day to day basis.

When people talk about graduate school and college in general, they tend to focus more on the educational aspect. But I believe that it provides you with lessons in life and not just lessons in your respective fields. And professors can be one of the main sources of these life lessons since they’re main goal is to pass on as much knowledge and experience they can onto you. Others may see you for who you are, but a professor is one who sees you for who you can become. To quote the American historian Henry Adams, “A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops”. Make the most of your time at the University of Michigan and as always, Go Blue!