All students go on into industry, academia or further studies and relationships with lecturers will play a key role in aiding that transition. Unfortunately, it is found that this is often an afterthought.
In my short time working in academia, I have seen a number of people burn bridges or blend into the furniture, not wanting to make an impression on anyone. The default response is to be the loudest, brightest and best student in class – but let’s face it, not everyone will be any of that.
Here are 10 things you can do to increase your chances of making a good impression. This way if you need a recommendation letter, referral or a job, you will have already won half the battle.
- Send a thank you note or email after your module. A two-sentence email is all it takes to leave a good impression.
- Say hello to your lecturers as you walk around campus. It may seem awkward at first but they will notice you.
- Contribute in class where practical because your lecturers are likely to notice.
- Volunteer or participate in tangible areas where there will likely be interactions with your lecturers. It’s not sucking up, it’s playing your cards right. Is there any lecturer that organises professional events on campus? Why not offer to help them?
- Do a good job on your course. Most people think they need to be the best student, but lecturers are mostly looking for those making meaningful effort.
- If you see a magazine publication, paper or web article that you think will be useful, send it to them to show you think about ways to support their work.
- Make a good effort on your course (I know, I had to say this twice).
- If you have group projects or thesis offer to have discussions over coffee. This takes you out of the “regular student” bubble. Many Nigerians are not used to this but it does go a long way.
- Chip in discussions about your future plans when you meet to discuss your work. They may have good suggestions or recommend you to meaningful job opportunities.
- If you come across a publication or magazine article they have written, send them your good thought about their piece. They are human and like to believe their work does make a difference.
You don’t have to suck up to people to make a good impression, you can take reasonable steps to ensure you leave them with a good memory about you. More so, if lecturers have no memory about you, you might as well not have taken their course and will likely end up in their deleted folder or they will choose not to support you on your future endeavours. Hopefully, this will not be you and you are able to make the most of your time at university.
Best,
Tosin Adedipe
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