I am about to share the one sure-fire and simple step you can take as an OU student to ensure that you not only have academic success, but have fun and feel rewarded by your classes as well: get to know your professors!

This seems like the most logical advice one could give, but I am surprised both by how few students actually feel confident talking to their professors after class, and also how much personal satisfaction you will receive if you do.

As an undergraduate student at the University of Oklahoma, I made a point of visiting with my professors outside of the classroom, as well as actively participating in class discussions, and over the years, there have been countless ways this practice has benefited me.

In my first semester, I had a difficult class that I received an A in largely because I talked to my professor about how to improve my work. My second semester, I started working as a research assistant for one of my professors because I talked to her about how I was interested in the subject matter of the course, and she has since acknowledged me in a number of important publications. Another of my professors always had an office full of students who just wanted to stop by and chat, and he organized a book club with these students and would often gift books to his top students. Just this semester, I spoke to one of my professors about wanting to have more background knowledge about the class subject matter, and he not only loaned me a couple of books, but actually wrote me an email thanking me for taking his course! And these are just a sampling of the phenomenal professors I have worked with here at OU.

Those are some concrete examples, but the reason I am so insistent that students must get to know their professors is for the more important personal connections I made by getting to know my professors outside of the classroom.

As a staff member, I still get together with several of my former professors for lunch or coffee on a semi-regular basis. I could state the obvious, that these strong connections are beneficial when you are looking for recommendations for graduate school or scholarships, but in truth, I simply enjoy the engaging conversations I get to have with these professors whom I also consider as friends. I feel privileged that academicians who are luminaries in their fields are happy to take time out just to sit and visit with me.

Plus, I promise you will get more out of each class if you take the time to talk to your professor, who will often have interesting insights into the course material that he or she may not have the occasion to share in the classroom.

For those of you planning to attend OU in the fall, or further down the road, please do meet your professors. We are incredibly lucky at the University of Oklahoma to attend a major research institution where the professors actually make working with undergraduates a priority. This type of academic environment is actually quite rare, and it would be a shame to let four years in such a setting slip by without taking full advantage of it.

We talk a lot about personal attention here at OU and it certainly is one of the stand-out qualities of this university, but the fact is, students often create their own experiences in college. To a certain extent, it is up to you to take the initiative to make sure that you do have the best possible college experience, one in which your professors care about your academic and personal success and you enjoy your classes. OU is an amazing place where professors truly want to get to know you and spend time with you, so please take advantage of this amazing opportunity. I promise, if you do, you will leave the campus with a cadre of professors who have become colleagues, and are more than willing to be active participants in helping you achieve future success.