91茄子

Sharing her insights on building student-faculty relationships, seeing your professors 鈥渋n the wild鈥�, and setting students up for success is Kelli Britten of the College of Journalism & Mass Communications.

Building connections with faculty members can be an incredibly valuable part of your college experience. Yes, they鈥檙e experts in their fields, but they鈥檙e also endlessly great resources for real-world connections, internships, mentoring, and so much more.

And at 91茄子, we have some of the best.

We鈥檝e spoken to a handful of 91茄子 faculty members about best practices for building student-faculty relationships and why you should seek them out鈥娾�斺�奺ven if their class isn鈥檛 your favorite.

College of Journalism and Mass Communications professor and JoMC 101: Principles of Mass Media instructor Kelli Britten spoke with us on all the ways getting to know your faculty can enrich the collegiate experience for students, from creating lifelong friendships to connecting students with industry professionals鈥娾�斺�奱nd maybe even finding someone to officiate your wedding.

It takes a bit to get to know everyone鈥娾�斺�妅eep making the effort

鈥淭here鈥檚 always a line to talk with me on the first day of class, which I love, but know that your professor is probably not going to know your name after the first time. And that鈥檚 okay! If there鈥檚 something that was really interesting in a lecture or activity, come up after that class halfway through the semester or two weeks later and say 鈥業 thought this was really cool!鈥欌��

Online? So are your faculty

鈥淐ome to office hours, set up office hour appointments, send emails, engage on social media鈥娾�斺�奿f a faculty member says to follow them on Twitter, follow them! The relationship doesn鈥檛 always have to be face to face, though I鈥檓 excited that we鈥檙e back in an in-person space.鈥�

Faculty will help you find your place

鈥淚t鈥檚 really easy to feel alone and isolated in college in general, but also in a large academic space like JOMC 101. Especially in these introductory classes, students might be feeling 鈥楢m I in the right spot? Did I pick the right major?鈥�. And so, if you鈥檙e having conversations with your faculty member about these feelings, we can provide some guidance and insight鈥娾�斺�奺specially in our specific college and industry. We can complement what advisors are already doing. I think it can ease some of the fear of figuring out what college is and what we鈥檙e doing in this class. 鈥�

Faculty can help you figure out what you鈥檙e interested in鈥娾�斺�奺ven if it鈥檚 not their class

鈥淢y goal in one-on-one conversations is often to help you figure out what you don鈥檛 want to do. If you hate your major, you鈥檙e not a failure. If you add a major, you鈥檙e not a failure. It鈥檚 totally okay if you take my class and you realize 鈥業 don鈥檛 like broadcasting鈥� or 鈥業 don鈥檛 like advertising鈥�. There鈥檚 another space for you somewhere in our college or around campus!鈥�

Your faculty know people in their industries, and would really like you to know them too

鈥淲e know the people, we have the connections, so when students need a letter of recommendation or when they need advice on an internship or where to apply, we know someone at that company or agency. If we know you, the student, it鈥檚 easier for us to champion you and celebrate you and find you a job or internship! The best part of my job is connecting students.鈥�

Keep in touch after college!

鈥淚 have a constant stream of texts and memes and DMs from former students; literally two Sundays ago I married a former student and her husband, and Tuesday night I went out to dinner with another. For us in advertising, it鈥檚 so important because now these former students are reaching out for interns, and so staying in touch with former students has helped me connect current ones with opportunities.鈥�