Office Hours: How NYU Professors Make a Large School Small

There are times when NYU can feel massive. For example, lecture courses, which are taught in auditorium-style classrooms, can contain hundreds of students. But even in these courses, your professors will still be accessible to you. While enrolled in a large lecture during my sophomore year, I attended my professor’s office hours. There, my professor asked me my name, major, and hometown. Although she had about 100 other students in just that class, she made a great effort to get to know me. This is indicative of just how compassionate NYU professors are. They see us as individuals, even in large classes.

In my first year, I had a seminar with a very enthusiastic professor. I was so inspired by his classes that I attended his office hours virtually every week. I would sometimes be nervous that my professor would grow tired of my questions, but the opposite was true. Each week he happily answered my queries and shared inspirational advice. Sometimes I didn’t even have a question, and we would chat about the real-world implications of the course. This leads to another misconception about office hours: you don’t need to have a specific question before attending. You can simply introduce yourself and establish relationships with your professors.

Even your course assistants, who oversee the smaller recitation sections, provide office hours. I once scheduled an office hours appointment with a course assistant to receive one-on-one assistance with an essay. The next year I emailed her for advice on similar courses to take. Although she was no longer my course assistant, she remained a resource for me. By attending office hours with your professors and course assistants, you can create relationships that last beyond the semester. This is crucial later on when applying for internships and jobs postgraduation.