Conspire with a Professor

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — “Your professor would like to give you an A. Help him or her do it,” advise two experienced professors, authors of “Professors’ Guide to Getting Good Grades in College.”

Lynn F. Jacobs, head of the art department in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Arkansas, and co-author Jeremy S. Hyman, an experienced philosophy professor, explore and explode the myths about grading that students bring to college. They do not put forward a simplistic blueprint. They offer students the kind of inside information that, if followed, can turn a novice into a scholar who earns grades to be proud of.

Estimates are that each fall 17 million students enroll in college. For parents and students who are making a significant investment in time and tuition, the “Professors’ Guide” can be a valuable insurance policy. The book is designed to clue new college students into how the system works and how to effectively use all the resources available to get the most out of classes. Getting good grades in college is not mysterious. It begins with treating the professor as an ally.

The “Professors’ Guide” offers practical advice for succeeding at five key times during the semester, what Jacobs and Hyman call “grade-bearing moments”: The Start, The Class, The Exam, The Paper and The Last Month. While the authors assure students that all professors can distinguish between shameless flattery and legitimate requests, they also offer specific guidance about how to work effectively with professors throughout the semester, from the first day of class to the day after final grades come out.

At each grade-bearing moment, the authors steer students toward developing a relationship with their instructor and teaching assistants. Time and again they emphasize that faculty want to see students succeed and have the information to help them do so. Jacobs and Hyman include an entire chapter titled “Do’s and Don’ts for Going to See the Professor” for those times students need to ask for help or discuss a grade. Besides encouraging students not to be afraid of the professor or of looking stupid, the authors list 13 ways to approach the meeting, including “Don’t expect the professor to give you the answer,” and “Do be willing to rethink your ideas.”

While Jacobs and Hyman specify grades in their title, they also stress looking at the big picture and discovering passion in knowledge. They emphasize that learning is not a collection of discrete facts. Rather they advise students to work towards understanding the structure, context and relationships of the information and ideas they encounter in class.

“Think beyond the surface,” they advise. “Focus not just on facts, but on structural relations between points.. and the methodology used to generate those points.”

They also caution students about focusing only on a diploma: “Not aiming for good grades — and the success and achievement they reflect — can suck the life out of your college experience. You slog through the courses, never really trying, never really investing the effort that could actually be the enjoyment of taking all those courses. You never find your passion.”

The “Professors’ Guide” will be released in mid June by HarperCollins Publishers. Jacobs and Hyman offer additional tips at www.professorsguide.com.