Living on a campus with more than 40,000 thousand students and faculty, We some time forgot the importance of connections. Why we need to spend quality time on people we see every day? It's a question often appears on my mind since I came to Illinois. But I ignore that beside name, job, & dry conversations. Everyone has their unique story worth to learn.
It starts from a conversation with my TA complaining my chemical engineering professor. My TA smiles and tell me that a lot of student complaining about him. But it because he is assigns to teach this introduction course, far different from his research concentration. He suggested me talk to him for my concern.
I searched for the syllabus professor gave us on first day, checked on his office hour. Monday 4pm, it’s clashed with my ENG 198 lab schedule. I email him about this and he tells me to come on Wednesday or Thursday 8:30am. On Wednesday I get up at 7:30, washed up and sat in front of my computer. I received an email from him that he has a meeting on 8:30 today, sorry for the inconvenience. For the first time I learned what a busy schedule professor has.
I didn’t turn off my laptop and went to sleep; instead I went to school’s website to check his information. Quiet amazingly I found out he earns his MS from California tech and PhD from MIT. His research is not on boring calculations but on coating that increasing efficiency of drug delivery. Something fascinates me as a pre-med student.
On Thursday I went to his office, chat about his life as a student. He talks about how student’s life different from now and back to his time. It was interesting to learn his life as student, as faculty. I ask for opportunity for undergraduate research, he replies that he needs junior or senior student. Ask him again when I get to third year at school.
The most important thing that you did during this networking experience is that you did not give up. You put real effort into connecting with this professor. This shows that you are good at networking. Networking takes effort. It does not just happen. People need to make it happen. Since you connected through interests with your professor, networking in the future will be very successful. A common interest can help keep a network alive.
ReplyDeleteFirst Question:
ReplyDeleteDid you feel irritated or annoyed when you got that email in the morning?
Motivation: Points of View
Second Question:
Could you please elaborate "coating that increasing efficiency of drug delivery"?
Motivation: Information
Third Question:
What did he say on the differences in the life of a student now from his time?
Motivation: Information
Do you have a specific concentration of medicine that you are looking at?
ReplyDeleteMotivation: Information
What made you complain about the professor?
Motivation:Point of View
Did you take away any lessons from this experience such as "there is more than meets the eye" when it comes to professors?
Motivation: Examining the results of your experience
-Tom Guttschow
Questions inbound.
ReplyDelete1. What is your general impression on those who teach the courses here on campus? How are they different from those of your high-school teacher?
Motivation : Examination of current writer's position in the matter of discussion and information gathering for further analysis upon progression of topic.
2. That 'something' that fascinated you, what was it? Could you perhasp elaborate?
Motivation : Inspection into what may be an origin of fascination and interest to the writer.
3. Why would you chat to the professor about the time he spent as a student? Did it serve the purpose of an ice-breaker, or was it a question to derive relevant information?
Motivation : Useage of topic for indirect questioning.