6 things that college professors give students

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What college professors will give or won’t give their students?

Ever wonder what professors will give their students?

I get these questions a lot from students because sometimes they expect their college experience to be like their high school classes.

That isn’t quite true.

There are a lot of differences between your college professors and high school teachers so don’t expect the same treatment.

I am going to answer these six questions from college students that I get a lot about what exactly college professors will give their students during the semester.

Do college professors give students extra credit?

Yes. College professors may choose to give their students extra credit, but don’t expect it to be easy to earn. The academic rigor of extra credit in college classes is likely more difficult than what students received in high school.

When I was a college professor, I would give extra credit but only on occasion. It was never guaranteed or promised to students.

Let me give you some ways college professors might give students extra credit in their classes.

• Attend an event – Some professors might tell you about a campus or community event that is related to class. If you can attend, and write a summary over your attendance, then you will get extra credit. This can be difficult for some students because you might have work or other obligations and cannot attend and forfeit your opportunity for extra credit. That can be a big bummer. Make sure you talk to your professor and ask if you can have an alternative option since you physically cannot attend. They may not be able to offer you anything, but it’s worth a shot.

• Write a paper – You might be asked to write a short paper or answer a critical thinking question to receive extra credit. It could be a rather difficult or simple assignment, depending on your professor. 

• Be in class – When I offered extra credit, I would have students complete assignments during class to get extra credit. Maybe your professor shows a video or gets students into groups to complete an assignment. Either way, attending every class may get you the opportunity to earn extra credit

These are just a few of the ways that I have seen college professors offer students extra credit.

Keep in mind that they don’t have to give you extra credit, and some are completely against offering any, no exceptions.

Check your professor’s syllabus to see if they have an extra credit policy and avoid asking them for extra credit if they haven’t offered it.

Do college professors give students extensions?

College professors sometimes give students extensions on assignments and exams, but it depends on the circumstances. It would be common for a professor to give an extension to a student who has reasonable accommodations or a student who was summoned for jury duty. A student might also get an extension for a documented illnesses or hospitalization. It would depend on the professor’s and the college’s policies.

This will really be dependent on how the professor outlines their policy for extensions. Some professors have little wiggle room here.

They may not offer any extensions unless a student has a documented disability and needs accommodations. This could allow for an extension.

Other times professors may work with students who have something come up, like jury duty or a serious illness.

Professors are humans too, and they care about their students’ success so they may allow for an extension when it’s appropriate.

Don’t feel like one is guaranteed though.

And if you find yourself in this situation, ask in advance, before a deadline. They’ll be more likely to allow for an exception if you communicate early.

This way they know you didn’t just miss the deadline and are trying to get a free pass to complete it late.

And if you want to know exactly how to ask for an extension, I already have that outlined here.

Do college professors give students study guides?

College professors rarely give students study guides because the course material and lectures are students’ study guides. It is not common for college professors to offer additional reviews for exams. But not completely unrealistic to receive study guides if you have disability accommodations.

I’ve seen some professors give study guides to students, but not necessarily answers to the exam questions. The guides consisted of questions that required students to find the answers.

This helps you prepare for the exam.

But it still directs students on exactly what to study.

Other times professors may do an exam review the lecture before an exam.

They may do this as a class or as small groups.

And some may just hand out a list of things to focus on for an exam.

This really depends on your professor, but don’t expect professors to just hand you exactly what will be on an exam. That’s the purpose of attending classes and collecting that information.

But they will likely give you some direction.

Do college professors give students notes?

College professors will rarely give students notes unless the student has a documented disability and has accommodations that require the student to receive the professor’s notes. Otherwise, the professor will very rarely give students their notes as they will expect students to attend class and take their own notes or get them from a classmate if they miss class.

You probably want to know the answer to this question because you need to be prepared for a future absence.

Or you already miss class and wonder if you should ask for your professor’s notes.

I recommend that you don’t ask your professor to provide you with notes from a previous lecture.

Unless you have an accommodation.

Rather, you should be going to your classmates and asking them for their notes instead.

Professors may have notes posted on their learning management system for all students, but they aren’t likely to share their personal notes with one student.

So, check with your professor to see if they are going to post materials online. Or you’ll need to get good at note-taking.

Do college professors give students homework?

College professors usually require students to complete homework outside of class. The homework may consist of online discussions, research papers, quizzes, textbook questions and laboratory assignments.

You will very likely get homework as a college student, and you will probably have a lot of it.

You will need to have a plan to keep up with all the work.

And you definitely want to make sure you study accordingly because you don’t want to fall behind.

Homework can take up a lot of your free time as a college student, but if you go to all your classes, and read the required materials, you should be able to complete the homework faster than students who don’t do those things.

Almost every professor I know assigns homework to college students, so get prepared to work at home a lot.

There just isn’t enough time during class to complete the assignments so you’ll be doing it independently instead.

Do college professors give advice?

College professors may give professional and academic advice, but it is usually not advisable to give students personal advice. The professor will likely advise a student to communicate any concerns to a counselor or other professional for personal advice.

Most professors won’t give students unsolicited advice. But it is recommended that students talk to their professors if they have questions or concerns, especially about their academics or career.

That’s part of their job.

But if you need some personal advice, you should seek help elsewhere.

However, if you have no one to talk to, your professor could be someone to share that information with and they can tell you where you can get further assistance.

For example, you might have questions about your mental health, and they can likely refer you to someone who can assist.

Don’t keep that information inside if you need some help.

But for sure go to your professor with questions about your academic or career path because they’ll be sure to help.

Now that you know exactly what professors will give and won’t give college students, you can be more prepared for your academic career.

Don’t expect these things to be true for all professors. Professors have a lot of academic freedom and may choose to do something entirely different than what I explained. But this seems to be the norm for most colleges.

You’ve got this.