Topic 21 Office hours tips

Some guidelines for office hours:

1. Don’t be intimidated by office hours. One of my favorite parts of my job is talking with students one-on-one.
2. If possible, be prepared for office hours. Come with specific questions related to slides, figures, etc. But if you just want to listen to what I’m talking about with other students, that’s totally cool.
3. Office hours are for everyone. If multiple people show up I will alternate between them to answer their questions. If I feel I have answered your main questions I may ask that we table our discussion to cover other questions.

Note: During finals week I do not hold office hours and am not available for appointments.

During office hours, specific questions are better than vague ones, even if it’s just “I specifically don’t understand Fig. 4 in this chapter.”

A question like “I don’t understand natural selection” is harder for me to work with.

I’m also happy to talk about study strategies, classes you might want to take, research opportunities, etc.