What are office hours?

Office hours. Office hours. Office hours. That’s all I heard as a high school student asking for college tips, but what exactly are office hours? 

Office hours are a time that professors designate in their schedule to meet with students. Depending on the professor, office hours can be walk-in or scheduled. Professors usually give a designated time for office hours, but most are flexible in scheduling times in case their original office hours overlap with student schedules.

During office hours, professors do not teach material. These sessions are student driven, usually through questions. They are optional for students so many people decide not to go. However, if you want an amazing letter of recommendation, get to know your professor through office hours. If you don’t have any questions about material but enjoy the class, talk about what you like in the class. Get to know your professors because aside from letters of recommendations, it’s nice to talk to someone who knows the school. There are a good amount of professors who have been at the school for a while or have been teaching for a couple years. They could give great tips about surviving college from what they’ve seen from something different than a fellow student’s perspective.

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Each and every one of our 4S Mentors offer weekly “office hours” for the 4S community, lending their expertise to current and former scholars! Applications for our 4S Program 2023-2024 are now open for rising juniors.