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The obvious place to get to know faculty members is in their departments where they have their offices and labs. First-year advising and major advising are obvious points of contact with members of the faculty, and these generally take place within the department setting. Departments offer other opportunities for building relationships with members of the faculty, particularly first-year seminars, senior seminars, and Foreign Study or Language Study Abroad programs. Some sponsor discussion groups and social interactions as well.
- First-year advising and seminars. You may connect with your first-year advisor and maintain a relationship with that professor throughout your four years at Dartmouth, but you could find yourself assigned to someone with whom you have little in common. If you lack rapport with your designated first-year advisor, seek out the professor who teaches your first-year seminar. Alternatively, you can ask the department administrative assistant to recommend someone else or seek help from a professor teaching a course. Many students rely on the professor in their first-year seminar to answer questions. Not only does the small class size facilitate interaction, but also the writing assignments provide a helpful context for working more closely with the professor.
- Major advising begins officially toward the end of the sophomore year, but it makes sense to begin talking to professors in your introductory classes about the interests of the students who major in the department, the kinds of course sequences they take, and the paths they pursue after graduation. This can be a good way to fill in the gaps if you no longer see your first-year advisor but have not yet declared a major.
- FSPs and LSAs provide one of the most rewarding opportunities to develop rapport with a professor. Faculty and students typically spend time together outside of class and develop a tight bond from sharing the culture, geography, history, and politics of the study site.
- Many departments foster social interaction through organized events, such as summer barbecues, weekly colloquia, advisory committees, and informal receptions. The English Department hosts afternoons teas in Sanborn, for example, while Philosophy has weekly luncheons, and Asian and Middle Eastern Studies sponsors a weekly Middle East Forum. Computer Science has a summer barbecue. Most of these events are geared toward majors. Find out whether your major department has such activities or consider creating a student committee to sponsor events on a regular basis.
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