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Be a "teacher's pet"

You never want to be dubbed the class clown, nor do you want to be known as the trouble-maker. You want to be known as the conscientious, intelligent, good-natured, kind, and generous student -- who obviously has a strong desire to be in the class and to learn the materials presented, and who will take the time to help fellow classmates when appropriate or to help the instructor when appropriate.

It is never a good idea to be fake with your intentions. What I'm saying here is that you need to be genuinely interested in your instructor and take the time to make it known that you are one of the "good" students, instead of one of the ones who is never prepared and is always asking for assignment extensions, or always complaining about a guideline or rule. Don't pretend to be interested, actually be interested.

Play your cards right and do your best to make friends with all of your instructors (though not going so far as to appear as a suck-up!), because these relationships can assist you long after you graduate from UMUC!

Here are my suggestions for accomplishing this goal:

• Don't be argumentative. If you have a gripe or complaint, do it privately through email instead of publicly in the conference.
• Always try to be upbeat and positive in all postings.
• If the professor asks for help with anything, be the first to respond, and then go above and beyond the call of duty with whatever it is.
• Keep your eyes and ears open for a mentor opportunity. Find a professor you get along with particularly well and keep the lines of communication open long after you're done with that class. You can initiate communication at the beginning and end of the semesters, and then at other times if there's something relevant to say. You don't want to be a pest; you just want to keep the line "open" in case you need to use it. Ask permission to use that professor as a reference on your resume if applicable. These mentors can be the most valuable resources you can have during your academic career. They can offer advice on classes and professors, career and academic advice, and can be used as resources for references letters for Graduate school or other continuing education programs, etc.